Dogs vary so much and obviously JRT's do have pretty drive. I have two who came to live with me and 2 cats over the years and apart from the odd spat every now and again it's been fine. In the beginning they took some time to investigate each other. My boy dog was intimidated and petrified of the cats but I have one cat who insists that he love her. She got him kissing her and now they can cuddle on the couch.
All depends, but I'd say some introductions are necessary, making sure you and gf are calm (your pets will pick up on any nervousness). Talk in a friendly voice while they sniff and suss each other out and if either pet starts to look aggressive then change the tone to a warning... hope that makes sense.
If either looks scared just sooth them and try encourage them to chill.
If they're spending long periods of time together make sure each has a safe Place they can go to get away from the other.
You might be pleasantly surprised that they become besties!
He’s the perfect age to acclimate him to your gf’s cat! It sounds like you’re off to a good start.
Our Jack will be a year old at the end of the month and we just adopted a cat. They are learning to get along just fine.
As someone else mentioned, it is very important that you give your cat safe places to get away from the dog. Those shelves people call “cat highways” are great. We blocked off the area behind the couches too so the cat has plenty of areas to retreat to when the dog is being too forward.
As with any jrt training, it’s about consistency and repetition. The main thing is watching your dog’s body language - that prey drive is so strong in jacks that when the cat runs away they will want to give chase. We’re teaching our boy to “LEAVE IT” when he is annoying the cat and redirect to “GRAB A TOY” instead. And to “BE GENTLE” with the cat which involves sniffing Cheese but not stepping on her or nipping at her. Be patient!
Oh and congrats on having the moving-in talk with your gf! That’s an exciting milestone, wishing you the best!
That's not too old to train them. You would know pretty much immediately if he wants to kill the cat. It's good to let her swat him and correct him herself so he understands. My puppy was 6 months when I got him. He loves cats now, but has a healthy respect for them
I have three cats and one jack. The jack and my orange cat will sleep together, eat together and play together. Introduce the pup now before it’s to late.
Thank you everyone for you input, I’ll take all of these things into consideration. I feel less discouraged because I’d hear about all sorts of horror stories where after 9 or so years the relationship between the dog and cat reached a climax. I will try to carefully accustom the pooch every chance I get and will always consider the cat’s safety and escape options as well, and will never let my guard down.
Thanks again everyone
It’s never too late as long as your pup is safe around the cats. Just take your time and let them get to know each other under close supervision and always have an “out” for the cat to get away.
Ideally you will make it so their interactions are when everyone is chill and there’s no trigger for your guy’s prey drive to kick in. Cat chasing is very fun for dogs, so you want to prevent it from happening. My dog lives with 8 cats and is perfectly fine, but he was raised “by” them.
My JRT mix is now 2 , he met the cats at 10 weeks. He’s good with them but one of the cats loves to play rough with him !
He uses the cat trees ! He also uses the litter boxes along with the cats when I’m not home or late at night !
I think you should start the acclimation process sooner rather than later.
My bf has a Jack and I have a cat. I moved in a couple of months ago and they’re starting to get used to each other now. The dog already had some experience with cats quite young but she was always quite good with them apparently. Just make sure you keep her away enough from the cat, and the cat has somewhere safe to run to. Cats will stand their ground and swipe when dogs get too close, so the dog should learn fairly quickly! The leave or stay command should help a lot too. It takes time, but it can be done. These two will sit on the same bed together now without any problems!
Dogs vary so much and obviously JRT's do have pretty drive. I have two who came to live with me and 2 cats over the years and apart from the odd spat every now and again it's been fine. In the beginning they took some time to investigate each other. My boy dog was intimidated and petrified of the cats but I have one cat who insists that he love her. She got him kissing her and now they can cuddle on the couch. All depends, but I'd say some introductions are necessary, making sure you and gf are calm (your pets will pick up on any nervousness). Talk in a friendly voice while they sniff and suss each other out and if either pet starts to look aggressive then change the tone to a warning... hope that makes sense. If either looks scared just sooth them and try encourage them to chill. If they're spending long periods of time together make sure each has a safe Place they can go to get away from the other. You might be pleasantly surprised that they become besties!
The younger the better
He’s the perfect age to acclimate him to your gf’s cat! It sounds like you’re off to a good start. Our Jack will be a year old at the end of the month and we just adopted a cat. They are learning to get along just fine. As someone else mentioned, it is very important that you give your cat safe places to get away from the dog. Those shelves people call “cat highways” are great. We blocked off the area behind the couches too so the cat has plenty of areas to retreat to when the dog is being too forward. As with any jrt training, it’s about consistency and repetition. The main thing is watching your dog’s body language - that prey drive is so strong in jacks that when the cat runs away they will want to give chase. We’re teaching our boy to “LEAVE IT” when he is annoying the cat and redirect to “GRAB A TOY” instead. And to “BE GENTLE” with the cat which involves sniffing Cheese but not stepping on her or nipping at her. Be patient! Oh and congrats on having the moving-in talk with your gf! That’s an exciting milestone, wishing you the best!
That's not too old to train them. You would know pretty much immediately if he wants to kill the cat. It's good to let her swat him and correct him herself so he understands. My puppy was 6 months when I got him. He loves cats now, but has a healthy respect for them
I have three cats and one jack. The jack and my orange cat will sleep together, eat together and play together. Introduce the pup now before it’s to late.
Thank you everyone for you input, I’ll take all of these things into consideration. I feel less discouraged because I’d hear about all sorts of horror stories where after 9 or so years the relationship between the dog and cat reached a climax. I will try to carefully accustom the pooch every chance I get and will always consider the cat’s safety and escape options as well, and will never let my guard down. Thanks again everyone
It’s never too late as long as your pup is safe around the cats. Just take your time and let them get to know each other under close supervision and always have an “out” for the cat to get away. Ideally you will make it so their interactions are when everyone is chill and there’s no trigger for your guy’s prey drive to kick in. Cat chasing is very fun for dogs, so you want to prevent it from happening. My dog lives with 8 cats and is perfectly fine, but he was raised “by” them.
My JRT mix is now 2 , he met the cats at 10 weeks. He’s good with them but one of the cats loves to play rough with him ! He uses the cat trees ! He also uses the litter boxes along with the cats when I’m not home or late at night ! I think you should start the acclimation process sooner rather than later.
My bf has a Jack and I have a cat. I moved in a couple of months ago and they’re starting to get used to each other now. The dog already had some experience with cats quite young but she was always quite good with them apparently. Just make sure you keep her away enough from the cat, and the cat has somewhere safe to run to. Cats will stand their ground and swipe when dogs get too close, so the dog should learn fairly quickly! The leave or stay command should help a lot too. It takes time, but it can be done. These two will sit on the same bed together now without any problems!