Do Pugs Get Along with Cats

Do you have a Cat and are thinking of getting a Pug? or have a Pug but are thinking of getting a Cat? Then you need an answer to the question ‘do Pugs get on with Cats?’. Each Cat has its own personality and so does each Pug, so you won’t ever have a 100% answer in advance, however if you understand a bit about how a Pug thinks and how a Cat thinks, you can do a lot yourself to increase the chances they will be best buddies and your home will not look like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

The first and most important point is their first impressions. Cats and dogs are both territorial animals. Whichever is living in the house first, sees the house as their territory and you as their pack leader or pack member (for a dog) or their Mum/Dad/Kitten/Servant/Entertainer (for a Cat). So you have to be really careful you don’t set up territorial battles for beds, chairs, toys or you. Ideally, you’d get a kitten and a pug puppy on the same day, having chosen the most good-natured and relaxed one from each litter, then let them grow up together as best buddies. Then things may just take care of themselves. However, it’s not always possible to do that.

So, there are three main things you need to think about: Playtime, Foodtime, and Sleeptime

Playtime for a Pug and Cat

The good news for your Cat is that Pugs are generally pretty small and good-natured. So, it’s not like a Cat having to deal with a Rottweiler who wants to play ‘chase kitty’. A normal-sized Cat will be able to stand up for itself (or just get away from the Pug) if the Pug wants to play but the Cat doesn’t. You can see that in action here.

Of course, some cats or kittens will want to start playtime with a Pug and being roughly equal in size and strength, they can both have fun. Kittens especially might want to play with a Pug as you can see here.

Play in Kittens and dogs of all ages is instinctive, so a good-natured rough and tumble is no problem, though generally, one animal will be keener than the other as you can see here.

There are also toys you can buy that can focus the play of your Pug and your kitten together, as the toys have been designed to appeal to both. There are some examples of these kinds of toys here.

One tip is to give your cat somewhere to climb up to (like a cat tower) that the Pug can’t reach, or make sure they play in a room that has somewhere the Cat can climb to if it starts to get bored with the play or the play becomes too rough. It’s a natural thing for a cat to climb up out of a situation it now wants to get out of. If your cat can’t climb, it will have to ‘tell off’ the Pug with a few whacks or even with claws out, and that either might be misinterpreted by the Pug as just the Cat wants to play harder, or the Cat or Pug get hurt if things get over-excited.

Food time for a Pug and Cat

This one is really simple. Keep food times 100% separate if you get any issues. Unless your Pug and Cat really want to feed together, because they have a very close relationship like here keep them well apart at feed times.

No one likes having their food stolen and neither do Cats and Dogs. In dogs especially it can trigger an instinctive aggressive reaction if they think of something like a bone being taken away.

So, play this one carefully. If they want to eat together and there are no issues, that’s great but don’t create a possible source of conflict without realizing it.

Sleep time for a Pug and Cat

This one is a bit less simple. Some people allow animals to sleep on top of the same beds as their human owners. That’s an individual choice (although not very hygienic it’s pretty warm in the winter). Cats are nocturnal, dogs are not. Both are territorial and capable of their own version of jealousy too. So, that’s all a bit complicated and could lead to conflicts.

If your pug has its own bed and your cat tries to take it over, expect one annoyed pug.

Some Cats and Pugs do sleep together and again if they want to and there’s no problem then just let them. Some cats will treat a pug like a kitten and that all works for both animals just fine.

Get them both a nice big warm pet bed they can both sleep well in. There are some great beds for large dogs like these ones from Pecute or Treat A Dog or Laifug that – given the combined size of a Cat and a Pug – will do just fine. Add some blankets and leave them to it.

Do Pugs and Cats get Along?

So, that about wraps up answering the question ‘do Pugs get on with cats’. Generally yes they do and we’ve told you how you can do a lot to make sure that things go smoothly and you have a couple of best buddies.