How to introduce a kitten to a dog?

[Chelle]

I got a kitten about a month ago, she is about 12 weeks old now. I have been living at home, until yesterday. I moved into a house, well my roommate has a dog- german Shepard beagle mix . We are just unsure of how to introduce them. Her dog is in a crate for most the day as she is at work, so my kitten was able to stiff around and smell him as he has been living here for about 3 months. My kitten though is terrified of the dog, when she hears him she runs and hides under the couch, she did not eat anything until about lunch time today, as she was hiding under the couch. She has at least now come out and wondering around. I am just wondering how we can get them, well more the kitten to tolerate the dog at the very least, as the dog seems perfectly fine with it.

 

[dog]

I've had the same experience with puppies, but introducing them into my adult dog. You should hold you kitten in your arms, and hold her by the German Shepard, but let the dog sniff her, and let her be by him. Trust me, my dogs are so good around each other and the day after i introduced them to the older dog, they were playing together the next day! Hope this works for you and good luck

 

[TamaraF]

Very carefully! Not all dogs are cat-compatible, although you are wise to realize that introducing them properly is important. I think that first you need to realize that a move can be terrifying to a kitten, even if there is no dog present. Start by confining her to one room (your bedroom would be great) with her food, water, and litter box. She can feel safe and get used to the sounds and smells of the new house without being overwhelmed. When she starts to seem more curious than scared about the world outside the bedroom door, then you can start letting her out of the bedroom UNDER SUPERVISION for short periods of time, gradually increasing the amount of time that she's allowed out. When the time comes to introduce the two, everyone should be full, tired (take the dog for a nice long walk) and allowed to sniff each other. If things get hairy (no pun intended) put the cat back in your room. Once she seems comfortable outside the room, a sturdy gate in the doorway of the bedroom (that she can jump over but the dog cannot) will assure that she can always retreat to the bedroom to be safe. You should ALWAYS put the cat back in your room before leaving the house. Even the sweetest dog in the world may not understand that a kitten is not prey, and to leave them alone together is to invite tragedy. Since being in a crate all day can be very frustrating for a dog, your roommate should be able to come home and let his/her dog out without having to worry about where your cat is. For more information, see the book PETiquette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multi Pet Household by Amy Shojai, or contact your local rescue group for further advice.