Hi All!!

I just adopted a dog (a chow chow). I was worried that the dog was going to have a problem with my cat but it tuns out that the cat has a really big problem with the dog. He is actually growling at her.

Is there anyway I can make this easier for the cat (he is actually very sweet). But he is holed up in my bedroom and will not come out except to hiss at the dog.

Any advice will help!!

do u have like a tower thing for the cat it can be up high that might make him feel safer.

and my friend got a kitten and a puppy and the cat would scratch it so what she did to get them to like eachother is wrapped the cat in a towel with her paws in it and let them dog sniff it and check is out it ended up working i kno it sounds silly but its worth a try.

Actually introducing the concept of a dog to a cat by restraining the cat in a towel is not likely to make a favorable impression on the cat. The dog MAY be satisfied at get one good sniff at it, then leave the cat alone, but more likely increase the dog's interest in the cat and teach it that its allowed to get into the cat's personal space - which it should not be! If anthing the dog should be restrained when in the room with the cat, while the cat adapts to its presense. Do not leave them in the same room unsupervised, and do not let the poor cat hide in one room all day. It was the cat's house first, the dog needs to earn house privlages. The dog should be restricted to one room when not supervised!
A dog that goes into a cats personal space - close enough to be scratched - is not a dog that is socialized or "good" with cats. A cat socialized dog would either ignore the cat's presense or, if wanting to interact with the cat, it would lay down near the cat and allow the cat to approach it. It would not chase or rush towards a cat, even if "just wanting to play." It is a rare cat that enjoys the play-style of a dog and "play" should not be encouraged between them, only if intiated by the cat should it be tolerated and even then if not too rough - no biting!
It sounds like the introductions have already been made, and got off on the wrong foot. The best thing to do now would to restrict the dog to one room and try to entice kitty out from under the bed. Don't ignore the dog, but keep it in one area so the cat isnt being intruded upon. The best option would be a baby gate or puppy gate in the doorway, one that the dog can't jump over, or at least can be trained not to jump over, while allowing the cat time to adjust to the presence of the dog in his home. This way the cat can see, hear, and smell the dog and adjust, but not have to interact with it unless it chooses to. Once the cat's confidence is returned, supervised interaction time can start taking place with the dog on a leash and the cat in the room. Try to have the dog laying calmly next to you or a partner while you try paying attention to the cat, playing with a toy, giving it treats, using catnip (always a good way to lower feline inhibitions ). Allow the cat to approach the dog, but train the dog not to approach the cat, but to lay down. We are still working on this with Dora, it is the cutest thing, she will lay in front of a hissing cat and whine and wag her tail and beg that cat to play with her, but she is learning.
Once you are allowing interactions off-leash, never ever punish the cat for scratching the dog. This is the best reminder to the dog WHY we don't bother the cat, and the only way the 10lb cat has to defend hisself against a much larger animal that is very much capable of killing it. Most cats will not seek out the dog just to scratch it (I say most, because when Claudia is upset with the humans she does have a tendency to seek out the nearest animal and smack it, even the dogs, but then again she's insane) and will only scarch or hiss at the dog when it is feeling threatened. The dog has to be trained on how to not threaten the cat, especially since it is the one invading the cat's home.
Hope this helps!