Do British Shorthair Cats get Along with Dogs? How?

Have you ever wondered if a British Shorthair cat will get along with a dog? I know I have. Maybe you already own a cat from this breed, and you want to get a dog. If that is the case, you are probably very confused right now and have many questions: is this the right call, will they fight each other, will they hurt each other, etc.? I will answer all of these questions and even give you some tips on how to manage in this article. So, pay attention and don’t quit reading now.

Short answer

Unfortunately, I can’t give you an answer straight away. You probably know that many people say, even on tv, that cats and dogs are mortal enemies. This isn’t true at all. Sometimes, cats and dogs are really good friends.

It is said that British Shorthair cats can usually get along with animals, but as you know, every cat is different, so that may not necessarily be your case. There are a lot of factors you should consider as well. If the cat and the dog have been raised together since they were babies, most likely they will be friends. However, you can’t expect to add a dog into an adult British Shorthair cat’s life without any consequences.

Patience is the key

My advice is to be patient. Don’t force the animals to be together. From my experience, no matter how bad the relationship between a cat and a dog is, they will come around. Just give them some time to accommodate to each other, and that’s it.

However, don’t expect them to suddenly start playing and hugging.  If they hate each other when they meet for the first time, they won’t be best friends in the future, but there is hope for civility. If you are lucky enough, the British Shorthair cat will just ignore the dog.

There are some rare cases where this friendship is just impossible to achieve. Aggressive dog breeds won’t accept a cat around them in most cases. They also can be dangerous and even life-threatening for the kitties, so you must watch out for that. Some animals just can’t get along; you have to remember that. If you can observe that your animals hate each other for a long time, stop making their lives impossible. It is better to give up on one of them than make both of their lives an absolute nightmare.

How to make a British Shorthair adapt to dogs and vice versa

There are plenty of ways you can have your British Shorthair adapt to dogs and vice versa. If you haven’t introduced them to each other yet, there are some things you can do before that. First, you need to make sure you have enough space in your house before adding another animal to it. Pets love personal space. Just like humans, they love feeling safe, and being in their personal space makes them feel like that. Therefore, each pet needs that. This can mean a room or even a crate for each owned animal.

Some things you should also consider are different toys, places to rest, and, obviously, bowls. These are the essentials. You definitely don’t want them fighting over these things. Buy and establish these items for each of them, and you are good to go.

Take it slowly, they need to accommodate with each other

Once you’ve brought the new family member in the house, don’t put it in front of the cat right away. You have to take it slowly. The British Shorthair cat needs an adjustment time, even a few days before it sees the dog. Why is that? Because animals have a really interesting way of meeting new friends. First, they need to get used to the smells of the new family member.

There is a fast and efficient way of doing that, but you need 2 or more rooms in your house for that. Just keep them separated in 2 different rooms for 2 or 3 days. After that, just switch their rooms. This way, they will get used to their smells without even seeing each other. No fights and noises.

Try different methods

Another way of speeding things up is by switching their bowls. Let your British Shorthair cat and dog eat from different bowls some days, then switch them. This will make them accept each other’s smells. Also, you need to place the bowls on separate sides of the same door. This also is going to improve their relationship without any visual contact. If they can both approach the door without being scared, this means they have made some progress. Remember, baby steps.

Introduce eye contact

The next step is to let them see each other. Direct contact between them could lead to some bad scenarios, so, how do you do that? You will need some help from a friend or family member. Grab your kitty and hold it in your arms. If you can see no sign of claws or anger, you can continue. I do not suggest doing this if your cat is not calm, as this can lead to some serious wounds. Maybe wear a long sleeve sweatshirt as a preventative measure, just in case.

Introduction

After your cat is ready, the next step is the introduction. Use the help of the person I talked about earlier. The person should bring the dog in the same room but only on a leash. This is very important. You don’t know how they are going to react, so safety measures are essential in this case. Bring the cat closer to the dog slowly, always keeping an eye on their reaction.

If you observe some weird behavior, stop advancing, and let them calm down. Then repeat the process. Bring them close enough, but don’t let them make any physical contact. Remember, you are only trying to make them get used to each other’s presence.

Play with them

Pet and play with them, so they stay calm. However, be careful with the attention you are giving them. You should consider them equal, so the other one doesn’t get jealous. Animals can see the attention given and may think that you are replacing them with someone else. That is a good enough reason for a fight between them.

Don’t make them feel uncomfortable by letting them interact for too long at first. The meeting should be short but pleasant for both of them. You need to repeat this once every 2 or 3 days, making the meetings longer and longer.

Once they feel comfortable enough with each other, you can put the cat down and see how they react. However, you may not want to remove the dog’s leash yet in case it tries to fight the British Shorthair cat.

That’s it! Repeat this process and take baby steps and your cat and dog will become best friends in no time.

Conclusion

To conclude, British Shorthair cats are good with dogs, but there could be some rare exceptions. If that is your case, you can always try to improve their relationship as I’ve described to you earlier. Be patient and calm because a new family member could sometimes be a stressful experience for the cat. Now is my time to ask you, how did you make the animals get along? Was it a pleasant experience?