There's hope for peace in our time after all.
Not for humanity, maybe, but perhaps between cats and dogs.
An Israeli zoologist surveyed 200 pet-owning households to determine the secrets of dog-cat cohabitation for a study published this month in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
The best advice? Start 'em young. According to the study, the keys to interspecies harmony are to adopt a cat before a dog, and to introduce the two animals early in life - younger than six months for kittens, a year for puppies.
"We found that cats and dogs are learning how to talk each other's language. It was a surprise that cats can learn how to talk 'Dog' and vice versa," says Joseph Terkel, a zoology professor at Tel Aviv University.
It's not that cats and dogs hate each other, just that they are hard-wired so differently. Cats are solitary animals; dogs live in packs. Cats respond to startling or scary stimuli by running away; dogs respond to furry running things by chasing them.
In How To Speak Dog, psychologist Stanley Coren describes how dogs and cats use the same body language to communicate different - and sometimes totally opposite - messages. For instance, a dog rolls onto its back to signal submission; a cat uses the same pose to slash prey with its hind claws. A dog with its tail held high and over its back is sending the warning "back off," while the same move is one of the most friendly gestures a cat can make.
So for cats and dogs, being stuck in a house with the other species is like being cornered at a cocktail party by a garrulous bore who is oblivious to your polite attempts to extricate yourself: They just don't get each other's signals.
But Dr. Coren notes that about half of dog owners also have a cat - and presumably some modicum of peace in the house - so clearly the language barrier is not insurmountable.
"Cats and dogs can get along perfectly well, as long as they each have their own territory," Dr. Coren says from Vancouver, where he is a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia.
The Tel Aviv study found that about two-thirds of homes reported a good relationship between their cat and dog. A quarter reported indifference between the species, while 10 per cent struggled with aggression and fighting.
One important thing to remember is that interspecies communication is a one-off kind of thing. Just because your terrier tolerates your tabby doesn't mean he won't go berserk if he sees a cat streak across his path. Dogs and cats may learn to understand each other's language, but they're far from fluent with the rest of the species.
Experts advise introducing pets to one another slowly, in controlled environments.
Sharon Miko has weathered several such introductions in her full house of three cats and one (previously two) dog. As operations director for the Ottawa Humane Society, Ms. Miko understands animal behaviour, but mixing species made her realize she had much to learn.
"I did wonder if I made a big mistake at first," she says, recalling the remorse she felt for foisting a boisterous dog on her two cats.
When she asked for advice, her vet suggested getting a second dog.
"Lo and behold, she was totally right," Ms. Miko says. Rudy the terrier entertained Betsy the beagle, and Ms. Miko gave the cats a dog-free retreat by fencing off the second floor. She knew the cats were starting to adjust when she noticed them sitting just out of reach, staring smugly at the dogs below.
Despite the challenges, she says, the experience of sitting on the sofa with a cat on her lap and a dog by her feet makes everything worth it. "Some people are both cat and dog people," she says. "I highly recommend it."
