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The doghouse

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Original poster

Is it possible to introduce a kitten into a terrier's home?And if so how??

28 replies

iwastooearlytobeayummymummy · 17/04/2012 13:39

I am thinking about getting a kitten but am not sure how it would work as I have avery good natured 4 year old female Jack Russell.
When out walking on the lead she will somtimes strain on the lead if she sees a cat but generally ignores them, and to be honest I've not noticed any cats in our garden but she does ignore the squirrels. ( unusual for a terrier I know)
Has anyone introduced a kitten into a a terrier household and if so how did it go?
Please be reassured that this is only a very vague notion at present and I will take MN advice on the matter

OP posts:

Kladdkaka · 17/04/2012 14:15

Absolute utter pandemonium. We now have a UN patrolled no go zone between the terrier areas and the cat areas. The cats get the cellar and the attic (daughter's bedroom is up there). The terriers get the main floor. The cats have an elaborate system of ladders, catflaps, holes in walls etc to get them in/out up/down without any dog-aggro.

Original poster

iwastooearlytobeayummymummy · 17/04/2012 15:10

Kladdkaka
your post made me smile! Sort of confirms my fears too!

OP posts:

MessyTerrier · 17/04/2012 19:37

What about an older cat? I'd be worried about a tiny kitten around a terrier, tbh. My Mum successfully introduced a Westie pup into her triple adult-cat household but, obviously, the cats wore the pants in that scenario. Our Westie loves our neighbours' cats but I don't think I'd be brave enough to try her near a kitten.

Jack Russells not only have the terrier "trained rodent assassin" switch but often also possess the "completely willful, selectively deaf, I-do-what-I-want" switch. You'd have your work cut out for you

DaisySteiner · 17/04/2012 19:41

I think a kitten would quickly become dog food I don't know what possessed me to get a terrier with two cats already in residence. One left home for two years and has only recently ventured home again The other is a bit more ballsy and with a lot of training the dog can now be trusted not to chase him and only occasionally humps him They're actually really very fond of one another now, but it's taken a lot of time and work. I think an adult dog-tolerant rescue cat might be the way forward.

boringnickname · 17/04/2012 19:42

Three little words - don't do it I feel your pain, i'd love a cat but my DP is allergic oh well! but my terrier WOULD eat it

Kladdkaka · 17/04/2012 21:01

Some of does depend on the cat. We have pandemonium because our cats runs and our westies think this is fantastic as they wind each other up to demonic head spinning levels.

Take them down to mothers house and it's a very different story. Mothers big ginger tom is having none of it. Ever. The dogs know this and won't even go in the room if the cat is there. They're terrified of him.

Marne · 17/04/2012 21:04

We did it , we introduced them slowly, i left the cat in the cat box and let the dog sniff it, TBH it was the cat that was the problem, went for the dog and would hiss at it. After a couple days they became very close and are now best friends (i think theres a picture on my profile).

Kladdkaka · 17/04/2012 21:33

Can I have your cat Marne?

Marne · 17/04/2012 21:42

Noooo, he's the best cat i have ever had and he was the best kitten (never climbed curtains and never scratched), he's a very special cat. Oh and he loves to get in the bath when i'm in it .

MissBeehivingUnderTheMistletoe · 17/04/2012 21:47

I have a Border and 2 cats but he was introduced to them as a puppy. It's Garfield and Odie scenario really, he loves the cats and tries to play with them but they are utterly disdainful of him

morethanyoubargainfor · 17/04/2012 21:48

My friend did it! She has a big lurcher, a patterdale xand a jack Russell x. They have a cat and also free range chickens who all live in harmony with lots of time all together out of among in the garden.

Baffles me every time I see them all wandering around and the chickens trying o teal the dogs food from the bowls!

Faverolles · 17/04/2012 21:54

We've done it.
I found two kittens 3 years ago. Our JRT loves them to bits.
The first few days she was very interested in them, but we held her and gave her treats when she was calm.
After about three days of this, she was fine with them. She's a good ratter/rabbiter too, so it's not down to her being a softy.
Most days, she's curled up in the dog bed with our Labrador and both cats.

