Golden retrievers are such care-free, loving dogs, they make a great addition to any family. However, you may be wondering whether golden retrievers are good with cats. In this article, not only will you find out whether they’re good with cats, but you’ll also learn how to introduce them properly, other tips to make it work, and what not to do!
Keep reading to find out!
Table of Contents
Are Golden Retrievers Good With Cats?
So do golden retrievers get along with cats? The answer is a big yes! In general golden retrievers are good with cats and you should have very few problems housing them together.
Golden retrievers are extremely loving and family oriented, and this extends to all members of your household! Including a cat. However, remember, there are always exceptions to the rule. While in the majority of cases they’ll get along fine, there will always be the odd golden retriever that doesn’t like cats.
More importantly, you should also remember that even if your golden retriever likes cats, it doesn’t mean you should just chuck them together and leave them to it.
(Find out if huskies are good with cats.)
Will Your Golden Retriever Chase Your Cat?
In some cases, your golden retriever may try to chase your cat. After all, they were bred to be retrieving dogs and they might see your cat as prey. So if you do plan on introducing them to each other, it’s important you’re always there to supervise it during the early days.
One good thing to know is that the chances are they won’t be chasing your cat due to aggression. It’s much more likely that they’ll be chasing your cat because they want to play with them. However, you cat doesn’t know this and it may still terrify them.
How You Can Keep A Golden Retriever And Cat Together Successfully
Now we’re at the most important part of the article. What can you do to keep a golden retriever and a cat together successfully. Fortunately, there are so many different things you can do! But let’s start from the beginning.
How To Introduce The Two Together
First things first, you need to make sure you’re introducing the two of them together properly. This is a going to be a gradual process in a lot of cases, so you shouldn’t expect any miracles. Here are the steps you need to follow to introduce your golden retriever to your cat.
Step 1
The first step is to just let them smell each other. You should be keeping your cat in one room and your retriever in another. They don’t need to see each other, just smelling another animal in the house will begin to familiarise them and make them more comfortable with each other when they meet.
You can also rub a towel on each of them and then leave it in the room with the other. Doing this is going to transfer the scent even better.
It’s best to do this for about a week.
Step 2
The next step is to let your golden retriever and cat see each other. The first few times you do this, you should make sure that there’s a barrier in between them. A stair gate is one of the best options, however, you can also try using a cage, or keeping your dog on their leash.
When you’re introducing both animals, you need to make sure there are no signs of aggression. If you do notice signs of aggression you should remove the animals from each other and try again at another time.
As well as this, you should also make sure that you’re not holding your cat. If you’re holding your cat then they’re going to feel more vulnerable and that there’s a problem, which could cause them to become more aggressive.
If you notice aggression, the next time you introduce them you should shorten the amount of time they see each other until the aggression begins to subside.
Step 3
The next step is to let them meet normally face to face. Once again, you want to make sure that your golden retriever is on their leash so that you can pull them away if you have too.
As well as this, you should also make sure that you’re providing your cat with plenty of escape routes so that they feel safe and secure. If they meet each other and they act friendly with each other, then make sure that you reward them by giving them both a treat.
Step 4
After this, you can let your guard down a little bit and let them meet each other without any restraints. However, even then, you should make sure there are plenty of escape routes and that your always keeping an eye on them.
Fortunately, for the most part, most of this won’t be a problem, and they’ll most likely just be friends. You should, however, be aware that your dog is going to love eating your cats dinner, so you’ll have to make sure that you’re moving it when they’re not eating.
(Find out if Rottweilers are good with cats.)
Other Ways To Keep Your Golden Retriever With A Cat
As well as introducing them properly, there are also other things you can do to make sure your golden retriever and cat will be great friends! Here are a few things you should try.
Give Your Golden Retriever Plenty Of Exercise
The first thing you should do is make sure you’re giving your golden retriever plenty of exercise. Your golden retriever should be getting a minimum of 2 hours of exercise a day, however, more is always better.
Tiring your golden retriever out is essential as they’ll become a lot less boisterous. And of course, if they’re too tired, they’re not going to want to bother your cat nearly as much.
(Have you ever wondered why your golden retriever is biting and what it means?)
