Australian Shepherds are adorable enough to strike a chord in the hearts of pet lovers. These affectionate furry buddies are also considered as good family pets. No one can stop themselves from falling for their endearing appearance and expressive facial manifestation.
On the other hand, cats are fluffy and charming pets that bring immense joy and love into the lives of their owners.
However, if you are willing to foster both of them, an Australian Shepherd and a cat together, then it is necessary to know whether both of them get along well with each other or not.
In this blog, we are going to find out whether Australian Shepherds are good with cats or not!
Australian Shepherds are good with cats as they are intelligent enough not to harm such innocuous feline creatures. However, this does not imply that all the Australian Shepherds would get along with cats very well. You have to train your furry pal so that he can tolerate the presence of a cat in the house!
Fostering an Australian Shepherd and a cat together in the same house could be a challenging task for you, especially if both of the pets do not get along with each other.
However, you can develop a strong bond of companionship between these two by considering the following pivotal factors.
Understanding the Personality and Temperament
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherds are touted to be agile, friendly, intelligent, and active furry companions. Being a good athletic dog breed, Australian Shepherds have amazing stamina that keeps them going throughout the day.
Apart from this, they are bold, attentive, smart, loving, and responsive pets that every pet enthusiast desires.
They require regular walks and exercise to stay fit, healthy, and happy. However, lack of exercise could make these furry pals feel frustrated and agitated as they are not able to release their energy.
Australian Shepherds are of reserved nature and are quite intolerant towards strangers. Their sense of protectiveness makes them great guard dogs for the family. Besides this, they are obedient and can be trained easily.
Cats
Being a small and delicate feline pet, cats are pretty much gentle and friendly as compared to dogs. Also, they do not require intensive exercise and professional training. Cats are affectionate, loving, loyal, impulsive, and assertive pets that get along with the family very well.
However, cats are quite dominant sometimes. They love to set their own territories in the house and generally do not like anyone’s intrusion in it, especially the other pets. Besides this, cats are intelligent, vigilant, smart, and inventive that makes them a brilliant furry companions.
Developing a great bond between the two heavenly pets
Fostering a dog and a cat together in the same house could be challenging at times, as you need to establish a good rapport between the two pets, otherwise it would create chaos for you.
Developing a good bond of friendship between the two furry pals is not rocket science; it would surely require your honest efforts, time, and patience. For this, the following tips would help you out!
Let both of them familiarize themselves with each other
The first and foremost step is to plan a short meeting between the Australian Shepherd and the cat. Make sure to keep the duration of the meeting as short as possible like for 5 minutes and then increase the pace gradually if everything goes well between the pets.
You might have to introduce both of them a couple of times so that they can be comfortable with each other’s presence in the house. During this, you need to keep a lot of patience as it would take time for both of them to familiarize themselves with each other.
Train your Australian Shepherd to be friendly with the fellow pet
It becomes absolutely necessary to give obedience training to your Australian Shepherd; especially if there are two pets in the house. It would make your pet dog more obedient and well-mannered. For this, you can even hire a professional pet trainer.
If your dog obeys your command, then there would be a lesser chance of him harming the cat. Besides this, proper training would make your Australian Shepherd more tolerant of the presence of a cat in the house.
Set up separate places in the house for both of them
Dogs and cats both like to set up their own territories and do not like it when someone else enters their zone. That is why it is quite essential to set up different places in the house for both pets.
Make sure that the places are closely situated to each other, as it would allow your pet dog and the cat to smell each other and would help them to familiarize themselves. Also, keep separate bedding, food, water bowl, and toys for both the furry pals.
Love and affection for both in equal amounts
Dogs and cats tend to feel possessive when one among them is receiving more love, care, and attention from their owners. Always remember that while fostering two pets in the house together, you should love both of them equally to make them feel secure and protected.
If you fail to do so, then it can develop a sense of insecurity and jealously in the pet that is less looked after by you.
Reward your pet dog for his good behavior
If your Australian Shepherd behaves well with the cat, then reward him with his favorite pet-friendly treats to encourage his good conduct. It would also motivate your pet dog and would help in making him friendlier towards the cat.
Make sure whenever your pet dog obeys your command, you must appreciate it by gently petting over his head.
Wrap Up
Who says that a dog and a cat can’t get along with each other? You can easily nurture an Australian Shepherd along with a cat by putting in a few more efforts to develop a strong bond of unbreakable love and companionship that would last lifelong between these two loveable furry companions!
