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This may be obvious to a lot of people, but every single cat and dog has its' own distinct personality, just as the two legged variety of people do. This being said, it is almost inevitable that any two dogs, any two cats, or a cat and dog will occasionally have a squabble. The same thing happens between siblings, after all. Even though this happens, my experience has been that cats and dogs tend to get along well, with a few provisions.

First and foremost, dogs and cats, indeed many or most pets, crave attention. If one pet perceives that another is getting more attention than they are, the two can end up with bad feelings for one another. To overcome this, both pets should receive plenty of attention and love. Again, this isn't all that different than two brothers, a brother and a sister, or two sisters.

Cats are generally more self reliant, which also means that while a dog with a constant food supply will often over eat, a cat will not usually do so. (There are exceptions.) I've found that a great idea, though, is to have a set feeding time, and to feed both at that time. If there is a constant supply of dry cat food out, for instance, perhaps the cat can be given a part of a can of cat food at the same time that the pooch is fed.

In some instances, there may be multiple cats and dogs in the house, and in this event, it is very helpful to have at least one or two animals that are natural "peace keepers". In our household, we currently have five dogs and five cats. We have two peace keepers, one dog and one cat. The cat is a large and very beautiful black female who has never had problems getting along with any other animal, in part I believe because she is also very intelligent. If one of the other cats press her, she doesn't get angry, she simply give them a good smack, then goes back to what she was doing. She will do this with the dogs as well, though she is more apt to play with the dogs. The dog's personality is totally different. From the day we got her home from the pound (she was an unclaimed and unkept stray), she has been a total lover. An elder statesman now at the age of 13, the first thing she did when we got her home was to give the cat a kiss! All of the animals adore her, and the only thing that occasionally does irritate her is that they want to give her love when she doesn't want it.

Finally, and surprisingly few people consider this, our pets do learn from us. In a household where there are many fights and arguments, cats and dogs will pick up that this behavior is "normal", with the result that they may fight. In homes, though, where everyone is respected and problems are talked out, chances are pretty good that a dog and cat can get along well. Our actions do not just affect our children adversely, they can do the same with our pets. The key then is to give them every benefit we would give a child. They may or may not understand the actual words, but they do understand the atmosphere, the feelings behind the words, and the actions that they see.

If you want to have harmony between cats and dogs, first strive for harmony between the people living in the household. It is amazing how much good this will do. And of course, it is in our own best interest to be this way anyhow, so why not be good to our pets by being good to each other?

Learn more about this author, Rex Trulove.
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