I'm literally having kittens about the new kittens (and the dog)

[chobbler]

What do we do about the dog I know she is fine with kittens but my friend doesn't have dogs and I would like the kittens to meet a dog before they come home. I have a chance to take dog with us when we visit kittens as they belong to a friend, I've asked in the littertray if it would make matters worse or better for the kitty mama and kittens to bring the dog into their environment. does anyone have any wisdom or experience in the doghouse?

ANY TIPS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED (please)

I'm a bit confused!

The cat and her littens should be in a separate room,, and the dog should be ontroduced gradually over a period of weeks. Under supervision. If you can't provide a separate safe room for the cat and her litter you shouldn't be taking them on.

sorry will re word.

we have a dog and are taking on two kittens from a friend.

i do not want the kittens to be scared of the dog when they come home with us as my friend has not got a dog herself so they will not have been around one before.

We could take our dog with us when we visit but my friends cat (kitten moma) may react badly and I don't want to upset her and mess up her relationship with the kittens as she is still feeding them.

I was wondering/hoping someone here had had a similar experience with introducing their pets to one another, and they could pass on advice, I have also asked on the cat forum.

The dog is not a problem with cats just the last kittens my MIL had were 10 years ago and I cannot remember how they were introduced other than dog on lead for first hour while kittens clambered over her and she groomed them.

What breed and age is the dog? That would have a bearing on it I would imagine. I introduced two kittens to an adult cat and he was deeply pissed off, now they are best friends! If it were me I would initially need to keep the kttens in a separate room anyway, until they are used to their new surroundings and so they don;t get overwhelmed and lost in your house. Let the dog sniff at the door but don't force the issue. Stoke the kittens and then stroke the dog (in separate rooms) so that the scents are 'crossed over', do the same for the kittens to the dog. That is what you do with cats being introduced to cats. I am assuming similar rules will apply for dogs. If you have a terrier breed I would be very reluctant to introduce kittens. But I have no actual knowledge in this area!

you could pet the kittens next tme you visit your friend and then go home and let the dog sniff your hands etc. to familiarise dog wth the scent. vice versa with teh dog before you visit the kittens iyswim.

Lots of good advice there! Enjoy the new kittens!

Don't take the dog to visit the mother and kittens - she will get protective and they will be terrified - bad start.

It's very easy to introduce kittens to a nice dog, just hold kittens on lap and let the dog sniff, keep rewarding the dog for good behaviour. We've had cats and dogs that slept together - one dog adopted all kittens right from the start, she was lovely. One of our current dogs is ok so long as we are around but she's really not a cat person - the cats learn to cope. We found a baby gate on the bottom of the stairs really useful - cats have always got somewhere to go that's dog free.

I introduced two kittens to my last dog (about 6 years apart) knowing that the dog wasn't going to be chasing them, I didnt really do anything... just brought them home and let them get used to all of us.

They went all fluffy and hissy and tried to swipe at him for the first few days if he got too close (given that he was a bit bigger than an a lab and they were tiny kittens it was actually quite amusing) he didn't seem to notice that they were trying to scare him off. If they got too scared I'd tell him to go and lie in his bed.

After a few days they noticed that he had food, that he had a comfy bed they could lie in, that actually he was quite warm to lie next to and that he didn't mind if they played with his tail and that was that, lol.