A retriever temperament helps, but management decides
Standard Poodles generally have a good starting point for life with cats. They were bred to retrieve game for a hunter rather than to chase and grab small animals independently, and they tend to be responsive, people-focused dogs that take direction well. That does not make every individual cat-safe by default. A bouncy adolescent Standard can chase a cat that bolts, and repeated chasing rehearses exactly the habit you need to prevent. The realistic answer is yes, with a deliberate introduction and honest observation of the particular dog and cat in front of you.
Read the two animals you actually have
A confident, dog-experienced cat and a calm adult poodle are a very different pairing from a timid rescue cat and a boisterous eight-month-old. Before you commit, ask the breeder or rescue how this dog has reacted to cats, small animals, and fast movement. Watch for fixed staring, trembling excitement, and an inability to disengage, which are more worrying than friendly curiosity. On the cat's side, a cat that holds its ground or saunters away calmly is easier to work with than one that panics and runs at every sight of the dog, because running is what triggers pursuit.
The introduction sequence that protects both animals
Start with scent, not sight: swap bedding so each animal sleeps with the other's smell, and feed meals on opposite sides of a closed door so the association is pleasant. Move to visual contact through a sturdy gate or cracked door secured so neither can slip through, keeping the poodle on a lead and rewarding every glance at the cat followed by attention back to you. Keep sessions short and end them while both animals are still relaxed. Only when the dog can watch the cat move without lunging do you progress to supervised time in the same room, lead dragging, with high perches and escape routes always open for the cat.
Daily life once they share the house
Set the house up so harmony does not depend on willpower. Feed the animals apart, because a large dog investigating a cat's bowl is a common and avoidable source of conflict. Keep litter trays where the poodle cannot reach them, since many dogs find them irresistible and the cat deserves privacy. Give the cat vertical territory and rooms the dog does not enter, and keep play with the poodle directed at toys rather than letting the household cat become the most interesting moving object. Most successful pairings look undramatic within weeks precisely because the early structure was boring and consistent.
When to slow down or reconsider
If weeks of patient work still leave the dog fixated, the cat hiding and not eating, or either animal being ambushed, bring in a qualified behaviour professional and keep the animals separated meanwhile. A mismatch is information, not failure, and it matters more than forcing a pairing you hoped would work. Many households, though, end up with a poodle and cat that share sunny spots in companionable indifference. Those calm early weeks go more smoothly when KinsLe Care Teams hand each family member a named job, from gate checks to separate mealtimes, and stamp each one complete so nothing in the introduction plan is left to memory.