Is it normal for my dog to constantly follow and hover over my kitten?

There is no specific answer for this question because every dog responds differently to cats. If you truly think your dog is just interested in cats and does not want to hurt her, then allow them time to interact with each other (under supervision of course) as often as you can. The more Phoebe is around the kitten the more used to her she will become.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is in fact most likely normal. Nursing from a young kitten is expected to some extent and that will likely go away on its own. Rosie humping Callie is likely a display of dominant behavior which is somewhat typical when having two animals in the same place. This will all most likely get better with time. Good luck and have a great day!

It sounds like Griffin is VERY interested and excited about the new kitten, and is likely trying to check her out. If he gets too in her face, I would definitely break it up and distract him with a toy or treat elsewhere. Making sure your kitten has places to escape such as a high up perch or beyond a baby gate where Griffin can't get to is also a good idea. It is also best to make sure pup and kitten are always supervised when together as even the friendliest dog may accidentally injure a tiny kitten without meaning to!

16 week old kittens should be weaned and not nursing, and it is unlikely your female dog is actually lactating. Kittens can knead and look as if they are nursing as a sort of comfort behavior, so that may be what you are seeing instead. If neither is bothered by this, I wouldn't be worried, but if there is discharge coming from your dog it is best to seek veterinary care to make sure there isn't an infection or something else going on. Making sure both your dog and kitten are on a balanced diet (kitten formula) is best to ensure they're getting proper nutrition.

I would be concerned that the dog thought the kitten was a play toy, and that's why Dixie grabbed it out of the cage. Newborn kittens are extremely fragile, and Dixie could potentially hurt the kitten even if she didn't mean to; therefore, I would keep the dogs away from your cat and her kittens until the kittens are at least four weeks of age. At that age, they will be exploring the world around the, and the dogs can have contact with the kittens when fully supervised.

It's very possible that she might be - most female cats will go into heat by around 6 months of age, and this will certainly attract males to the area. I would recommend having her spayed if you aren't planning to breed her, as she will be in heat almost constantly until this is done.

It's very common for kittens to continue to try to nurse on other animals in the house. This behavior usually lessens as the kittens mature, so I would not worry about it unless she is causing sores on the other animals or if they are snapping at her when she nurses. If not, then I would just let her grow out of the behavior. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.