Some Boerboels can live with cats, but it is not a safe assumption for every dog. The American Boerboel Club notes that many Boerboels do well with house cats. That breed description is not an assessment of your particular pair. Best Friends Animal Society cautions that some dogs may never safely share space with a cat. American Boerboel Club Best Friends: dog and cat introductions
The useful question is whether this dog and this cat can live comfortably in your home, with arrangements you can maintain. Our family-dog guide covers the wider household decision. Here, the focus is the cat: assessing the match, preparing the home and knowing when to stop.
What should you find out before bringing them together?
Consider both animals' personalities, ages, health, past experiences with the other species and previous reactions. Cats Protection recommends looking at these individual factors before introductions. Cats Protection: introductions
Ask the current caregiver for specific observations, not just a description such as “good with cats.” We suggest using these questions when speaking with a breeder, rescue or previous owner:
- Which cats has the dog actually lived with, and for how long?
- Were they together in ordinary daily life, or seen briefly through a barrier?
- What happened when a cat walked, ran or approached the dog's resting place?
- Was separation part of the household routine?
- What incidents, concerns or unanswered questions should your veterinarian know about?
Write “unknown” where the answer is unknown. Do not arrange an uncontrolled encounter to fill a gap in the history. PDSA advises discussing the proposed addition with your vet or vet nurse; a dog that habitually chases cats, or a particularly nervous resident cat, may be a poor candidate for this household change. PDSA: cats and dogs For adoption planning, see our Boerboel rescue guide.
Prepare two complete living spaces
Before a new cat arrives, provide a dog-free area containing food, water, a litter tray, a bed and hiding places. Add accessible elevated resting places that the dog cannot reach. RSPCA Australia explains that protected access helps prevent a cat becoming too afraid to use essential resources. Let the newcomer settle separately before introductions. RSPCA: introducing a new cat
If the cat already lives with you, plan changes before the dog arrives. RSPCA guidance recommends keeping the cat's retreat somewhere familiar and secure where possible. Start with solid physical separation, ideally with a buffer space so the animals cannot contact one another under a door. RSPCA: introducing a new dog
Our practical planning suggestion is to walk through an ordinary day on paper: breakfast, work, deliveries, visitors and bedtime. Name the person responsible for closing each separating door. Decide where each animal will be when nobody can supervise. If the plan depends on everyone remembering an unwritten exception, simplify it before bringing the new pet home.
How do you introduce a Boerboel to a cat?
Treat the following as stages to discuss with your veterinarian or behavior professional, not a timetable or a promise that direct contact will become appropriate.
1. Start with scent and separate exploration
RSPCA Australia recommends exchanging scented cloths while the animals remain apart. Initially keep the unfamiliar scent away from the cat's food, water, litter and hiding places. Once both are calm with the scent, let each explore shared areas in turn while the other remains securely elsewhere. RSPCA: introducing a new dog
2. Allow brief, protected visual contact
Dogs Trust recommends short, quiet meetings through a barrier after both animals are relaxed in their separate spaces. Supervise throughout, allow retreat and use a lead if the dog might jump or push through. When supervision ends, return them to separate rooms with doors shut. Dogs Trust: living together
Check the actual setup before using it. For this guide, our recommendation is to treat a gate as suitable only when it prevents contact between these particular animals. A product label or a photograph of another household is not your containment plan.
3. Consider a controlled meeting only after calm earlier stages
Cats Protection advises two people, a dog on a lead that prevents reaching the cat, and an unobstructed feline escape route. Never restrain the cat or force an approach. Do not use a cat carrier for the introduction. If either animal has a significant reaction, stop progressing and seek help. Cats Protection: introductions
Which signs mean you should stop?
Use this table as a prompt for action, not a diagnosis of either animal.
| What you observe | What to do |
|---|---|
| Dog stiffens, fixes its stare, lunges or attempts to chase | End the encounter and restore separation. Do not allow a closer approach. Best Friends: dog and cat introductions |
| Cat backs away, hisses, swipes or flattens its ears | Give the cat space and stop advancing the introduction. Cats Protection: introductions |
| Dog keeps watching, following or chasing despite management | Keep the animals apart and obtain professional support. Dogs Trust: living together |
Best Friends identifies fixation and attempted chasing as reasons to change the introduction strategy. Cats Protection advises contacting your veterinarian when difficulties arise, including checking for medical issues and seeking a qualified behavior referral. Best Friends: dog and cat introductions Cats Protection: introductions
Reward calm behavior without forcing proximity
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward-based training for everyday skills and behavior problems. Its guidance rejects aversive methods such as shouting, leash jerks and shock collars. AVSAB: humane training
Our recommendation is to agree on the training approach before starting: which calm behavior you want to reinforce, what reward your dog enjoys and how the handler will end a session. Practice basic skills separately first. Do not make access to the cat the prize for obeying a cue. Our Boerboel training guide explains the site's reward-based approach.
Keep meals and play separate, and continue supervising shared time. PDSA recommends those arrangements even after the animals seem comfortable together. PDSA: cats and dogs
What changes with kittens or outdoor encounters?
A kitten needs particular protection. Best Friends notes that a young, energetic dog can seriously injure a kitten even through play, and recommends separating dogs and kittens whenever they are not being watched. The same organization cautions that a dog comfortable with a cat indoors may still chase that cat outside. Best Friends: dog and cat introductions
Treat a new setting or a new animal as a fresh planning question. Do not transfer yesterday's observation into a blanket permission for unsupervised access.
Keep a record and allow for a different outcome
We suggest a short household log with five entries: the setup, each animal's behavior, the point at which you ended the session, what happened afterward and the next question for your professional adviser. Record observable actions such as “looked away when called,” rather than conclusions such as “now completely safe.”
Use the log to coordinate caregivers. Everyone should know the current separation arrangement; nobody should advance the plan alone because the previous session looked encouraging.
Coexistence need not mean friendship. RSPCA Australia notes that some dogs and cats tolerate one another while choosing separate spaces. RSPCA: introducing a new cat If safe, comfortable shared living remains unworkable, Dogs Trust recommends continued separation while seeking support and considering longer-term options, which can include rehoming. The welfare of both animals should guide that decision. Dogs Trust: living together
