Who ever said cats and dogs can’t get along. Since the dawn of time, “fighting like cats and dogs” has been a phrase thrown around to describe a tumultuous relationship. But sometimes dogs and cats can actually be friends. Just like animals who live with kids, dogs and cats just have to be socialized at the right age so they get to know each other. I know many friends who have both a cat and a dog and they all say the same thing: that the two get along great. Worst case scenario with my friends’ experiences is that their pets ignore each other but are still amicable and able to live together in harmony. So where did this “fighting like cats and dogs” thing come from? Well, the same dog owned by my friend who gets along great with his cat sister, does not do as well when a strange cat comes wandering by the back patio door. That points to familiarity being a necessity for success.
According to a mixed species research from the Journal of Veterinary Medicine, there isn’t solid evidence about what factors lead to a successful cat-dog relationship. Though the age at which the two are introduced to each other seemed to be a big determinate. One interesting discovery in this study is that the cat was the one who seemed to control the success of the bond. The study reported, via sciencedirect.com, that “comfortability of the cat was a stronger predictor of amicability than comfortability of the dog; frequency of the cat appearing uncomfortable with the dog was a better predictor for reduced amicability than the dog appearing uncomfortable in the presence of the cat.” That might be the closest thing to proof that cats are higher maintenance!
Here is a collection of cats and dogs who not only live in harmony, but are the best of friends.
–Wendy Rush, 96.3 KKLZ Las Vegas
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