Getting a dog if you already have a cat.
 

Hi there, i have a 3 year old cat and was considering getting a rough collie puppy for my daughter next year, however i am very worried that my cat might become depressed if bring a dog into the family and she means the world to me and i dont want t do anything that would make my cat depressed.
Do you have any advice and do you think it would be a bad idea?
Thanks

[QUOTE=angie26;1043710]Hi there, i have a 3 year old cat and was considering getting a rough collie puppy for my daughter next year, however i am very worried that my cat might become depressed if bring a dog into the family and she means the world to me and i dont want t do anything that would make my cat depressed.
Do you have any advice and do you think it would be a bad idea?
Thanks[/QUOTE]

Is your cat an outside or inside cat, it really depend on what your cat is like . If your is a very quite cat that loves to sleep all day , it may not like having a puppy bugging it. Could you have a friend bring their dog to your house to see how your cat react?

She is outdoor and indoor she just sits in the garden when she is out. My dad did bring his dog round last year, she hissed for a while then walked up and started sniffing the dog.
Maybe i worry to much :cat:
Thanks for replying. :thumbs up

Slow and proper introduction is the key. And try not to get a dog with a "high prey drive" for the sake of your cat. I have been there twice.....

Make sure your cat has a safe haven--a gated room or a cat door into another area...some place kitty can get into easily but puppy can't. Supervised introductions, slow and easy, and make sure to make the boundaries as to what's allowed and what isn't very clear to your puppy.

And charge your camera batteries cuz we'll need pics, pls! :D

Thanks to everyone for the advice, The lady the puppy would becoming from has invited me over in september to see the parents of the pup, and i will see if they have a good temperment.
I only wish my cat could talk then i could ask her how she feels:thumbs up
Will let you all know how it goes next year if pup arrives.
Thanks again.
:cat:

[QUOTE=angie26;1043750]She is outdoor and indoor she just sits in the garden when she is out. My dad did bring his dog round last year, she hissed for a while then walked up and started sniffing the dog.
Maybe i worry to much :cat:
Thanks for replying. :thumbs up[/QUOTE]

I think it would help to a find a place to put your cat food so she will be able to eat in peace . I had a dog and got a kitten later , the two got along great. A friend found the kitten in the street , she think someone threw it out of a car. :( I had to put my cat food up so my dog would not eat it.

When we got our dog, she had to learn to live with not just one, but three cats, all with completely different reactions.
It's important to control the introductions so neither animal gets hurt. Have the puppy on a leash, know where the cat is, and do the introductions in a room with lots of high places for the cat to retreat to. If the puppy gets overly excited, take her out and bring her back later. Supervise all interactions for the first little while. If nobody gets scared, the cat's curiosity will gradually win. She may never become best friends with the puppy, but she should at least learn to tolerate her.
Our one boy has gone from so nervous he didn't want to be in the same room with Sunshine at first, to tolerating her if he could be up high, to walking wide around her, to just yesterday walking under her belly because she was in front of the gate we keep his food behind. :D
Have patience and good luck finding the right puppy.

Thanks ownedbycats, Lots of information, Will post updates on how everything goes. :)