Introducing puppy and kitten

cruais

Hi we got an 8 week old kitten last night who is just adorable. We also have a puppy who will be 1 year old next month.

Would any one have advice on introducing them and helping them get along?

We separated them last night. We brought our fog into the front room and I held the kitten do there was no way they could get at eachother.

As soon as the kitten saw my dog she ran up to my shoulder and tries to hide. Gradually I bent lower and lower until I was sitting on a chair beside our dog.

She was very interested in meeting the kitten but the kitten started hissing at the dog and then reached out and snapped at her.

We separated them again immediately. I thought it was unusual as the house we got her from had dogs. We put our dogs collar in the kittens bed last night so she could get used to the scent etc.

Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks a mill!

DBB

Golden Rule number 1 is never, ever try to physically restrain the kitten when introducing them to something new or scary. You will get hurt, the dog might get hurt, and the kitten will be terrified.
The dog must be restrained on a lead or in a crate when in the same place as the kitten, and you should not make any attempt to force proximity. Let the animals be the judge of when they both (emphasis on both) want to get closer.
The kitten's previous experience with dogs will stand to you, but remember that your dog neither looks, smells, or acts like the dogs she's used to. It's going to take her time to get used to your dog, and it Is vital that you give her the time and space to suss it all out. Not only has she a strange and un-cat-savvy dog to contend with, she has new people, a new environment, and she has lost the security of her mother and siblings.
So, keep the dog on the lead. Bring him into the opposite end of the room to where the kitten is, give him and kitten a treat, and walk back out. Do this many times, gradually building up the length of time you stay in the room. You want the kitten to become boring, but also result in a pleasant experience, and vice versa.
When you have the dog at the stage where he's not so scarily curious, stick him in a crate and let them share space, popping treats into both of them, and lots of praise, for nice behaviour.
Absolutely never put the kitten in a situation where she has to run. Once a dog sees a cat running away, it can be really hard to convince the dog not to chase the kitten in future. So, don't ever teach the dog that the kitten is a chase toy.
Give it time, keep both kitten and dog safe, and don't force the issue!

planetX

8 weeks is tiny - please keep the dog away from that kitten until it grows a bit, it could be seriously injured in a split second. Let them get used to each other from a safe distance, use a baby gate if necessary, but you need to keep them living in different rooms for a while.

Mo60

Whenever I introduce a kitten to my dogs I just let them get used to one another whilst I am around, never had a problem.

At the moment I am sitting here watching one of my cats tormenting my Yorkshire Terrier trying to get him to play with her, but he is not in the mood and is just ignoring her.

DBB

Mo60 wrote: »

Whenever I introduce a kitten to my dogs I just let them get used to one another whilst I am around, never had a problem.

The dynamic of introducing a kitten to already cat-savvy dogs is an entirely different prospect to introducing even a dog-savvy kitten to a naive dog.

Mo60

DBB wrote: »

The dynamic of introducing a kitten to already cat-savvy dogs is an entirely different prospect to introducing even a dog-savvy kitten to a naive dog.

All my dogs are rescues of some sort or other and some had not lived with a cat or kitten previous to coming to me. Even so, I have still found it relatively easy to introduce them to any new cat addition as long I am around to keep an eye on the situation.

Ailishcrehan

Bring the dog in on a short leash and you could also have a crate ready.

Never let the dog off the leash and keep a tight hold of the leash and just allow the dog and cat to sniff each other. Cats can be territorial and there may be a lot of hissing and spitting and growling from the cat, but this is completely natural. Give lots of praise to both cat and dog and if either get stressed out, leave the introduction and try again later.



It can take weeks for the pair to get used to one another and some cats will never come around, but dogs are usually clever enough to stay away once they get a swipe.



If the dog is nice and calm around the cat, give it lots of praise and always have treats in your pocked to reinforce the good behaviour. Ignore 'bad' behaviour but praise the good.



Every time your cat comes in to the room and the dog doesn't react, praise the dog. Every time the dogs sniffs the cat (if he can get that close without pussy cat swiping) praise the dog.



Please be aware though, if your cat is highly stressed out, ensure that it has a safe place to go, nice and high and away from the dog to calm down. Also, cats can do some serious damage to a dog if it swipes the dogs eyes, so if your cat is not taking too kindly to the dog, allow your cat to de-stress in a place it likes being, without interruption or disturbance from the dog!



Only when you know your dog and are confident that you know its body language, and when you know you have control over your dog (in the way of training and commands) can you begin to let the dog off the leash. You still need to supervise their interaction and your cat must always have an escape route or a place to get up and away from the dog, like a high scratching post.



