The joy of having a pet is one of the best feelings in the world. Your pet is a faithful companion and is always there to entertain you with its shenanigans. You may want to double your happiness by adding another cat or dog to your family, but you are often troubled by the question of whether it will get along with your older pet. This move works just fine for many families and they wonder why they did not think of it sooner, but for some, it’s a complete nightmare. Your older pet may feel neglected and may not be welcoming to the new one. You need to keep a few things in mind when you finally decide to make a new addition to your family.
1. Focus On Your Older Pet
Your older pet needs all the care and attention it can get as it has been with you for a long time and has been faithful to you throughout. Your new pet will need time and attention to settle in but that does not mean you neglect your older one. Shower your older pet with lots of love and attention, after all, it deserves every bit of it.
2. Choose Your Second Pet Wisely
It is important that your new pet does not intimidate your current pet. If you have a dog and want to get another one, make sure the new dog will not grow bigger than the older one. If it does, your older pet may feel intimidated because of its size. You should also consider the temperament of your older dog. If it is quiet and shy, make sure the new one is not too overbearing. It usually works when you get a dog of the opposite sex as they tend to get along better than dogs of the same sex.
3. Get A Dog If You Have A Cat
If you already have a senior cat, consider getting a dog. Usually, senior cats do not accept new kittens in the house. If you want more than one cat in the house, adopt them together or introduce the new kitten when your current cat is still young. The dog you get should not be extremely extroverted as it may be an annoyance to your cat.
4. Don’t Force Your New Pet On Your Cat
As a pet owner, you have to respect the needs of your older feline. You have to introduce your new pet to your cat and should allow them some time to get used to each other, but you need to make sure it happens according to the terms of your older feline. Don’t force it to spend time with the dog when it does not want to. Don’t keep them together in closed rooms. Your cat should have access to places to hide when it wants to get away from the dog. If your new dog is bigger in size, keep it behind baby gates or keep it on a leash so that it does not harm or scare your cat, which should get the reassurance that it is in no danger from the energetic new pet.
5. Be Careful When Introducing A Kitten To Your Dog
Dogs are much more social than cats. Usually, your older dog may be too excited to meet your new kitten, so it may end up injuring it. Don’t let your energetic dog get too close to your kitten and don’t leave them alone. Let your fragile little kitten get acquainted with the dog in its own terms. You should also prepare a room for it with a litter box, a place to sleep, and some toys for it to play with.
6. Let Each Pet Have Its Own Stuff
Make sure that each of your pets has its own bed and toys, and in the case of cats, separate litter boxes. Don’t force them to share and don’t assume that they will be okay using the same things. As they spend more time with each other, they may start getting along and may share a few things. Let them do it on their own terms.
7. Feed Your Pets Separately
Your pets should net be fed together. If they are expected to eat from the same bowl, the dominant one may hog all the food and leave the other one hungry. There are also very high chances of fights breaking out over the amount of food given to them. Make sure that each one has free access to clean drinking water at all times.
When you get a new pet, take things slow. Let your pets get accustomed to each other at their own pace. It is not necessary that all pets should get along. Some do just fine ignoring each other throughout their lives.
