Happily, the highly intelligent Husky can, with patience and consistency on your part, be trained to live harmoniously with a cat in a multi-pet household!

Consider then, these following suggestions:

Introductions must be gradual and should, ideally, begin when both animals are young. Puppies and kittens can, when growing up together, form very strong bonds, accustoming themselves to one another’s behaviors before they mature into adults. And yet, whatever age your animals are, their introductions must be gradual, careful and gentle, giving them time to get used to having one another around.

Always keep your Husky on a leash when meeting your cat during the first phase of their “relationship.” This gives you some measure of control over his actions should he choose to chase your cat instead! And while training your Husky, always include such basic commands as “sit,” “lie down,” “leave,” “come” and “go,” and use them going forward whenever he’s attempting to or actually interacting with your cat.

As with all dogs, positive reinforcement is an especially effective training method when it comes to Huskies. This means rewarding yours for both desirable actions and good behavior in the form of verbal praise, physical attention and such healthy high-value rewards as doggy ice cream, homemade doggy cookies and/or a small piece of cooked, skinless chicken or turkey.

Lavish both animals with equal amounts of physical attention like pets and verbal praise throughout the early phase of their friendship. Never prioritize one over the other when it comes to that all-important word LOVE when you want them to bond!

Both animals will, understandably, require some time to decompress after initially meeting each other and will, therefore, seek to put some space between them. Because they’re only just beginning to learn about one another’s patterns of behavior, ensure that your cat has an elevated position to return to and that your Husky can retreat to his doggy bed.

In case of disruptions or difficulties while slowly building their bond, the use of distraction techniques works well on both animals. To that end, always carry your Husky’s favorite tug toy with you as well as some of your cat’s favorite treats. Make certain to give your cat those treats at a height the Husky can’t reach, and if your Husky becomes far too frisky, encourage him to burn off that excess energy by playing with you and the tug toy instead.

While your Husky may get along happily with your cat at home, he may still be tempted to chase other, unknown cats when out of doors. For this reason, always walk your Husky on a leash except when you’re both in a secure, controlled environment such as a private dog park.

On the other hand, if you’ve trained your Husky well and he starts pulling you towards a strange cat, telling him to “sit” or lie down” can help you take control of the situation. Call out “come” when you want him to return to you instead of chasing that oh-so-tempting cat, and remember to lavish him with words of loving praise and plenty of treats when he either obeys you, ignores that specific cat or chooses NOT to chase any cats he sees.