Try To Introduce Them To Each Other When They’re Young
It’s often a good idea to introduce the two of them together when they’re young (where possible). If they meet each other from an early age, they’ll become so used to each other that it’s a lot more likely they’ll just want to be friends. And as an added bonus, they’re also a lot easier to train at a younger age.
Reward Them When They’re Being Good
When your dog and cat are being good around each other, make sure you’re rewarding them. This is going to reinforce the positive behavior. You should do this even when they haven’t been specifically told to be food. Using treats is the easiest way to reward them, however, you can also stroke them loads as well!
Make Sure You’re Leading Them By Example
Another great idea is to interact with both animals at the same time, in a calm and gentle manner. This way they’ll begin to see each other as member of the same family, and it will become much less likely that they’ll try to fight each other.
Also, doing this consistently will help them get used to the idea of sharing you and not getting jealous of each other.
Try To Keep Their Things Seperate
You should also try and keep their things separate. Especially their food bowls. Your cat is going to be a lot more territorial over their food than your golden retriever is, so this is doubly essential for your cat.
As well as this, try to keep their bed, and toys separate as well.
Make Sure They Both Have Their Own Space
Giving your retriever and cat their own separate spaces is also essential for their happiness and wellbeing. By giving them their own space they can retire to, they’ll be able to stay relaxed if things become too much.
While your cat probably needs this more, giving your retriever their own space too will also make them a lot happier.
There are a couple of easy ways to give them both their own space. For your retriever, consider buying them a crate they can retreat to, and for your cat give them lots of high spaces your pup can’t reach. You can also use stair gates to section off areas of your house solely reserved for your cat.
In general, it’s much more likely that your cat will have a problem with your retriever, not the other way round. It could take a long time for them to warm up to your retriever, and in some cases, they may never warm up to them.
When I introduced my first golden retriever to my cat, he didn’t like her one bit, and in fact, he was always wary around her. However, when we got our second golden retriever, he tolerated her right away.
You never know how it’s going to be with your cat, but you should expect them to be territorial off the bat.
Make Sure You’ve Trained Your Golden Retriever
Every owner should be training their golden retriever, however, if you’re keeping them with your pup, this is even more essential. Just the extra obedience that comes with training is going to help keep them calm around your cat!
So if you haven’t trained your golden retriever properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your retriever has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
With Brain Training For Dogs you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact, you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!
And in most cases it’s still going to be:
Cheaper than hiring a professional.
Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to leave your retriever alone with your cat. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT.
And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!
So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior, or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!
(You can also check out a full review here, to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)
What Should You Avoid Doing
While there are many great things you can do to help them live together happily. There are also some thing you should definitely avoid doing. In fact, not only will they have no effect on the relationship, they could even make things worse
Never Hit Either Of Your Pets
First of all, you should never hit either your pets, no matter how they behave around each other. While hitting them may fix the initial problem, in the long run it’s only going to cause even more problems to arise.
If you hit a good natured golden retriever, then you may even cause them to resent and dislike you. Later on down the line they may even become acting aggressively and biting. So never under any circumstances should you hit them!
Don’t Hold Your Cat
Cats love their independence and if you hold them when you’re introducing them to your golden retriever, then they’re not going to feel independent at all. This can even cause them think that there’s a reason they should be worrying. Or give them a trapped feeling.
If you’re not sure how your cat is going to react when they meet your golden retriever, don’t hold them. Instead, give them plenty of different escape routes so they can leave if they want too. As well as this, give them plenty of places they can perch high.
Don’t Lock Them In A Room Together
This is another terrible idea. if you lock your pets in a room together, it’s highly likely that your cat will end up attacking your golden retriever. Which in turn will instill fear in them forever. You should always make sure you’re giving both animals plenty of ways to escape the situation if they don’t want to be there.
Just think, when are animals locked together in the wild?
Don’t Use Shock Collars
Lastly, some people also recommend using shock collars on your pets, but there’s no concrete proof that they work well every time. In fact, using a shock collar may begin cause your pup to associate the shock with your cat, and they’ll only become more wary.
Recap
As you can see, golden retrievers can get along with cats, and in general, there some of the best dogs to keep with cats. With that being said, it’s not always going to be a smooth transition, so you should make sure that you’re being patient with both animals.
If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website. Otherwise, have a great day!
