If you are an owner of a golden retriever, you must very well know by now how friendly golden retrievers are, not just with humans but also with other animals. This breed is so full of love that you can’t help but feel super happy around these cute furballs, and this is exactly why this breed is so popular in the US. It is an ideal pet for most people.
From a very young age, we’ve all been told that cats and dogs are mortal enemies. This idea is mostly spread by cartoons, but we begin to view the two animals as complete opposites of each other. However, this is not always true, especially when we’re talking about golden retrievers. So let’s find the answer to the question, are golden retrievers good with cats? This is a very important question that will naturally come to your mind if you already own a golden retriever and are now looking to buy a cat or vice versa.
The Personality of the Golden Retriever
Friendly, family loving, and very protective are the main personality characteristics of this breed. Adding to that, this dog is also absolutely adorable. With a very expressive face, this dog is very loyal and devoted to humans. They are also gentle with kids, and hence, are ideal family dogs.
Are Golden Retrievers Good with Cats?
Owing to the fact that golden retrievers are very friendly dogs, they will not just be friendly toward you, but also toward other dogs and most other animals. This includes cats, too. If you have a cat or are planning to get one, then you don’t need to worry about your golden retriever. Your precious dog will consider the cat to be a part of the family too and will be really welcoming of it. The cat’s breed doesn’t matter in this case.
However, because of a dog’s natural instincts, you can’t just instantly leave your dog and your cat together and expect them to be extremely nice to each other. You will have to take a slow start and give them some time before they actually start to like each other and get close to each other. Once they are comfortable with each other, then you don’t need to worry anymore.
Once your cat and your golden retriever get to know each other very well and become highly comfortable with each other, they can even become the best of friends. It is best if they are introduced to each other when both the cat and the dog are really young so that they get seasoned with each other. Just like with kids, your golden retriever will not play rough with your cat once the two are properly acquainted. In fact, your golden retriever might even act as your cat’s protector.
Do Golden Retrievers Chase Cats?
Despite the fact that golden retrievers are good with cats, they still chase them around. It is a known fact the golden retriever was bred to be a hunter’s dog, and so they have a natural hunting instinct in them, that you can’t really do anything about. Golden retrievers inherited this instinct from their wolf ancestors, and so you cannot just expect this instinct of theirs to go away.
Golden retrievers might chase your cat because of this instinct, but rest assured that they never do so with the intent to harm. The golden retriever will hunt mostly everything that is smaller than its own self. So it’s not just cats that they will chase, but every possible thing that is smaller in size.
However, if your dog is excessively chasing other cats and animals, then you should probably train your dog to be more disciplined in the presence of other animals. As mentioned earlier, your golden retriever won’t want to harm the animals it chases, but other pet owners might not take too kindly to a big dog chasing their pet cats around.
Introducing Dogs and Cats
If you plan on keeping both a golden retriever and a cat as your house pets, then you should make sure that you introduce them well, so that they can be super friendly right from the start.
Start Young
If you introduce your dog and cat to each other when they are both young, they can learn to get along with each other over time. This is because at a younger age, it is easier to make them learn new things, and they learn much faster at that age, too. The more time they get to spend with each other, the better they will get to know each other.
Also, when they’re young, animals don’t have any preconceptions about other species of animals and what they are capable of doing. So, if you are planning on keeping a cat and a golden retriever in one house, then it is ideal that you start them young. This will ensure that your golden retriever is good with cats and vice versa.
Reward Them
Pets love rewards, so if you see them being nice to each other, you can reward them for this behavior. That way, they will have greater motivation as they will come to realize that they are doing something positive by getting along with each other. You could try giving them both their favorite snacks whenever you see them playing nice.
You could also try giving them a toy that they like to play with. This will instill feelings of positivity in both of them. This will make your life much simpler, and you won’t have to worry about whether your golden retriever is good with cats.
Give Them Space
You don’t need to force them to be together and get along. As mentioned earlier, golden retrievers are good with cats, so just leave your dog and your cat to their own devices and let them get to know each other on their own. You can let your golden retriever come closer to your cat, and if you see a happy reaction from your dog, in the sense that it starts barking happily, you can let them be together for a while and see how that goes.
However, if your dog’s reaction is the slightest bit negative, then you don’t need to force anything. It is definitely not a good idea. You shouldn’t punish your golden retriever either if it reacts negatively. You just need to give it more space and time, and you will see how your two pets slowly become nice to each other.
Supervise Them
When dealing with a golden retriever and a cat in the same house, make sure that their interactions are all supervised so that you can make sure that nothing goes wrong. If one of them gets uncomfortable in the presence of the other, then make sure that there is an escape route that they can easily take.
If there is someone to intervene, it’s unlikely that your golden retriever and your cat will think of getting into a fight. You also need to make sure that you trim the nails of your cat and dog before you let them close to each other. Cats have a habit of scratching when in an uncomfortable situation, so you need to ensure that your golden retriever is safe from scratches.
In the initial stages, it is also advised that you put a leash your golden retriever so that you can control it in case things turn sour. You can just tug at the leash a slight bit and say a stern ‘no’ to him if he starts barking loudly at your cat.
Our Final Thoughts
On a final note, a golden retriever is not just an ideal pet because of how adorable it is, but also this particular breed of dog is incredibly friendly. Whether it’s humans or animals, the golden retriever is fond of everyone and is a very devoted pet. If you are planning to keep a golden retriever and a cat as pets in the same house, then you don’t need to worry as golden retrievers are good with cats. You just need to supervise them a little bit to make sure that they get to know each other well. If you give them the space that they need to interact with each other, they’ll become the best of friends in no time!
