How to introduce a new puppy to your cat

Keep the puppy and cat in different rooms. Swap bedding between them once a day so each animal learns the other's smell before they ever meet. Feed them on opposite sides of a closed door so proximity predicts something good.

Sitter tip: Give your cat vertical escape routes first — a shelf, cat tree or high windowsill in every shared room.

Use a baby gate or a crate so they can see each other without contact. Keep sessions to two or three minutes and end while both animals are still calm. Reward the puppy for looking away from the cat, not for staring at it.

Put the puppy on a light house line so you can interrupt a chase without grabbing. Sit on the floor, keep the energy low, and let the cat choose the distance. Never hold the cat to force a greeting.

• Stop the session if the puppy fixates, stiffens or lunges
• Stop if the cat flattens its ears, growls or hides
• Always end before either animal gets overwhelmed

Once the puppy ignores the cat for a full session, allow short unrestrained periods with you present. Keep litter boxes and the cat's food permanently out of the puppy's reach — resource conflict is what turns a truce back into a chase.

Don't leave a half-introduced pair alone with a new sitter. Book a sitter who is comfortable with both species, walk them through the current stage, and keep the animals separated while you're away. In-home pet sitting works better than boarding here because nobody has to move house mid-process.