tips for introducing cat and new dog

[Starlitangel]

Does anyone have any tips on ways i can introduce my 17 yr old cat and the new dog i will be getting? I am very worried, I am getting a 4 yr old pure bred Jack russells, and JR's are known to have strong hunting instincts and are known to kill other small house pets. I plan on keeping them seperated while I am away of course, but would like some helpful ideas of getting them properly introduced so they can at least stand each other under supervision. My cat is used to other dogs, large and small, but the jack russell has apparently never been around cats before. She has however been brought up around other dogs, large and small.

[Prin]

Why not do a couple of test runs before you decide to keep the Jack?

[happycats]

Why don't you look for a Jack that is cat friendly ?
Your poor 17 year old cat will not be able to defend itself, If this JR decides to kill it, and if it hasn't been raised with cats chances are it will kill your cat!! Please think this through, and maybe consider a more cat friendly dog, there are lots of them on www.petfinder.com

[Lucky Rescue]

A young JRT is NOT a good choice for a house with cats, especially a senior cat. You may have to keep them entirely separated for the rest of the cat's life, if the dog is predatory - a trait JRTs are especially bred for.

This dog has never been around cats and may very react to it as she would to any other prey animal. Your cat may be used to dogs, but she is very old and probably slower than she was, and the dog is young and quick and one bite and shake may kill her.

I'm just looking at the worst case scenario here which is something you need to do before bringing a new pet home.

You might consider getting a dog who is already known to be good with cats (which I did) or wait til your cat passes on and then get the kind of dog you want without worrying about this.