I swear I didn't stage this. |
I don't write about him much, but I
have a kitty. Nicky is a 13-year-old boy I've had since he was a
kitten. Although I consider myself more of a dog person, I also can't
imagine my life without at least one cat. This is probably why the
last segment on of this conference was probably the most interesting
and most useful for me: promoting successful relationships between
dogs and cats.
Suzanne pointed out that about half of
the pet owning households have both a cat and a dog, but
unfortunately, very few are concerned about the quality of their
cats' lives, and even fewer do anything to prevent problems and
improve things after the fact. She believes this is because owners
are too accepting of the cat feeling unsafe or scared, possibly
because they don't recognize hiding behavior as abnormal.
Although
cats and dogs can get along, they are very different species. This
starts with domestication. Where dogs were likely domesticated around
14,000 years ago, domestication only happened in cats about 4,000
years ago. That 10,000 years of co-evolution means that dogs are more
predisposed to social living with each other and with humans. Cats
can and do exist without social groups. They don't really have
friends, instead having what Suzanne called “preferred associates”-
others that they spend time with. They don't really have packs and
they don't have hierarchical social structures.
Body
language is another huge difference, especially it comes to
ritualized behaviors like greetings. While cats greet one another
nose-to-nose, dogs... don't. They might be okay with it, but we all
know their go-to place is at the other end. Cats also indicate that
they are friendly and approachable by holding their tail up with a
curve at the tip. In dogs, this is a threatening gesture. Cats also
don't have a ritualized invitation to play. While dogs will play bow
first, cats often just pounce. This can be misunderstood by dogs and
lead to an unfortunate altercation.
Chemical
communication, while poorly understood by researchers, is another
area of believed difference. Not only does it seem to be more
important to cats, but they use it as a distance increasing behavior,
while dogs use it more of a “I was here!” thing. Rubbing and
scent marking (which, to be honest, I'm not sure how to distinguish
from chemical communication) plays a huge role in social attachment
in cats, and dogs... don't seem to do this.
Finally,
dogs have active and passive submission behaviors, and cats don't.
When a dog rolls over on his back, it's a reconciliation gesture.
When a cat does it, it's a defensive behavior that will likely
culminate in an attack. What's more, cats do not “make up” with
each other.
To have a harmonious home, you need to
have good early socialization, complementary personalities, and good
experiences as adults. Let's look at each of these.
First,
he best bet lies in socialization, when an animal learns his species
identity, who to hang out with, and who he should eat. Unfortunately,
cats have a short socialization window which starts at about 2 weeks
and has already ended by the time they come home at 8 weeks. What's
more, kittens have an earlier fear period that happens right at that
time. Fear periods mean that bad experiences during that time have a
bigger impact.
Next,
you need to have complementary personalities. Unfortunately, there
aren't really temperament tests for cats... not that they're perfect
in dogs. Beyond that, though, Suzanne doesn't think that
meet-and-greets really give you any useful info.
Finally,
you need to make sure that the animals have more good experiences
than bad. You also need to be prepared to accept mutual tolerance
over genuine affection. Keep in mind that individuals vary in their
desire for social contact, and that minor conflicts are normal
and can be ignored. Serious threats or frequent conflicts, no matter
how minor, will erode quality of life for everyone.
Conflicts
with cats are almost always about space. They rarely fight over
social status or resources, so cats that are on the receiving end of
resource guarding by a dog finds this unexpected and stressful. Cats
who live with other living beings really thrive when there are plenty
of spaces- especially vertical spaces- that they can retreat to.
Conflicts between dogs and cats usually result from excessive
curiosity from the dog, which can lead to predation. Dogs can also
just start with a predatory response to the cat. Either way, the
result is fear and a reduced quality of life for the cat.
Finally,
forcing experiences for any animal never
works. “Showing” the animal that the other won't hurt him does
not
work, and often backfires and makes things worse. Interactions need
to be carefully managed until everyone is familiar with each other.
Bottom
line: It is not okay for any individual to be afraid of or harassed
by the other. Having
a peaceable kingdom is possible, and the best way to accomplish this
is by proper introductions. This is such an important (and lengthy)
process that I will spend the next entire post on it.
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