Faverolles · 17/04/2012 21:56

Morethan - ours is also fine with our chickens too - it took shakers, treats and lots of patience :)

getmeoutofthismadhouse · 22/04/2012 00:13

We have a staffy and 2 cats, the dog goes crazy for the cats, it's like Tom and Jerry, the dog winds the cats up and chases them constantly yet the cat had kittens and the dog loved them, she could play with the for hours without them being defensive like adult cats, she even used to lie with them asleep and I had to stop them going for her nipples otherwise she would've let them!!! The dog was more upset than the mummy cat when they went to a new home! Only thing we had to watch was the dog didn't like sharing her bones and I thought she had bit 1 kittens head off for going near her bone lol.

musicposy · 22/04/2012 00:43

I have a cat and a terrier but my cat is vicious fairly feisty and was here first. They get on pretty well nowadays. Dog still chases other cats but leaves ours alone, which I find absurd.

I don't think I would introduce a kitten, tbh. I might try very slowly with an older cat who was known for being able to stand its ground.

oldandcrabby · 28/04/2012 17:49

Introducing a new animal is always tricky. I would think about rescue or a fiesty breed like a Burmese or burmese cross. One of my burmese kittens went to a family with a Great Dane and a terrier and had them tied in a bow immediately. Torties are pretty self willed. My latest cat, a blue tortie, was 'given' to me by the vets. She was a road traffic victim and had a broken pelvis and no tail. She needed to be kept confined for a 3 weeks. I put her in the dog crate in the living room. She could see the dogs and they her. They were quite happy by the time it came to release her but she is confident. The old tabby shared his time between next door and upstairs after crossing swords with senior dog. Each animal should have a safe haven.

Danielsan123 · 16/04/2017 09:11

Have just brought home a stray kitty - we think 8 - 10 weeks and have a toy fox terrier, also a rescue dog about 41/2 - 5 yrs old whom I have had for about 8 months. Very weary of each other on day 2 - kitty hissing like mad and Jonty giving a few barks. At this very moment they are moving a little closer, but kitty has its safe spot on dining chair. Am keeping a watchful eye - and leaving them to it -reassuring both of them. Any further advise anyone?

Whitney168 · 16/04/2017 12:45

I would get an adult cat from a home where it is very used to dogs, so will stand its ground rather than run and tempt the dog to chase.

CornflakeHomunculus · 16/04/2017 13:47

Danielsan123 I'd recommend having a read of this article about keeping cats and dogs (particularly breeds with potentially high prey drive) together.

For now I would keep your dog on a house line so, should he decide to chase, you can quickly regain control of the situation. I would also make sure the kitten has somewhere much safer to retreat to than just on a dining chair. Make sure it's somewhere your dog cannot get to, even if he really wants to.

Floralnomad · 16/04/2017 14:36

My mum has 2 jrtx border terriers and an indoor cat , they are permanently segregated into different areas of the house , both having 'social' time with freedom to extra areas at different times of the day . It's fairly easy to manage because the cat doesn't go out and they have a large house . Her previous dog did mix with the cat so it's not like the cat is not dog savvy .

Danielsan123 · 17/04/2017 08:56

thanks for the reply. However I have a tiny little place (am in Sough Africa, Cape Town, so they need to interact. Have just a little bark/hiss interaction and we just keep trying :)

Shriek · 18/04/2017 00:14

big risk, dogs lose eyes so easily and cats get eaten by JRT's... huge risk. A different dog would be a different story, but JRT's known for not being so tolerant of other animals even other dogs let alone cats, although some very suprising exceptions above, would be the exception rather than the rule I would think.

Ollivander84 · 18/04/2017 00:21

Depends on the cat. Stable cat terrifies any dog that comes near her, so they exist together but never in each other's space. Any dog that does gets a swipe across the nose or chased away. In a house I guess my money would be on the cat in that situation!

Danielsan123 · 18/04/2017 08:31

My Jonty is actually a Toy Fox Terrier - rescue dog and is fantastic with all other dogs, big or small. Every
time I go near Kitty he comes dashing, so I think a lot of it may also have to do with jealousy, so am reassuring him all the time - no blood yet :)

Floralnomad · 18/04/2017 11:36

It does not depend on the cat , my patterdale x would definitely maul a cat , and fighting back just makes it more of a challenge , the only thing that saves the cat is human intervention .

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