We’ve all heard the term, “fighting like cats and dogs”, but is it really true that cats and dogs are natural enemies, and that they will never be able to live together?
Of course not, but some breeds of dogs are certainly better suited for living together with a cat than others.
If you want to have both a dog and a cat, a labradoodle is pretty much one of the best possible options, as the gentle spirit of a Labrador is a big part of Labradoodles.
Labradoodle and Cat
Even though a Labradoodle is considered one of the best types of dogs to coexist with cats, its’ of course also entirely dependent on the personality of the individual animal.
Putting a labradoodle and a cat together is almost a kind of forced marriage.
Neither of the animals has chosen the other voluntarily, and probably never will.
They don’t have any thoughts regarding getting the “relationship” to work by adapting to each other.
It’s your job as the owner to make sure to take into account the differences of the animals, that you want to bring together, to make sure their relationship becomes a positive one.
But how you should go about introducing a labradoodle and a cat depends a bit on the specific situation and age of the animals.
Grown Cat and Labradoodle Puppy
By nature, a puppy is very curious and attentive to anything that moves.
If the cat tries to run, the puppy will most likely try to follow it, so it’s a good idea to have the puppy on a leash until the animals are comfortable with each other.
Thankfully a Labradoodle puppy is quite easy to distract from an otherwise interesting cat if you just give it some extra attention.
Try petting it or finding some other creative way to play with it.
The most important is to avoid the cat becoming hostile to the puppy might end up anxious around it.
A grown cat might have trouble accepting the energy level of a young puppy.
Therefore a cat should always have the option to go someplace else and be left alone if it feels the new puppy is too annoying.
The cat must also learn that the puppy isn’t a threat and it will, therefore, accept that the puppy is on its’ territory.
If the cat feels like it is in control and has the respect of the puppy, there most likely won’t be any issues.
Grown Cat and Grown Labradoodle
Try using exercises that the dog knows and are confident with to keep it occupied so it won’t notice the cat more than necessary.
Keeping the dog on a leash at all times, in the beginning, is highly recommended.
Try giving the dog some treats, so the dog sees the company of the cat as something nice.
If your cat has previously been accustomed to other dogs it will most likely quickly accept the new dog.
But if this is the first time it’s going to be living with another dog, it might take a while before it will accept the new family member.
As it if was a puppy you had brought home, make sure the cat has a place where it can go and be on its own, with being annoyed by the dog.
And you should probably stock up on patience, as it can take some time where the cat might whine, hiss or scratch until it feels completely safe.
There’s no telling how long that might take, but it could be a while.
Grown Labradoodle and Kitten
Dogs are by nature pack animals with their own species, and this instinct can be translated to other species, like cats.
And seeing as a Labrador retriever is one of the best dogs around children and other animals, we’re lucky that these traits are also apparent in most Labradoodles.
Of course, all animals are different, but by choosing a labradoodle, you have a good basis.
Unlike if you have a terrier or pitbull who will usually have a harder time adapting to a cat.
Most of the time a 12-week old kitten will be old enough to know to be careful in new and different situations.
This means that a kitten can pretty easily accept a dog, as long as the dog isn’t chasing it around all the time.
Also, make sure that the kitten won’t drive the old dog crazy, so distract it once in a while if you think it’s getting a bit too annoying to the dog.
Labradoodle Puppy and Kitten
This is probably the best combination for a life long friendship.
Both the labradoodle and the kitten are small, curious and filled with energy.
In addition, they are also very trainable, and especially when it comes to understanding the body language of the other part.
A labradoodle puppy will usually be a bit bigger than a kitten, and might not fully understand the scale of its’ strength.
So keep an eye out for both animals, until you are confident that the animals understand and respect the counterparts’ body language.
General Tips
The earlier the better
As stated earlier in this post, the younger both your pets are, the better.
Are you thinking about getting a puppy a few years before getting a kitten, or the other way round?
Consider waiting a bit and getting the pets at pretty much the same time.
In a study done by Lincoln University, all pet owners pretty much agreed that the earlier the two animals met each other in their lives, the better.
This is caused by the fact that both dogs and cats are naturally more curious at that age.
Give your pets the possibility to “walk away”
Always make sure there is a safe spot for any of your animals.
Giving each of your pets a place to go where the other isn’t allowed to follow, even if you have to hold them back yourself.
If your labradoodle or cat feels that the counterpart has become increasingly annoying, and there is no place to hide from that unwanted attention, it will usually lead to physical interaction.
Perhaps a crate for your dog or a climbing tree for your cat can be the solution.
Let the relationship grow over time
If you are trying to bring together and older dog and cat, it might take a while before the pets fully accept the presence of the other.
In such a case it’s very important to be patient.
As long as both animals have their separate areas of the house, they will slowly learn to accept each other.
And perhaps with time, even become close friends.
Final Words
Sometimes all of these tips will be in vain and you don’t seem to see any improvement in the relationship between your labradoodle and cat.
If things seem to go sour, don’t just wait and see if it will become better – it usually won’t.
If that ends up happening, try finding an expert on dogs and cats in your general area to see if they might be able to help.
But fortunately, in most cases, it’s entirely possible to bring these two species of animals together and they usually end up forming friendships we as humans can’t even imagine
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