We are getting a kitten in a few weeks and wanted to know the best way to introduce her to our 2 dogs. All help and advice much appreciated. We have never been owned by a cat before

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If you look after them. They will look after you.

Put the dogs in a down stay and have the kitten on your lap. Reward them all for being calm only maybe do this for 15 minutes a day and build it up. Soon they'll learn to be calm around each other.

Also make extra fuss of the dogs so they don't feel put out.

We introduced a kitten to 2 old and grouchy cat haters (13 year old springer and 13.5 year old lab) and we kept the kitten in a puppy crate when we weren't around to protect him (Indy is now nearly 11 months old) And the dogs still had free roaming, they settled with him inside a week though we didn't let Indy loose at night/whilst we were out until we were 200% sure that a) he respected the dogs and b) he knew his escape route if he needed it... which was at about 3 weeks after we got him

Now they are so close, Indy (and Misha when we got him a few months later) have given the dogs a new lease of life!

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What breed of dogs do you have?

Akita & Chihuahua.

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If you look after them. They will look after you.

we took five month old bracken to see two dogs at the weekend, my father in law gave us some good advice, settle the cat down too, make it comfortable and relaxed

if the cat runs around, the dogs will think its playing and chase after it, then all hell breaks loose

Thanks to all for your help

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If you look after them. They will look after you.

Don't know if it has been mentioned because I have not read the full thread, but the most important thing is initially not the leave to cat and dogs together unattended, and also for the future that the cat has as escape route at all times. Cats and dogs can and do live together happily as we all know, even dogs that are renowned for not tolerating small furry animals can successfully be trained to ignore each other.

When I brought my very first weimy into a home that had two cats, I make a very big mistake (yep - even I cock up) which resulted in the younger of my cats staying in our bedroom for almost three weeks.

DT

I have a lurcher not the most cat friendly. When I introduced her first to Rosie many years ago and more recently Alfie cat, this is how I did it.

I put the kitten in the spare room - put up a makeshift gate of chicken wire so that the kitten can see the other cat and the dog and vice versa. After they have all got over the initial excitement bring kitty down in cat basket and keep dog firmly on lead. Open cat basket let kitty explore keeping dog on lead until everyone has settled down.

With Alfie this only took a matter of hours. Holly lurcher still chases cats and small furries outside given half a chance but her "own" cats she is fine with.

That's exactly how my dogs are, outside our garden, cats are fair game... or strange cats in the garden.

Is funny as Max often half chases Mabel (who sits their looking disdainful) until he realises it is her (his eyesight is pretty shaky these days)

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