Am I mad?
I’ve decided the time is right to finally get a dog. Both my husband and I work from home and enjoy an active lifestyle with lots of walks, running, camping etc and a dog would be a great addition to our (kid free) family.
Ordinarily I’d head to the rescue centre, but here’s the rub – we have two cats. Therefore I feel the best strategy would be to get a young puppy who can become used to the cats (and vice versa). I’d really love a Working Cocker who will be a good companion and demand a lot of my time and attention (which I have to offer).
We have two 11 year-old cats who are both lovely and generally follow us around the house. We found them abandoned by the side of a river and whilst they aren’t particularly nervous, one of them is a bit scared of sudden noises and carrier bags. The other one has recently stopped going to the loo outside but aside from that they are both generally very happy, healthy, well loved cats.
Am I wrong to get a dog? Will the cats leave home? My own view is that the cats will eventually get used to a dog – it will almost certainly take a while, but I have many friends who have cats and dogs living together in harmony, so I know it can be done. In reading up on it, it would seem that the main stressor to the cats would initially be the scent of the dog and I could potentially help with this by introducing the puppy scent into the house before the dog arrives. Feliway would also be used.
Does anyone have any other practical advice or experience in this? TIA!