My parents have a Jack Russell Terrier.
My girlfriend has a cat.
According to many, there is no way the two will ever get along with one another. I just happen to be kitty-sitting this summer, so you can see why this would create a concern. So I looked in several books and researched online trying to find some way the two could co-exist for the 4 weeks the kitty will be staying with me.
All in all, I think I've been pretty successful.
I kept the kitty in my bedroom for the first week she was with us. This gave her and the puppy a chance to learn each others' smells. The puppy would sit outside my door, sniffing underneath it while the kitty laid on her side and watched the puppy's nose. After a few days, they started playing together. The kitty would whip her tail under the door and watch for the puppy to grab it before jerking it back. They'd play for a few hours at a time and it kept both of them very entertained.
Today was the first day I let the two actually meet for anything more than just a sniff-sniff introduction. I closed the doggy door so neither would be tempted to run outside and let them sniff around and play in the living room. As you can see from the photo, things are going pretty well now. They'll still chase each other every now and then. For the most part, though, the dog ignores the cat and vice versa. I don't plan on leaving them unattended any time soon, though. The cat will still stay in my room when no one's home ... just to be safe.
I just wanted to prove it could be done. Dogs and cats can be friends.
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