If your animals react fearfully to new situations, people or things, then the chances are, the integration with a new animal will be difficult. Also, you will need to familiarize yourself with how to properly handle any flare-ups should they occur. If you have an older more dominant animal and you interfere with the introduction in the wrong way, you can actually escalate the aggression and make it worse. Let's look at a couple of situations with the same species. Part 3 of this series will look at mixing different species and get into brief examples of behavior and strategies of dealing with the animals successfully.
CATS Cats can be a bit more complicated than dogs.
They can be more or less social, disappear for days, or they may exhibit more behavioral displays or regression into undesirable behavior. They can also be a bit easier since the controlled introductions can be handled within the home and without some of the challenges their canine counterparts have. This is important with a cat. Your fabulous feline should have their territories limited to their yard or individual home. This protects them from spreading and acquiring parasites, propagating feral animals, and getting into territorial disputes or becoming a meal for the local predatory animals.