Experience of introducing a cat into a household with a dog - will I be left with a headless kitten?

[CountessDracula]

We have a 7 yo Ridgeback who is very sweet and gentle but gets over-excited when she sees cats.

She is a big wuss and I have seen her run away whimpering when confronted by dd's friend's cat who is hard as nails.

I don't think she would bite the head off a kitten but she might terrify it! Would we be better off getting an older cat who needed re-homing and was used to dogs?

See what she is like with kittens - do you know someone who could bring there one over - safely - and see what happens.

i doubt anyone would risk the mental health of their kitten!

My PIL looked after our dog every day and got a kitten. The kitten would attack the dog, then the dog give the kitten a go. They were just wary in the beginning, letting the dog sniff the kitten while they were holding it and get used to it. They now have our dog fulltime and the cat. They have a go at each other, but it's play, as they can leave each other alone as well. The dog is a mini schnauzer.

My dad also successfully has labs and cats living together, they even cuddle up together to sleep.

The only way to know is to do a controlled introduction. Even if the dog runs now from cats she may get bolder in time so it is important to keep reassessing how they are both doing before you eventually decide at what point they are safe to leave together unsupervised. Many dogs and cats can get on, but not all do.