Cat-Friendly Dogs for Adoption in Columbus, IN: 8 Dogs Good with Cats
Rescues and shelters within 50 miles of Columbus have 8 cat-friendly dogs up for adoption. Here are all 8, each with photos, their story and how to reach the rescue looking after them.
Every dog on this page has been marked by their rescue as good with cats, so they're a good fit if you already share your home with one.
Not in Columbus? Find dogs near your zip code.
1. Rusty
We are unsure of the breed, but Rusty has very long legs! He will require a refundable $150 neuter deposit
- Good with kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
2. Poe
Meet Poe, a sweet 2.5 y/o male pug with big puppy energy!
- great w/ older kids (13 and up) cannot confirm on younger but would assume yes because he is the sweetest. He does like to jump though so keep that in mind!
- working on potty training and has made huge improvements since getting fixed. We use belly bands at night but only as a precaution - there has been no urine in the diaper for days.
- working on boundaries with jumping on furniture.
- cannot walk down basement stairs but will go up. No problem with wider steps outside.
Read more about Poe
- I think he would love any animal! I can only confirm he has enjoyed having a companion in an older beagle/hound mix. He very clearly loves other dogs but has no concept of personal space which is not always reciprocated by the other dog. He would love to have a fellow doggy companion that can match his energy.
- Will sit for a treat. Working on laying down.
- cuddly, loves belly scratches, and did I mention how sweet he is
- loves taking walks and is well-behaved while walking on a leash. He also enjoys the freedom of a fenced in back yard.
In spite of his rough start to life, he has so much love to give the right family!
- Good with kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
- House-trained
3. Buffy and Tina
Buffy and Tina are buddies who need to find a home together. Buffy is a maltese and Tina is a chihuahua. Their owner was a homeless woman so these two little dogs were very dependant on each other. They were frequently left alone for long periods of time. Buffy is a little skittish around strange people at first but warms up quickly to anyone with a lap for her to snuggle on. Tina is a little more nervous and is frightened of men. Both love their walks and sniffing out all the new smells. Both are crate, leash and potty trained and love treats and snoozing on the couch. Both are UTD on shots, spayed and on flea preventatives. Neither has ever been around small children. The perfect home would be a quiet husehold with a patient loving lady and a fenced yard to play in.
- Good with kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
- House-trained
- Adopt together
4. Linus
Meet Linus, a 2-year-old male pug mix. He was found as a stray, so not much is known about him! He can be an escape artist so it is imperative that he have a secure place to potty and be on a sturdy harness for walks! He does well with mild mannered dogs and would need a home without younger children. He can be a little bit excitable when he is playing.
He is potty trained and crate trained, but will need reminders in his forever home. He is very much a puppy and loves to play, so he will need a family that can give him lots of attention and play time! Once he's worn out for the day, he loves snuggles!
- No young kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
- House-trained
5. Lucy
Meet Lucy! Lucy and her brother, Oliver, are bonded and must be adopted together. They are the sweetest, happiest golden-era brother and sister duo. They are both very sprightly for being 13! Their temperaments are lovely; Lucy is definitely more independent. She likes to be close to her humans but isn’t super snuggly. Neither of them seem to like / be used to being held so wouldn’t describe them as “lap dogs” necessarily, but they do enjoy sleeping right next to you on the couch / wherever and follow you from room to room. They have been well-socialized and I’m told they “went everywhere" with their owners. They love bananas.
Read more about Lucy
They love a good nap and sleep a lot, just as you’d expect. They love a car ride and a walk in the stroller around the lake in the evening.
They would probably do best in a one story home or in a home where they will be primarily downstairs. They seem to like to sleep on their own, each in their own bed, side-by-side. They seem to have limited exposure to stairs/steps. Lucy now gets up and down small steps to go in and out of the house, but is not confident in using a standard set of stairs and would need stairs to be blocked or monitored access.
The vet says they are in good shape for their age; both with some arthritis, cataracts and hearing loss. Both of their ears needed some TLC and have been routinely cleaning both with rx solution. In past vet records, there is mention of hind limb ataxia, IVDD, "swaying hind end gait” in Lucy’s record but haven’t seen any evidence of limb ataxia or IVDD and vet wasn’t concerned.
Lucy is on Prion 25mg x 1/2 tab) twice daily for urinary frequency/incontinence. Both babies have intermittent episodes of incontinence (urine and BM) - this seems to be functional vs. behavioral. They both due well with occasional reusable diapers / belly band (i.e. car rides, visits, etc).
