Dogs and cats living together-mass hysteria! (pet question)

[Ragnarok]

We have a  3yr old male fixed cat that we've had since kittenhood and  just recently aquired a female Golden Retiever puppy (about 10 weeks old now).  I'm looking for suggestions or ideas on how to get these two to be in the same room together without having an altercation.  
We have a two level cottage, the cat spends most of his time upstairs now that the puppy is here.  His food and litter are up there to keep the dog away from it, but I know he wants to be able to come down.  Our bedroom and a bathroom are the only rooms upstairs so its a little small for him.  Whenever he comes downstairs, the puppy rushes at him and he turns tail and runs.  We were hoping he would have the balls(though we had them cut off) to give her a swipe and let her know she can't mess with him.  Is there any way to get them to familiarize themselves with each other to be comfortable?  Or, is it just the nature of a curious puppy and there is nothing we can really do but give it time?  Anyone that can relate?

[mb737]

I had the a different situation (kitten and puppy nearly the same age) but let me tell you an absolute truth - dogs eat cat poo and cat food.  You can not (in my experience) keep the dog from eating the cat food and/or poo if it is within muzzle range of the dog.

  Anyway, try crate training the dog.  Get the dog used to basically living in the "crate" (wire mesh open cage).  Then the cat can investigate the dog in relative peace.

  You can also try the room method where you stick the dog (in this case since it's the "intruder") in a room with the door closed and let the cat sniff the door until it gets pissed (and it will) and runs away.  Eventually you let them get used to each other through the door and supervise cracked door visitations in which the dog will go apeshit and try to escape and the cat will freak out and swat at the dog and scamper away about 3 feet and make another attempt to see what the dog is about as long as you are there.  You MUST make sure that the dog does not see the cat as a toy or an enemy.  Otherwise you will be minus one pet, one way or another.

  Ask your vet.  Vets know better than online weirdos at least.

  PS  I'm not lying about the poo thing.  Trust me.

[Gratch]

We have 3 cats and brought a puppy into the mix earlier this year.  I really think that how they get along depends on the personality of the individual animals more than anything.  One of our cats gets along fine with the dog.  They play together, wrestle on the floor, play tag, etc.  The middle cat doesn't play wtih the dog, but seems to tolerate him fine.  No hissing or growling when the dog's around.  The third cat, however, goes completely batshit if the dog comes within 10 feet of him.  Hissing, spitting, and full-on attacking the dog.  We've had the pup almost 10 months now, and they've all just kind of settled into their roles as the friendly cat, the indifferent cat, and the psycho cat.

We were pretty lucky in that from the time Vader (the dog) was little, we trained him not to go into the basement.  So the cats can go down the stairs to "escape" from him if they need to, and we also keep their food and water down there.  We tried leaving both food dishes upstairs, but the dog ate the cat food more than his own so we had to move everything downstairs.  Don't know if something like that would be an option for you, but it's worked great for us.

[Cyjon]

PS  I'm not lying about the poo thing.  Trust me.

Yeah, when I was a kid we had a dog that we were always having to chase out of the cat box. It wasn't until years later that I found out that this behavior is indicative of a dietary deficiency. There is some enzyme or something that they get out of the poop (cat poop specifically).  I can't remember the specifics though.

[Toe]

PS  I'm not lying about the poo thing.  Trust me.

Yeah, when I was a kid we had a dog that we were always having to chase out of the cat box. It wasn't until years later that I found out that this behavior is indicative of a dietary deficiency. There is some enzyme or something that they get out of the poop (cat poop specifically).  I can't remember the specifics though.

No, it's really because it tastes good. Try it sometime.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Try a steel cage match.

Actually, I had a similar situation a couple of years ago. In general, we had the cat and dog sleep in the same area. After a bit of hesitation, our cat got used to the dog and they would even sleep curled up together.

[Bob]

I had a different situation (kitten and puppy nearly the same age) but let me tell you an absolute truth - dogs eat cat poo and cat food.

My dog has NEVER touched the cat's food or the cat's feces.  I also, got the dog and a kitten at the same time.  

Howevever, both of my cats eat the dog's food.  Which pisses me off.  The food is so big that they can only fit one piece in their mouth at a time, and it's clearly difficult for them to eat it.  But eat it they do.

CRUNCH!

[Bob]

Oh yeah.. on the dog vs cat situation.  Give them time.   You just dropped a stranger into the cat's home.  He'll get used to it eventually.

Just be ready to clean up the bloody claw wounds on your dog.