Kitty Troubles, advice needed

[ShortyJ]

Hey,

My mum just bought me an 8 week old kitten.
We've had him for about 3 days now and im having a lot of trouble introducing him to our two dogs.

I own a 2 year old dalmation and a 7 year old golden retriever. Both dogs have lived with a cat before without any troubles, however the cat came first. But this time, the cat comes last and the dogs aren't impressed with the new addition at all. I have tried putting the kitten in a "cat-carrier" and placing him on the kitchen bench so the dogs can sniff him and whatever but can't get to him...however the dogs become too excited and scare the kitten causing it to hiss, spit etc.

I have also tried putting the dogs on a lead, this has sort-of worked but not really. Both dogs are extremely strong and if i lose grip on one of their leads then good-bye kitten!

The retriever has acted a bit aggressive towards the kitten, growling at it and trying to attack it basically...so the kitten lives in my room for now.

I was wondering, does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do to get the dogs and kitten to get along? I really don't want this cat to have to spend its life in my room!!

Cheers

[Shamrock]

you have to do it slowly thats the key to it, start by moving used litter trays or things that the cat has slept on to where the dogs are so that they can become used to the smell, after a while you can introduce the cat, i image it is a bit harder to do with big dogs though.

maybe get a cat cage and put a towel in to pad it and that way you can be sure they won't be able to hurt it as easily.

[ShortyJ]

yeah,
well this morning i managed to have the retriever sitting next to me with the kitten about 1 metre away.
Sure, the kitten growled and stuff but i managed to keep the retriever calm, patting them both at the same time.
I have also removed the kitten from my room and allowed the dogs to go in there and sniff around a bit to get used to the scent of the kitten, don't know how well its working though.
I've heard like, a kitten pen type thing works well. Put the kitten in that and somehwere where the dogs can sniff at him and watch him etc. However, it would need to be a strong pen!

Its also hard when u got two dogs...twice the effort!

[blakeg]

i found when we were introducing our cats in with our dog,(a airdail sp?) that the main problem the dog had that it was jealous of all the attention the cat was getting you have to make sure the dogs feel you love them the most IMO so the cat is not a threat to that

[ShortyJ]

Yeah,
tried that. seemed to work when i had the retriever and kitten together in one room. She tried to have a go at the kitten but i told her off and when she was quiet again i pretty much only paid attention to her.
Hmm, going out now to look for kitten pens or something.

Thanks!

[Crusher]

you are doing most things right. start off by..


1) removing the kitten from the room and letting the dogs sniff around and get used to the scent

2) after they have gotten used to the scent, dont introduce to the cat. instead, play with the dogs, lavish lots of attention. You shouldalways pay the most attention to the existing pets not the new pet

3) change clothes before spending time with each set of pets. This stops your scent being mixed and associated with the scent of the new pet

4) move things around a bit. try and break down the "my territory" that the dogs have built up. Move some furniture, their baskets and toys etc. Make the new environment "fresh" so new territories, the dogs and the cats, can be established

5) Introdfuce the dogs to the kitty litter tray and associated cat things.

6) Do some dog/cat meets. Do it AFTER a meal when animals are fed and content and at their most listless. Do it well away from where meals are fed, and introduce one dog at a time. Any growling from the dogs, meet with a reprimand tone and then reassure the dog.


They should get on fine, it depends on the cat mainly though, many cats simply cannot get onwith dogs, others love them

Let us know how you go
Dave

[ShortyJ]

Hey Dave,
Thanx for the advice, will give it a go.

Bit worried that this cat just wont get along with my two dogs...but he's only young and most likely scared at the moment, considering the dogs are about 100 times the kittens size!

So ill give your suggestions a try and see what happens.

Thanks

[rickbishop]

Try spraying both of the dogs and the cat with deoderant or something. That way they will all smell exactly the same, and they'll be much more accepting of each other.

As it wears off and their individual smells become stronger, they'll already be used to it.

[Wink]

Originally Posted by rickbishop

Try spraying both of the dogs and the cat with deoderant or something. That way they will all smell exactly the same, and they'll be much more accepting of each other.

As it wears off and their individual smells become stronger, they'll already be used to it.

hrm... I dunno...spraying the animals with deoderants... you reckon that's safe?
personally I would just try to let the dogs and the cat to slowly know each other rather than spraying things on them..just to be safe...

[Wink]

Originally Posted by Crusher

you are doing most things right. start off by..


1) removing the kitten from the room and letting the dogs sniff around and get used to the scent

2) after they have gotten used to the scent, dont introduce to the cat. instead, play with the dogs, lavish lots of attention. You shouldalways pay the most attention to the existing pets not the new pet

3) change clothes before spending time with each set of pets. This stops your scent being mixed and associated with the scent of the new pet

4) move things around a bit. try and break down the "my territory" that the dogs have built up. Move some furniture, their baskets and toys etc. Make the new environment "fresh" so new territories, the dogs and the cats, can be established

5) Introdfuce the dogs to the kitty litter tray and associated cat things.

6) Do some dog/cat meets. Do it AFTER a meal when animals are fed and content and at their most listless. Do it well away from where meals are fed, and introduce one dog at a time. Any growling from the dogs, meet with a reprimand tone and then reassure the dog.


They should get on fine, it depends on the cat mainly though, many cats simply cannot get onwith dogs, others love them

Let us know how you go
Dave

I second that... hehe..absolutely agree all the best in introducing the cat with the doggies ~

[rickbishop]

You can spray them with any fucking thing you like, deoderant is just an example.

It's really simple psychology. Dogs and cats rely heavily on their sense of smell, and if another animal smells just like they do, they're far more likely to accept it.

[Falkor]

I can't imagine a cat liking being sprayed with deoderant, when i even spray it on myself in my bedroom my cat starts sneezing all over the place and leaves the room usually.

I think its a tad strong for them.

[Wink]

Originally Posted by Falkor

I can't imagine a cat liking being sprayed with deoderant, when i even spray it on myself in my bedroom my cat starts sneezing all over the place and leaves the room usually.

I think its a tad strong for them.

i totally agree with you, that's exactly what i was trying to point out.

[rickbishop]

ffs, can you people not read?

Originally Posted by rickbishop

You can spray them with any fucking thing you like, deoderant is just an example.

It's really simple psychology. Dogs and cats rely heavily on their sense of smell, and if another animal smells just like they do, they're far more likely to accept it.

[Wink]

Originally Posted by rickbishop

ffs, can you people not read?

Well if you want to spray your animals with chemicals go ahead but I prefer establishing a genuine psychological connection as opposed to tricking them into liking each other using scent.