- Good with kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
- House-trained
6. Oliver
Meet Oliver! He and his sister Lucy are bonded and must be adopted together. They are the sweetest, happiest golden-era brother and sister duo. They are both very sprightly for being 13! Their temperaments are lovely; Oliver has the biggest smile and bounces when he gets excited — so cute! Because of his vision and hearing loss, he does occasionally howl softly (as much as a pug can howl) if he wakes and doesn’t know where Lucy or his people are. Neither of them seem to like / be used to being held (just seems like maybe they weren’t held / cuddled a lot in that way) so wouldn’t describe them as “lap dogs” necessarily, but they do enjoy sleeping right next to you on the couch / wherever and follow you from room to room. They have been well-socialized and I’m told they “went everywhere" with their owners. They love bananas. Like any pug I’ve ever met, they both act like they’ve never been fed a day in their lives. Oliver does best when he’s hand fed with palm open, as he will chomp down hard when taking a treat — it doesn’t seem to be in an aggressive way and zero sign that he would bite/snap at anyone — think it’s likely more related to his vision and living most of his life as one of four pugs in the family.
Read more about Oliver
They love a good nap and sleep a lot, just as you’d expect. They love a car ride and a walk in the stroller around the lake in the evening. It’s been too hot to walk much more than that for them lately.
They would probably do best in a one story home or in a home where they will be primarily downstairs. They seem to like to sleep on their own, each in their own bed, side-by-side. They seem to have limited exposure to stairs/steps. Oliver still hops over nearly flat thresholds (very cute) and needs help getting down and up the steps onto the lawn. We live in a two story house and neither of them has even attempted to go up the stairs.
The vet says they are in good shape for their age; both with some arthritis, cataracts and hearing loss (Oliver seems to be worse on all counts). Both of their ears needed some TLC and have been routinely cleaning both with rx solution and Oliver got antibiotic drops every other day for 14 days. Oliver’s hind end does sway a bit with his gait, but as you would expect with and old guy with arthritis and he doesn’t seem to be in any pain.
Both babies have intermittent episodes of incontinence (urine and BM) - this seems to be functional vs. behavioral. They both due well with occasional reusable diapers / belly band (i.e. car rides, visits, etc).
- Good with kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
- House-trained
7. Charlie
Charlie is a playful sweet dog. He is very social and loves to play with other dogs. He loves to play in water and be outside.
- Good with kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
- House-trained
8. Penelope
Penelope is a sweet girl that loves to hike and run around with sticks. She came to us shy at first, but is warming up nicely. She walks well on a leash and is learning basic commands. Penelope is crate trained and would do well with other dogs in the home
- Good with kids
- Good with dogs
- Good with cats
- House-trained
Bringing a dog home to your cat
Tell the rescue about your cat: their age and how they react to dogs. A dog who has lived calmly with one cat may still want to chase a cat that runs.
Introduce them slowly. Keep them apart for the first few days and swap bedding so they get used to each other's scent, then let them meet with the dog on a leash, rewarding calm behavior.
Make sure the cat can always get somewhere the dog can't reach, like a high shelf or a room behind a baby gate, and keep the litter box and cat food out of the dog's way.
Rescues with cat-friendly dogs near Columbus
- Community Animal Rescue Effort (CARE)Columbus, IN · 4 cat-friendly dogs above
- Kentuckiana Pug RescueIndianapolis, IN · 4 cat-friendly dogs above
Questions about adopting cat-friendly dogs in Columbus
How many cat-friendly dogs are up for adoption in Columbus?
As of November 4, 2026, rescues and shelters within 50 miles of Columbus, Indiana, have 8 cat-friendly dogs up for adoption. The list is updated every day.
Where can I adopt a cat-friendly dog in Columbus?
The rescues with the most cat-friendly dogs near Columbus right now are Community Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) (Columbus, IN) and Kentuckiana Pug Rescue (Indianapolis, IN). Each dog above has the rescue's phone number and website.
How do I introduce a dog to my cat?
Slowly. Keep them apart for a few days so they get used to each other's scent, then let them meet with the dog on a leash, rewarding calm behavior. Always give the cat an escape route the dog can't follow.
Listings are updated daily. Rescues are responsible for their own listings; a dog may have been adopted since this page was updated.