As the doggy favouring half of a quintessential dog person/cat person
relationship, I have given in to my cat loving husband and will be
getting a kitty soon. I was wondering if anyone has any tips for
picking a dog-friendly cat. I could get a kitten, but I would prefer an
adult cat, as they are the ones who need the homes around here. (The
local shelter says they have no problem adopting out kittens,)  What
should I look for? What should I look out for?

My dog is a large 2-yr-old lab mix, very gentle and quite shy. He has
been is close contact with cats, and seems scared of them. He has
chased a few when he saw them at a distance, but backed off if they
didn't run away. I am not too worried about the initial fear thing, as
he was the same way in close contact with snowmen, garbage bags,
blowing leaves, babies, shiny dishes, the vacuum, my husband, etc.  He
is fine with something as long as he has had a chance to investigate
and get used to it. Vet says this is the difference between a fearful
personality and a cautious one.

I want to try to get a good dog/cat mix. My childhood dog, a 70 lb
collie mix, spent years terrified of my stepmom's tiny tabby cat. He
wouldn't even come in the room if the kitty was there, and the cat,
although otherwise sweet and benign, delighted in chasing him or
sneaking up and clawing his nose. They managed to stake out territory
in a largish house, but in our situation the cat and dog will be in
pretty close contact.

I have friends that have cats and dogs that love each other and others
not. It seems to be the luck of the draw. We'll live with whatever the
cat turns out to be like, but both cat and dog will be happier if they
get along. So, any advice on minimizing potential conflict and on
picking the right cat for our household?