Being patient: Just like you, humans, cats and dogs also have an adjustment period to changing routines, environments, and new faces. Therefore, take your time bringing us together. Give us time to “observe, get to know, and get used to each other.”

A space of one’s own: Apply the solution Virginia Woolf suggested to women in her book “A room of one’s own”. Please give us a place of peace that belongs only to us, where we can take shelter and feel safe. Let’s have borders. Thus, getting to know each other, we relax and feel secure in our spaces. For us cats, include our food and litter area. Separate areas support the harmonious coexistence of cats and dogs living in the same house.

Smell: Like Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the hero of Patrick Süskind’s novel Smell, we are geniuses at smelling everyone and everything. For this reason, scents make it easier for us to get to know each other and get used to each other. You can leave us in the areas of the opposite sex for a while, but only if we do not encounter each other!

Controlled encounters: Don’t randomly drop us into the house. As we mentioned above, let’s have private spaces that belong to each other. Let our encounters in common areas be under your control for a while. Dining areas are stressful and reactive spaces due to our protective instincts. Bring us together in quiet and neutral areas outside of these places. During this process, ensure the dog’s collar and strap are on.

Five minutes with you: Let our first meeting be short with the courtesy of “Hello, nice, how are you?” Both parties must ensure that this first meeting does not exceed 5 minutes. Because the first step towards happiness starts with these first 5 minutes…

Rewards: Be as calm as possible during our meeting with the opposite sex. Avoid items and actions that will distract us. First, we observe and accept each other from a certain distance. Therefore, do not expect us to be sincere and run side by side right away. You can put positive signs in every step we take towards each other. At this stage, you can start using rewards that both cats and dogs love. Reward your dog for calmer behaviour, not for running towards your cat. This is where the importance of commands comes into play…

We are different: Remember that cats and dogs have different lifestyles and characters. But we both need physical activity. Dogs want to be taken for walks, play outside, and spend as much time as possible with their owner. Cats also need toys and you to play with. It is essential to provide appropriate toys for cats to play with. This releases our energy and reduces our stress.

Again, both parties need mental engagement. Intelligence games and toys improve our ability to use intelligence and solve problems. This enhances our ability to communicate based on love and intelligence with all living creatures living together in the house…

The last resort is “Doctor”: We cats are more individualistic, distant and stubborn in our decisions than dogs. Some of us may be more harmonious, and others may be more aggressive. If your friend at home is a well-adjusted cat, it becomes easier to acclimate the dog that comes home later. However, this adaptation process can be complicated if your cat shows aggressive or fearful behaviour towards dogs. In this case, there is no other choice. You will receive support from a professional physician to convince us! Ultimately, you will complete this process successfully with love, patience, and understanding. Remember that there is love and patience in every paw step!