How to introduce a high prey drive dog to a 9-week-old kitten?

Bringing a kitten into a home with a dog that has high prey drive, especially if that dog has a history of killing small animals like squirrels, etc. can be very dangerous - because of this, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person and help you do this as safely as possible. You will likely need to keep your dog on-leash at all times around the kitten for quite a while, so that you can prevent any chasing and reward calm behavior with treats and praise. The kitten and dog should never be loose together when you aren't home, or when you aren't able to supervise. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist who can help you in person here: www.dacvb.org

Some dogs do get very excited about meeting cats, and don't realize how big they are in comparison - I can definitely sympathize! The best way to manage this is to keep Moose on a leash at all times around the kitten at first. Practice asking him to sit or lie down, and reward him with treats for being calm around her. It may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for him to be relaxed enough around the kitten to be allowed off-leash, so be patient! I would also definitely recommend keeping them separated for now unless someone is actively supervising their interactions.

Good question! Introducing them should be done slowly. When you first bring your kitten home, I would keep them in rooms separated by a door. This way, they can get used to the smells and sounds of each other without contact. Make sure your kitten has a litter box, food, and water in their room. You can also place a blanket with the Jax's smell in the kitten's room, and a blanket with the kitten's smell in the his room. I would also consider get a Feliway for your kitten and a DAP for your dog. These are pheromone diffusers that help with anxiety and should also help ease the transition. Once both pets seem relaxed with the current situation, swap rooms placing the kitten in the dog's room and vice versa. You can do this switch several times over the course of the introductions. Once they are both comfortable with the smells of each other, it's time for them to meet face to face. I would introduce Jax on a leash to the kitten while he is in a cat carrier or on the other side of a baby gate. Reward him for being calm and quiet near the kitten. Once they seem comfortable with each other, the baby gate can be taken away. Make sure your kitten has a cat tree where he can escape from the dog as needed, and don't allow Jax to chase the kitten. Best of luck, I hope the helps!

Great question! I can give you a method for introducing them to each other: Introducing them should be done slowly. When you first bring your kitten home, I would keep them in rooms separated by a door. This way, they can get used to the smells and sounds of each other without contact. Make sure your kitten has a litter box, food, and water in their room. You can also place a blanket with the dogs' smell in the kitten's room, and a blanket with the kitten's smell in the dogs' room. I would also consider get a Feliway for your kitten and a DAP for your dogs. These are pheromone diffusers that help with anxiety and should also help ease the transition. Once all the pets seem relaxed with the current situation, swap rooms placing the kitten in the dogs' room and vice versa. You can do this switch several times over the course of the introductions. Once they are all comfortable with the smells of each other, it's time for them to meet face to face. I would introduce the dogs on a leash to the kitten while he is in a cat carrier or on the other side of a baby gate. Reward the dogs for being calm and quiet near the kitten. Once they seem comfortable with each other, the baby gate can be taken away. Make sure your kitten has a cat tree where he can escape from the dogs as needed, and don't allow the dogs to chase the kitten. I hope this helps!

Hello, congratulations on your kitten. It looks like Loki may be some form of siamese mix. Here s some further information on how to introduce your cats adequately. Hope this helps and best of luck. ntroduction The new cat introduction process is extremely important in determining the success of having a multi-cat household. First impressions can be lasting impressions when it comes to cats. Cats’ territorial nature means that the time required for the introduction process varies greatly depending on the cats involved. Before bringing a new cat into your home, it is important to recognize that this will probably take a little bit of time and effort to make everything happen smoothly. With a little patience and commitment, your new cat could wind up being good friends with, or at the very least peacefully cohabitating with your current family cat. Introducing cats who are strangers to each other should be done in a gradual fashion. Owners should make sure to associate enjoyable things such as food, attention, or play with the other cat(s). Patience is extremely important in this process, and it is important to know that you may be required to repeat steps in the introduction process multiple times. Cats are naturally territorial in the wild, and will defend their home range and its associated resources, such as food, resting areas, and litter boxes from other cats. In the case of the house cat, this territorialism may manifest in your cat becoming apparently aggressive in an attempt to “defend” his place in the household, as well as his “home range”. While this can pose quite a challenge, with some time and commitment, most cats can learn to cope with the new housemate and put major aggression issues aside. A settling in period is generally recommended before introductions are made, since the initial stress of moving into your home can cause fear or aggressive behavior to begin with. Make sure to speak quietly and calmly to the cats and make no sudden moves. When the cats are tolerant of each other’s presence, give lots of positive reinforcement in the form of words, toys, and food. It is best not to scold or use harsh tones with the cats while they are in each other’s presence. This may cause them to associate unpleasantness with being near each other. Give special attention to the resident cat(s) to reassure them of your loyalty and love and help minimize jealousy. Give the new cat loving attention only during the resident cat's absence until such time as they become true friends. In addition, it is recommended that you temporarily assign the new cat its own room (preferably one that is not heavily trafficked). The door to this room should be kept closed, and the room should contain a litter box, dry food and water, as well as comforting objects such as a scratching post, comfortable bed, and cat toys. It is also smart to leave the cat’s carrier open on the floor so the cat can retreat there if he/she feels threatened.

Great question! Introducing them should be done slowly. When you first bring Mousewhisker (I love his name!) home, I would keep them in rooms separated by a door. This way, they can get used to the smells and sounds of each other without contact. Make sure your cat has a litter box, food, and water in their room. You can also place a blanket with the dogs's smell in the cat's room, and a blanket with the cat's smell in the dogs's room. I would also consider get a Feliway for your cat and a DAP for your dogs. These are pheromone diffusers that help with anxiety and should also help ease the transition. Once all the pets seem relaxed with the current situation, swap rooms placing the cat in the dogs's room and vice versa. You can do this switch several times over the course of the introductions. Once they are all comfortable with the smells of each other, it's time for them to meet face to face. I would introduce the dogs on a leash to the cat while he is in a cat carrier or on the other side of a baby gate. Reward the puppy for being calm and quiet near the cat. Once they seem comfortable with each other, the baby gate can be taken away. Make sure your cat has a cat tree where he can escape from the dogs as needed, and don't allow the dogs to chase the cat. I hope this helps!

Cat-dog introduction can definitely be tricky particularly when the kitty is somewhat shy or aloof. Cats are usually pretty picky in terms of who they choose to like and dislike at first, so I would not be surprised if you see some swatting and hissing in the very beginning. The best thing you can do to up your odds of a pleasant coexistence if a very slow introduction under supervised settings. I would first have your dog and cat completely separate, but in adjacent rooms so they can hear and smell each other through the door. Once this has happened for a day or two, you can place the dog in a crate and allow the cat to mosy into the dog's area. This will allow you to gauge the dog's reaction as well as the cat's in a safe way. Any positive interaction between the two should be rewarded (both the cat and dog). Once you feel comfortable, you can begin to let the dog out but only on a leash. You need to be convinced that the dog is not going to try to harm Shadow in any way. The dog should be rewarded for any good behavior (in this case, even leaving Shadow alone or ignoring completely should be considered good). If Shadow tries to approach this is fine as long as you have a solid hold on your dog. If this goes well after several supervised sessions, you can try off-the-leash supervision. Keep at this, for a while until you feel completely comfortable that they aren't going to try and kill each other! Hopefully they can have a peaceful coexistence or even be friends if your lucky!