Considering bringing a new pet into your home is always an exciting quest. But, if you already have pets, you might be wondering how introducing a new one into your home will go. When it comes to Corgis and cats, you need to know how well they are expected to do together before bringing them both into the same family.
Fortunately, Corgis are known to get along well with cats considering the Corgi’s friendly and playful personality. Some Corgis may instinctively attempt to herd your cat, but not through dangerous aggression. Be mindful of a safe and neutral introduction and consistent initial monitoring.
You may find that neither your Corgi nor your cat is really interested in the other, but this can be a sign of a positive experience in your home, too. Still, Corgis and cats have been well known to become lifelong companions as long as they are introduced appropriately and guided in their socialization. Let’s take a closer look at a few tips to make sure your Corgi and your cat get along.
How to Introduce a Corgi and a Cat
Whether you are bringing a cat into a home with a Corgi or vice versa, it is important that you follow a few general precautions to ensure that the initial meeting goes well, as this first introduction can have a lot to do with how easy (or difficult) later interactions will become. As you continue to guide this relationship, you may find that your Corgi and cat will get along great without much guidance needed.
Still, it is important to take precautions when initially introducing your Corgi and your cat. To do so, consider the following suggestions:
- Introduce the pets in a neutral zone. While it might not be possible to introduce your Corgi and your cat to one another in an area outside of the house (where one pet might already have set up his or her territory), you can make the zone that your pets meet as neutral as possible.
This includes removing any beloved toys, blankets, bedding, and especially a food and water bowl from the area that your pets are meeting. Additionally, you will want to make sure that your pets have had the time to relieve themselves before meeting in case one of your animals attempts to territorially mark the new area, perhaps causing a feud.
Introducing your Corgi and cat in a neutral zone can help to alleviate some of the potentially territorial behaviors that could come from either of these pets. This can help the initial greeting to go a bit more smoothly, and then you can introduce the pets to one another’s area later on.
If your cat already lives in the house and you are bringing a Corgi into your family, you can place the cat in a secured room and allow your dog to smell the cat’s scent before introducing the two of them. This can help the Corgi to see the cat as something familiar rather than a foe.
- Keep your Corgi on a leash. While you could attempt to keep your cat on a leash as well, keeping your Corgi on a leash is much more common and is something that will give you a sense of control in the meeting scenario. Keeping a Corgi on a leash will allow you to control the introduction by making sure that you remain dominant and in charge of the scene.
Once your Corgi and cat begin to get to know one another (and are not showing signs of aggression towards the other), then you can take your Corgi off of his or her leash and allow free roaming as long as you are monitoring for initial behavioral outbursts.
- Provide an area for your cat to retreat to. Often, introducing a Corgi and a cat will go well from the start. However, this does not mean that you should not play it safe considering the varying temperaments and personalities of Corgis and cats that can come into play.
Just like you can attempt to gain control of your Corgi by placing him or her on a leash before introducing him or her to your cat, you can give your cat a bit of control by providing an area for the cat to retreat to or perch should he or she feel threatened initially by the dog.
This could include moving a new cat play area or even just introducing the two pets in a location with furniture that the Corgi will not be able to pounce up on. Fortunately, since the Corgi is a small breed of dog, this can help to eliminate areas that he or she could chase your cat- not that this is a common behavior anyway.
- Provide positive reinforcement for good behavior. As you introduce your Corgi to your cat, it can be helpful to provide positive reinforcement through treats and positive praise phrases (like “good boy” and “good girl”) to your pets. As they become less curious about one another, this will not be as necessary, but it can help to set the stage for your pets to bond well with one another from the start.
- Consistently provide supervision for your pets. As you move on from the initial introduction (which will hopefully go well between your Corgi and your cat), you will want to make sure that you are consistently providing supervision when the two pets are able to be in the same room.
While Corgis and cats typically get along relatively quickly, supervision for your pets should not be overlooked. Until you are confident that the two animals will get along well and that neither pet is in danger, it is appropriate to either provide supervision or ensure that the animals will not have unsupervised access to one another.
What Helps a Corgi and Cat to Get Along?
While setting up a positive introduction experience is helpful to ensure that the initial meeting goes well between your Corgi and cat, there are several other components to be aware of that will help your Corgi and cat to be natural (and fast) friends- or not.
Either way, though, you will likely find that your Corgi and cat will either be best buds, or they will not care about the other one. In either of these scenarios, though, it is rare to find that the two animals have a strong dislike for one another or become dangerous when living together.
Still, there are several things that can help your Corgi and cat to more naturally get along. These include the personality and temperament of each pet, their age, your interaction with both pets, early socialization, consistent obedience training, feelings of safety, and having their own territory.
When it comes to each pet’s personality, this will differ from pet to pet and is highly unpredictable. Still, if you are bringing a Corgi into a home with a cat or you are bringing a new cat into your home with a Corgi, you will likely know how the first-owned pet reacts to other animals. From there, you can begin to address any issues that you could foresee, and you can continue to use the strengths of each pet’s personality to bring about a positive relationship if it needs a little encouragement.
Along with this, the pets’ ages will have a strong influence on their desire to spend time with one another. For example, a young, high-energy Corgi puppy and an older, sedentary cat will likely not be the best of friends. Still, this might mean that they simply ignore one another, which is fine, too.
On the other end, if both pets are introduced at an early age, especially when both the Corgi and cat have a higher amount of playful energy, this can help to positively strengthen their initial and prolonged bond. Along with this, early socialization with the two pets- as well as with other pets outside of your house- can help your Corgi and your cat to get along with one another.
Not only that, but your interaction with both pets will be vital. You need to make sure that you hold the same boundaries for each pet in the house. For example, if your cat is allowed on the couch, then your Corgi should also be allowed to rest there. Treating your pets differently can cause issues with territorial behaviors or unwanted dominance.
This goes into consistent obedience training- especially for your Corgi. Corgis are known to be a bit stubborn, although their sass can be quite hilarious at times. Still, you need to make sure that both of your pets (your cat included) know that you are in charge. Ensuring that your Corgi will behave your commands will help to keep both your dog and cat safe.
Finally, you will want to make sure that your Corgi and cat have their own territory within your home. While you might find them cuddled up next to one another at night (which is relatively common with cats and this breed of dog), it is important that this is an act of choice for the two animals rather than force.
With creating space for your Corgi and cat, be sure that they each have their own space to play, eat, relieve themselves, and their own bedding, toys, and alone time with their humans. While they can roam about freely with one another once they are safe to do so, it is helpful for each pet to find his or her own space in your home as they learn to get along with one another.
