cat gets agressive with dog!!

[mcrucillo]

i recently inherrited a siberian husky a little sooner than expected... (my mother passed away from cancer) i have a cat who is about a year old--the dog is almost a year old, and so far, he stays mostly in the basement, but when he does come upstairs, [where the cat is always] the cat is very aggressive. or, defensive. he is declawed, but still hisses and growls, and tries to "pat" at the dog. the dog is perfectly comfortable and simply ignores my cat. does anyone have any pointers to help them get along? i find this strange for my cat, because he gets along with my toddler son, my two very large iguanas, and even the pet hamster! does it make a difference that they are both males? can i change him, or is there no hope??? please help!

[Traci]

Give him time, he needs time to adjust to a new pet in the home, but do supervise introductions (done slowly and carefully for his safety), and make sure he has a private haven to escape to when agitated (another room for safety, food/water dishes and litterbox away from the dog, etc)