New kitten questions

[Mandalalorianna]

We're adding to our family of me, two dc and two shih tzus with a new kitten in the near future. He'll be 8 weeks old if we collect him this weekend or 9 next weekend. But I can't make a decision! If we collect him Friday, we'll only get the weekend to be with him before we go to work on Monday leaving him home alone. Is he too little to leave him home alone?? Should we wait until next week so we've got all week with him as it's half term?

As for the dogs, I think the baby gates I've invested in should give him space to escape to but has anyone got any hints or tips as to how best to introduce them to each other. The dogs are used to cats, the dog sitter has two, and although they were barky and chased initially, they largely ignore each other now.

We're really looking forward to him coming home to us, and we'd like to make it as smooth as possible for everyone. Thanks.

How long are you out of the house for each day? Personally I’d wait the extra week so you can be at home with him.

Definitely wait so he won’t be alone. Remember he’s just a baby and will need comforting and cuddles.

Absolutely wait! You're removing him from his mother, as was mentioned, and you'll need to love him through that loss and bond with him as his 'human' parents. Also, you'll need that week to really work on the relationship between the dogs and the kitten. This requires your input, monitoring, and care. You can't just throw the kitten and the dogs together and assume it'll be fine. It will be fine, but it requires effort. I have a 5-year-old dog and a 7-year-old cat. Introducing our now 6-month-old kitten to both was a lot more work than I'd anticipated. Unfortunately, they don't just slot in and make do with each other. They really have to be introduced with care and patience. If you do some research and arm yourself with a good approach to welcoming your kitten into a doggy household, you'll feel better knowing that you have that week at home to really help support your kitten (and dogs! It's quite a big change for them too!). Good luck.

The earliest we leave is 0815, and we're usually back by 1530. One day a week I'm home all morning, only out for 4 hours.

My last cat lasted 20 years. If this little fella becomes the new 'cat that won't die, I'll should be about 70 by then!

I'm definitely more of a cat person! I love my dogs still.

Kitty has arrived in time for half term. He's absolutely fine so far. One dog is a bit barky, the other is terrified! Kitty is chilled out on his tree where dog can't reach him. So far so good.