We are getting a kitten and we have a dog. What worked best for you when you introduced them?

[kittennny]

We have a very mellow, loving six-year-old cocker spaniel. We adore her.

And, soon, we’re getting a kitten!

I’ve read about how to introduce a kitten to a dog - but I wondered if people could share what worked best for them?

Let the kitten explore the space first so he knows where he can hide if he feels the need. He might get behind the sofa and hiss a bit but if you just relax and let them get the measure of each other they should be fine in no time.

Give both their own safe space (cats are sharp!) never force interaction, let them go at their own pace supervise and praise / reassure when things are going right. Other than that it’s the luck of the draw as to whether they take well to each other, but we’ve always had both cats and dogs and had lots of new introductions over the years, more often than not any worry about how it’s going to pan out is completely unwarranted and I’d go as far as to say most of them also preferred each others quiet company to ours! Best of luck🍀

Thank you! This is very helpful! I’m desperate for it to go well!

We had cat first. She was very feisty and not amenable to being told what to do. What cat is?

We got a 2 year old staffie/Rhodesia ridge back cross.

Initially we kept them apart using a child gate. After they'd smelt each other and seen each other, we carried cat into dogs space in our arms, telling dog he must touch.

Cat and dog seemed to understand that cat was the boss. They co existed for the next 7 or 8 years of cats life.

Cat was, without a doubt the boss. We decided we could and did train dog to respond to our commands. Cat couldn't be trained at all.

I think they existed in their own spheres and just totally ignored each other.

When Cat died, dog didn't seem to notice.

Had the digs sniff the cat while still in its carrier. Then I don’t know I think they just hit on with it. The cat ducky run away do they never chased it. The cats love the dogs more than vice versa - the duds just tolerate them really.
By the way the kitten was very annoying at night until we went back and got his sister.

Why do you want to get a kitten when you have a dog ?

Kittens can be very much like prey to a dog. It will depend a bit on your dogs behaviour and drive as to how you handle it. We’ve had multiple dogs and older cat rescues and some have needed total separation for months and some a few days. Be prepared to separate. Plan for the worst but hope for the best. Current pair is an elderly cat and young working terrier. They rub along fine but we did a ton of work with them both in order to achieve this and it did involve heavy management for over a year. It was worth it though.

Personally I’d not bring a kitten into a home with a young working dog but people do and it can work.

My two dogs (both large breeds) grew up with my two adult cats, but I recently moved back home and adopted three kittens.

What I've learned is that it's really about each critter having their own "safe space" (or at least a place that they can retreat to) during the introduction process.

After bringing kitten home, allow kitten to decompress in a separate, closed-off room (a bathroom or a bedroom) and allow dog to do a thorough sniff of the carrier that kitten arrived in. You can do similar "scent-swapping" for the kitten by rubbing a towel or a sock over the dog to gather up her scent, and then allow the kitten to sniff it. Expect some early hisses XD Keep swapping in scent-drenched towels and start leaving them in the room with the kitten so kitten can get used to the scent.

Always closely observe early interactions. Have special treats on hand for both the dog and the kitten so that the interactions are all positive!

Both of my dogs are high-energy working breeds (a German Shepherd/livestock guardian dog mix and a Belgian Malinois) and they're both wonderful with the cats and have never shown a bit of aggression or prey drive towards any of the cats. I made sure to stretch out the "introduction" phase over several weeks, however, so everyone had a LOT of time to get used to the scent, sight, and sounds of each other while still being safely kept apart physically.

My Belgian Malinois' best friend is my youngest kitten (6 months old.) They took two weeks to get used to each other and now they wrestle (well, mostly it's the kitten pouncing the big dog's face or paws) and the dog is always extremely gentle with the kitten.

Take things slow and all will be well :)