Dog meets cat! Not all dogs are cat-friendly. Fortunately, most, even old dogs, can be trained to accept a cat or kitten into the family. There are several different ways to introduce your resident dogs to a new kitten; however, always remember that the fastest way to train your dogs to accept the kitten is to do so slowly.
Start the procedure by confining the kitten to an enclosed area in the house – a bedroom or similar area is suitable. Be sure to include bedding, food/water and a litter box in the area. Keep the kitten in the room for 3 or 4 days to allow it to adapt to the new environment. Once the kitten is relaxed in its new setting, you can start introducing the dogs – always introduce each dog separately.
Dog meets cat
Begin the introduction by removing the kitten from the room and allowing the dogs to enter and sniff around. Once their curiosity has been satisfied, remove them and allow the kitten back in.
Now, with the dog on a lead, bring one dog at a time into the room. Have a helper sit with the kitten on their lap. Put the dog on a sit or down stay and observe his reaction towards the kitten. Praise verbally or with a treat if he remains calm. Repeat this step several times with each dog.
If the dog remains calm, let the helper gradually bring the kitten closer to the dog and praise the dog for good behaviour. Should the dog show any unwanted behaviour towards the kitten, immediately remove him from the room and return to the previous step.
Continue bringing the kitten closer to the dog until both can sniff each other without displaying any discomfort or aggression from either the dog or the kitten.
Once the dog and kitten are comfortable with each other, move the dog to the other side of the room, place him on a sit or down stay and keep the lead on. Have the helper release the kitten on the floor and observe both the kitten and the dog. If the dog remains calm, praise him generously but avoid exciting him. Should the dog behave aggressively, remove him from the room and go back to the previous step where he was non-reactive.
Continue introducing each dog in this manner until each one is completely relaxed with the kitten. Once this is achieved, then do the exercise with both dogs together.
Once you are satisfied that the dogs and the kitten are entirely safe with each other, then you can start “introducing” them elsewhere in the house and garden.
Click here to read about the 10 steps to success when adopting a dog.