How Do Cats React to a New Puppy in the House?

My kids have been crushing me for the past four months for a puppy.

"Everybody else has a dog, Dad."

I mean, they're not wrong. I feel almost every family I know got a puppy during COVID if they didn't already have a dog.

"There will never be a better time to get a puppy, Dad. We're only going to school two days a week. We'll be here to walk the dog almost all day, every day."

Darn. They were actually starting to make sense. But here's the thing: the only reason I've even entertained the idea of getting a puppy was as a way to soothe the pain after our cat eventually passes away.

Although he's a 10-year-old outdoor cat, Ruffles is perfectly healthy, even though he moves a little slower than he used to. Somehow, hybrid learning and COVID-19 have dramatically accelerated the urgency of getting a puppy. My head is spinning.

My final argument is that it wouldn't be fair to the cat. As I mentioned, he's becoming an old guy. He's been a one-man show at my house for his entire life. Is it fair to him to bring in a puppy at this stage of his life? How much will a puppy stress him out?

I'm sincerely asking. Our family loves our cat. Absolutely adores him. I don't want him to be second fiddle to some new puppy, but my kids are assuring me that won't happen.

How do grown cats react to puppies? Do they recognize that they're just babies and are therefore more accepting than they'd be of a fully grown dog? Either way, I feel like having a new animal in the house is going to upset the apple cart.

<div class="apester-media" data-media-id="5f458ed6a6291a12a870e277" height="450"></div><script async src="https://static.apester.com/js/sdk/latest/apester-sdk.js"></script>