Dogs and cats have been at each other’s throats since time immemorial. They are natural born enemies with polar opposite social habits, structures, and attitudes. The cat is a graceful, lithe, clever, and independent animal. It is completely capable of handling its business, and seems to think it’s doing humans a favor by allowing care to be given. Meanwhile, the loyal dog is an intensely social creature, craving affection and praise. They are hard workers, constant companions, and fierce guardians over all mankind’s endeavors. Each animal was domesticated for distinct purposes that will sometimes clash with one another. They are both hunters, with powerful predatory instincts, which have often led to conflict. Even more so, their individual methods of interaction cause a great deal of friction.

Understanding the disparities as well as the similarities between these two very different pets is absolutely essential to teaching them both to get along. So in the interest of unity, here compiled for your reading pleasure are some difficulties of dogs and cats living together.

To begin with, most dogs are OCD. They have very little patience or self-control unless it is drilled into them with constant repetition and training.  This makes them, quite literally, dogged hunters. They will chase a target until there is absolutely no gas left in their tanks. With a cunningly clever escape artist like a cat, this can be a real problem.  Since cats are so good at being elusive, a dog’s determined predatory instinct is likely to go into overdrive at the presentation of such a ripe challenge. A constant and consistent struggle will arise from a dog’s persistence and a cat’s evasiveness. Another set of major factors contributing to an un-harmonized relationship between the two are the standards of social interaction. Dogs greet one another with close contact, a lot of sniffing, licking, barking, and furious movement. This kind of greeting is overwhelming and off-putting to even the friendliest of felines. Even similar body language portrays a completely different message for each species. A wagging tail for a dog means happiness and contentment. A cat’s twitching tail is another thing entirely, as it is meant to display agitation or even aggression. The point is that dogs and cats are on opposite ends of the spectrum in many respects, which makes it a little easier to understand why they might have more trouble getting along.

Fortunately these differences are not irreconcilable. Many households have more than one variety of pet. You don’t have to pick a side, a dog person or cat person can definitely become an interchangeable pet person. While dogs and cats have their differences, with the right amount of love, supervision, and intelligent restraint they can quickly become fast friends. However, this process is usually neither quick nor especially easy. Like most methods of training, it takes time to get dogs and cats living together. Check back tomorrow, for an in-depth look on how to teach your pets to successfully cohabitate.