Also, please note that when it comes to being outside, even the best trained dog that LOVES cats will often chase, the cat runs and dogs instinct kicks in. With my dogs, I know it is both a game and Lila also doesn't like when the cats are out of her sight so she'll run after them, so it is critical that training continues outside...just because you've mastered the introductions in the house doesn't mean that accidents cannot still happen outside!

Ailishcrehan

also as someone else has said, the kitten is tiny so even if they are getting along, the puppy can do serious damage by accident if it gets too boisterous, so don't leave them unsupervised!

DBB

Mo60 wrote: »

DBB wrote: »

The dynamic of introducing a kitten to already cat-savvy dogs is an entirely different prospect to introducing even a dog-savvy kitten to a naive dog.

All my dogs are rescues of some sort or other and some had not lived with a cat or kitten previous to coming to me. Even so, I have still found it relatively easy to introduce them to any new cat addition as long I am around to keep an eye on the situation.

I'm not suggesting it's hard to do, necessarily, but I am saying that it needs to be done in a controlled way, particularly if it's with naive cats and/or dogs, to ensure everyone's safety.
For example, to hold the cat while the dog sniffs it, as suggested by the op, is not a good way to do things, as it endangers the person holding the cat, and terrifies the cat.
Just saying that you've never had a problem is not much use to the op, who clearly is having a problem.

cruais

Thanks so much for all the replies.

Since the first little incident, we haven't re introduced the two.

My kitten already likes her own space so she has set up camp in our spare room. She has her bed, toys, food and litter there. Once she has an hour play she just cries till we put her back up to her room.

I think it's because she is so tiny, she gets tired easily. So we are going to leave it till the kitten gets about 10 weeks to introduce again and see how that goes.

My dog is completely boisterous. So I would never leave the two unsupervised.

Could anyone answer another question for me?

When we have roxy(kitten) in our front room, she always runs underneath the couch and stays there. She begins to cry then so we have to lift the couch to get her out?

Does this mean she is scared? I understand she is so young.

Thanks a million

Ailishcrehan

she might be one of those kitties that likes hidey holes, so you could get a small scratching post that has a box at base that she can climb in to - it could all be just a little daunting. To encourage her out, you can use toys (personal favourite is the long thin sticks with a snake or toy on a string at the end...hours of entertainment and no scratched hands!).

Mo60

DBB wrote: »

I'm not suggesting it's hard to do, necessarily, but I am saying that it needs to be done in a controlled way, particularly if it's with naive cats and/or dogs, to ensure everyone's safety.
For example, to hold the cat while the dog sniffs it, as suggested by the op, is not a good way to do things, as it endangers the person holding the cat, and terrifies the cat.
Just saying that you've never had a problem is not much use to the op, who clearly is having a problem.

I do not think the OP is having any more of a problem than anyone else has in introducing a cat and dog. As I posted previously, I just allow them to get to know one another whilst being supervised. I have never had to hold either animal, I just use verbal warnings to the dog and this has always worked for me.

I am just posting my experiences.
After all, is't this what we are all here for?

planetX

OP the hiding is simply down to her age. At 8 weeks many kittens are still with their mother, sometimes still nursing. My first 2 cats were a rescue at 7 weeks, and the other was 11 weeks. The difference in confidence and independence was HUGE.
For the first few days it can help to keep a small kitten like that in a small space, just one room. Make sure she's close to her food and litter box. Don't force attention on her and let her hide if she likes. She'll quickly gain confidence and come out to explore. Plenty of time to meet the dog once she's used to her new home.

Mo60

planetX wrote: »

OP the hiding is simply down to her age. At 8 weeks many kittens are still with their mother, sometimes still nursing. My first 2 cats were a rescue at 7 weeks, and the other was 11 weeks. The difference in confidence and independence was HUGE.
For the first few days it can help to keep a small kitten like that in a small space, just one room. Make sure she's close to her food and litter box. Don't force attention on her and let her hide if she likes. She'll quickly gain confidence and come out to explore. Plenty of time to meet the dog once she's used to her new home.

I totally agree with this advice. Even with an older kitten or cat some are more confident than others, so letting the the kitten get used to their new surroundings before introducing to the dog would allow its confidence to grow.

cruais

Just want to give an update as to how things are progressing.

We are getting there very slowly. They are aware of each other now. So for five minutes every night, I bring the kitten into the kitchen where the dog is.

The dog is very curious of her, but obeys commands to sit and stay. I sit down and let the kitten walk around my lap and gradually she gets more comfortable and jumps down near the dog.

The dog tries to sniff her and the kitten will let out a little hiss and the dog backs off and sits down. That's when the kitten sniffs the dog, and the dog is like a statue! She's afraid of the kitten I think, even tho she towers over her.

So it seems to be going ok. A little bit at a time, very very gradually!