aww

Jackson Galaxy method! He has guides on YouTube for introducing animals to each other. Cat to cat. Dog to cat.

For two weeks we did these things:

• separate animals into their own spaces
• scent swapping (put blankets/toys from each animal into the other animal's room)
• feed them behind the same closed door

We lived in a one bedroom apartment. This meant sometimes we crated our pup in the bathroom while the cat roamed around the apartment. Other times we put the cat in the bedroom with the door closed while the dog could roam.

After the two weeks we started these things:

• feeding them behind a baby gate so they could see each other but they couldn't reach each other (each night moving their dishes about 6ft closer)
• started casual introductions on leash for the dog

My cat was the freaked one. My dog was chill, but a little over excited to play. My cat was scared and aggressive (hissing and swatting at the dog behind the baby gate). My wife and I just spent each meal time trying to get them to interact from a distance. Get used to each other.

For months, we never let them alone together. We'd either crate the dog when we left the apartment or we locked the cat in the bedroom. It was exhausting. Our space was totally encumbered by this constant swapping, monitoring, etc. Between dog walks, work, feeding, cleaning, etc. I thought I had lost my life. But I've learned a lot about how to live with a dog and the two of them have become so much easier now that we understand their relationship and what's required.

Their relationship just kept improving over time. Every day it got better. These days, we leave them home alone together all the time. We still have a safe space for our cat. It's a baby gate in the laundry room. He can always run in there if needed and the dog is super trained about the gate. Even with it open, she doesn't come in. She's a good dog. But we keep it closed just in case.

When we first started, we thought they'd never get along. But 1.5 years later and these two seem like good friends. My dog doesn't know how to play with cats and we don't like when they play too much because we are helicopter pet-parents. But they seem pretty safe around each other IMO. The dog nips. The cat jumps on her sometimes. They run around, but the only had thing that has ever happened is my dog got a scratch on her nose. It bled one dropped and that's it. That was when they were still getting used to each other about 1 year ago.