Update: Any advice: helping cat adjust to new rescue dog

[purrbox]

DH and I are adopting a 1 year old lab/mix rescue dog. She'll be an indoor/outdoor furbaby. I'm wondering if anyone of you have any advice for introducing her to our 3 year old indoor cat. I'm thinking about keeping the dog in a crate for a little while so that our cat can approach her whenever she's ready. And we definitely won't be leaving the two of them alone unattended for at least a couple of weeks. We'll also be keeping our upstairs blocked off with a baby gate, so the cat will have her own space to escape if she gets overwhelmed.

Anyone have any advice on helping these new fur-siblings bond (or at least not hate each other)? Thanks!

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Edit for update:

I'm updating this post in case anyone else is considering introducing a dog to their spoiled kitty. It's totally possible that they will get along!!!

We've had the dog for a couple days now, and things are going great! We kept her in her crate or on a leash whenever she was inside for the first day, but by the second day it was obvious that she would be okay without the leash. I just make her stay by my side whenever I'm walking around. She's so well behaved and has already learned so much. Of course, I'm not going to leave the dog out of her crate when I'm not at home. That's too big of a risk that I'm not willing to accept until I get to know her much better.

The cat is doing great too! She doesn't seem upset at all. She gets a little curious from time to time, but that's about it. Best of all, she still comes up on the couch for her regular cuddles, even when the dog is laying at my feet.

[pinkballoons]

I have 2 cats and a dog. They're not best friends, but they co-exist.
It's important for the cat to have a dog-free zone. Keep her food, litter box, bed, and toys where the dog can't reach them.
You'll have to teach the dog to respect the cat. A good "leave it" command should help. My dog knows that "be nice to kitty" means he can look but that's it. While he really wants to play with the cats, the cats aren't cool with it. All three of them can hang out in the same room now; it's pretty awesome.
It might not be a bad idea to give the cat a blanket with dog smell so she can check it out on her own terms.
Also, a Feliway plug will help her.
There will be an adjustment period. Be patient with everyone, let the cat take the lead, and invest in a good dog training class.

[katietornado]

What do you mean by "indoor/outdoor?"

We had three cats when we rescued our pup. He was a 2-year-old herding breed who had never lived in a house before. He 100% wanted to eat the cats. It took a very long time (7 months) until we could let him loose in the house with the cats about, because he was so so SO interested. We kept him on a leash or in his crate whenever the cats were around, and that way they could do what they wanted, and we could correct his interest in them. The apartment we lived in at the time had one door that separated the back (bedroom/bathroom) from the front (family room/kitchen). We made sure the cats always had a safe place so they wouldn't get too stressed out.

Now he totally gets that they are the bosses of the house, and he completely leaves them alone. But it took quite a while to get to this place!

[purrbox]

katietornado, by "indoor/outdoor" I mean that the dog will be inside for a lot of the time, but also will get to run around outside in our fenced in yard when she feels like it. Good to hear that your dog finally accepted that your cat is the boss. I hope it doesn't take her too long to adjust, but I'll be happy so long as she eventually does.

pinkballoons, I need to look into the Feliway. I might get something like that once the dog learns not to mess with the cat. Honestly, I'm hoping that the cat will give the dog a couple swats to the face at first so the dog learns not to mess with her.

[mala]

We did what you are doing. Unfortunately it hasn't worked for us. Of course, our dog was 6months old and already 60 pounds, with minimal training, when we brought her home. They still aren't really cool with each other, mostly because our dog is really pushy and wants to play with them. She (the dog) doesn't understand that when the cat's hiss at her it means they want her to back off. No amount of training has been able to get her to understand either. They were getting better and then our daughter was born and it totally set the cat's back. Now they are just starting to come around again and the dog is FINALLY listening when they warn her off.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but you should know they might never be friends. I hope they do though! I would love nothing more than to see my dog and cats sleeping together.

[pinkballoons]

Start the Feliway as soon as you get the dog, or even better, before the dog comes home. It takes a bit for it to work, and there's going to be immediate stress because of a new bouncy creature in her home. It's a bit pricy but worth not having to clean up messes when the cat eliminates in inappropriate places because of stress.