Many people think that cats and dogs can’t get along.
But in fact, this stereotype is often untrue. With the right training and some patience, a cat and dog can be the best of friends.
According to the website Comfort Zone, one of the reasons why cats and dogs have difficulty getting along is because their body language is so different. And so, a kitten’s attempt at playing might be taken as aggression by a dog, or vice versa.
Because of that, it takes a while for cats and dogs to warm up to each other.
To help keep your pets happy and feeling safe, Comfort Zone suggests keeping your cat and dog in separate rooms for their first meeting:
“Their first meeting should be face-to-face but not in the same room. You’ll want to use a screen door or gate to separate them. Make sure your kitten can’t squeeze through the door or climb over it. Your dog and kitten need to be able to smell, hear, and see each other without touching each other. Just like you did with the closed door, start by feeding them from a distance and slowly move them closer to each other over time.”
The website also says to make sure to observe their body language during their first meeting, and be sure to only do supervised visits at first.
Sometimes, though, a cat and dog won’t need to take all these steps. Sometimes, they’ll get along right away.
And a giant 130-pound dog named Norm and a tiny foster kitten named Sonic are the perfect example of this!
Norm’s mom, Julia, fostered Norm when he was a puppy. The poor dog was badly emaciated and clearly had a rough start to life. But despite that, he was still as sweet as could be.
Soon after she began fostering Norm, Julia decided to adopt him.
“He was just this once-in-a-lifetime kind of dog,” Julia told The Dodo.
Julia continued fostering cats, and she quickly found that Norm got along with everyone!
And while Norm loved all the cats, he formed an incredible bond with one particular kitten: Sonic.
Julia started fostering Sonic when he was a tiny kitten. The little kitten just wanted to be loved, and he often ran up to her other cats. They weren’t always so friendly to him, though.
“He just ran up to them way too quickly, and he got hissed at repeatedly. And he seemed pretty confused by that,” Julia said.
Julia decided to introduce Sonic to Norm, and it was love at first sight. Julia was surprised to see how maternal Norm acted with Sonic.
“Within seconds, Sonic was curled up against Norm,” Julia said.
Sonic and Norm quickly became best friends, and whenever Julia couldn’t find Sonic she simply looked underneath Norm. She often found him napping there.
Julia’s friend ended up adopting Sonic, and so Norm and Sonic get to see each other often.
They’re always so excited when they get to hang out. Norm also has been using his maternal skills to help the other cats Julia fosters. What a sweetheart!
We’re so glad Norm and Sonic found each other — they’re truly an adorable pair. If you want to see more photos and videos of Norm, head to his Instagram page.
Check out a video about Norm and Sonic below!
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