People often ask about good companions for West Highland Terriers. Can a Westie Terrier be friends with Guinea Pigs for example.
Well, I have no idea anything about how a Westie would get along with an Iquana or possibly a Guinea Pig, but I’ve got a wealth of understanding of Westies and cats..
When Willow came to us last summer one thing that she needed to adjust to was a household already inhabited by three tomcats ranging in age from four years to around ten. The cats definitely rule the roost here and the new little Westie just was required to find her place. She’s done that now. There are certainly occasional spats to decide who will be top dog/cat on any given day, but that’s normal and the cats jockey backwards and forwards amongst themselves whether the dog is there or not.
We weren’t just dropping a dog into the midst of some cats who had never seen a dog before. Our Norwegian Elkhound, Saladdin was a key part of our family structure for years and actually helped raise two of our cats from kittenhood. He’s gone now and the cats haven’t had to accommodate a dog for a while, however the old habits were still there. They weren’t overjoyed to acquire a brand new dog to contend with, especially an energetic pup, however it wasn’t the end of the world for them either.
One of the things that we insisted on from the beginning was that a new dog needed to submit to the cats. This runs specifically true when working with terrier dogs including the West Highland Terrier. Regardless how lovable and cute they are, deep down in their heart and soul they’re hunters. They want to get in and duke it out with game animals, and practically anything that runs from them qualifies as game. It doesn’t mean they aren’t great dogs, but there is no way around it: the terrier breeds from Pit Bulls all the way right down to Yorkies are scrappers. So our job as owners of terriers is always to define the things they can chase and fight with and what they can’t.
This is why I was so strict about making Willow submit to the cats from the very beginning. It wasn’t hard to accomplish. If she got too frisky we had to lay her down until she settled and calmed, but mostly a sharp word and a tug on the leash was enough to get the job done. It certainly helped our cats are not particularly impressed by dogs and don’t mind demonstrating the use of their claws if she gets too feisty.
Things have settled into place now and we’ve been able to relax most of the boundaries we laid down at first. We have chases in the house now, up the stairs, around and down. Its equally as likely for Willow to be chased by a cat as it is for her to chase one. Actually it is apparently more of a game of tag than anything else, and nobody gets hurt. When they aren’t chasing one another throughout the house its not unusual to find Willow curled up with one of the cats, or perhaps hanging out on the windowseat with one. And, one can never tell which two animals are likely to bond. Our oldest cat, Whiskey, was the 1st to actually chase Willow (I think she pissed him off, to tell you the truth) and that set the stage for the others to follow.
Your position may be quite different from ours, because our cats were already familiar with having a dog around. In case your cats have not had anything to do with dogs, you will probably want to follow a slightly different course. In a case like this I would suggest keeping the new Westie on umbilical for a couple of days while the critters get accustomed to each other. Umbilical training, where you have your dog on a long leash and keep the leash tied around your waist, is an extremely good training method under any circumstance. It offers control of the situation without having to hold the leash, or even pay much attention to the dog. Stick to the umbilical work for around one week and keep your dog in its crate when it isn’t on the leash. The cat will quickly settle down once it realizes that this dog is not a threat to it.
Similar things apply if you wish to introduce a cat into your house. I’d recommend a kitten when possible, since they are more malleable which will make your situation more managable. Make sure that the dog and cat get to sniff each others butts so that you have the nose engaged, then keep your dog on umbilical for some time.
Cats can coexist with Westie Terriers. They will often not become buds the way our animals did, but peaceful respect for each other should be possible. Make use of the umbilical, make the dog submit at the start and everything should be well.