When Eric’s Shiba Inu, Cairo, started pawing him for attention and whining if Eric had not pet him for 30 minutes, Eric thought it might be time to add another animal to the family.
He decided to bring home an adorable white kitten named Sultan. To help the two animals acclimate to one another, he split his house down the middle, one side for the kitten and one for Cairo.
With a gate to separate them, Cairo and Sultan could smell and see one another without having to share space. Being a kitten, Sultan was curious about his environment and started playing with his toys immediately. Cairo seemed uncertain.
While Sultan played with her toys, Cairo watched his feline brother with a look of confusion and standoffishness. “He would just look at Sultan like he was still trying to make up his mind about him.” Erica knew he just needed to be patient.
By the end of the first week with Sultan, Eric realized that even though the dog and kitten were both iffy about each other, they still wanted his attention. So, Eric would sit on the floor and pet one of them with each hand while they got to know each other.
This led to the two of them falling asleep side by side, which seemed to help both of the animals let their guard down. When Cairo started reaching out and giving Sultan gentle kisses on his nose, Eric knew everything would be alright.
After five months together, Cairo and Sultan were best friends, constantly playing and snuggling with each other. “I love watching them together,” said Eric. “Cairo has really grown into this loving, older brother.”
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