Cat owners who have or are thinking of adding a canine addition to their household may wonder how they can get their cat and dog to play together. After all, cats and dogs aren’t supposed to get along, or that’s what they say.
In reality, cats and dogs can get along quite well! Robert Thomas, a professional trainer from Marvelous Dogs says “cats and dogs can often play, train, and coexist when bonded”, a fact that most people find hard to believe!
Even though most people can’t fathom cats playing games, they actually play pretty similar types of games to their dog counterparts. So, when it comes to playing with your pets, you don’t have to potentially leave one out of the mix to play with the other.
If you have recently added a dog into your feline household and want to learn some games you can play simultaneously with them, then keep reading.
Why Should My Cat And Dog Bond?
When it comes to creating a bond between two species, most people believe that dogs and cats aren’t able to. After all, the term “fighting like cats and dogs” exists for a reason!
Creating a stable bond between your cat and dog is key to them being able to live and potentially play together in your house. You can’t exactly just throw one or the other into each other’s space and not expect some discourse.
Proper introductions will be the key to building any kind of bond between your pets and will make or break how well they interact together. It may take some time, but it’s a process you should never rush. Once they’ve properly been introduced and show signs of being able to tolerate each other at the very least, you can attempt to play different games that involve both of them.
Here are a few you should try:
Fetch
Most people can’t fathom the idea of a cat playing fetch. However, many cat owners have talked about how much their cats enjoy playing the game.
A big difference between cats and dogs when it comes to the game of fetch is that dogs will usually always be ready to play it. After all, most dogs have been bred to retrieve, and they typically thrive on pleasing their owners.
On the other hand, cats usually only play if they want to and could usually care less about what you want. Their short attention spans also lead to them only being able to play for a couple of minutes before they need a pause to relax.
However, playing fetch with your cat and dog isn’t hard to do.
- Find a toy for your cat and one for your dog that they love.
- Gauge if both of them are willing to play fetch at the moment. (If your cat isn’t willing to, you can’t force them! Just try again another day)
- Throw one toy for your dog and the other for your cat.
- Rinse and repeat
Look at that. Your dog and cat are indirectly playing fetch together!
Hide & Seek
Hide and seek is a childhood classic that your dog and cat will be interested in playing, and the rules are simple!
- Gain your dog and cats attention
- Find a hiding spot to hide in. This can be under a desk, behind a curtain, or the couch, etc.
- Stay in the spot until they come and find you.
Be alert! Both your dog and cat are pretty crafty when it comes to finding you. Your dog will attempt to sniff you out, while your cat will attempt to stalk you like you’re their prey.
Tag
Tag is another childhood classic that you can play with your dog and cat. It’s simple and can help motivate both pets to be active.
- Gain your cat and dogs attention.
- Run away from them and let them chase you. (you can do fun things such as playfully tapping them and running away to entice them to play with you)
- Once they touch or “tag” you start to chase them and watch how much fun they have!
It may take your cat a bit to warm up to this game, so don’t be concerned if it does.
Interactive Toys
Getting mentally stimulating toys for your dogs and cats to play with in unison is an indirect way to get them to play together.
Fun interactive dog toys include:
- Kong toys
- Puzzle games
- Treat balls
- Chew Toys
Fun interactive cat toys include:
- Puzzle toys
- Cat lasers
- Robotic feather chasers
- Climbing toys/platforms and scratching posts
Having your cat and dog play these games together in the same room can foster a friendly atmosphere between the three of you and get them accustomed to living in the same space.
Summary
Adding a dog to your feline-inhabited household can be nerve-racking. However, once your dog and cat have been introduced, playing games they can simultaneously participate in can increase their bond with you and each other.
Games such as fetch, tag, hide and seek, and interactive toys for them to play with can help foster a mutual relationship between them. It may take some time; however, one day, your dog and cat will finally disprove the incorrect assumptions that cats and dogs can’t ever get along.
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