Introducing the Labrador to new Kitten

[votisit]

3 Weeks ago this Sunday my 16 year old black and white cat (Oliver) died. It was very sudden and after having a couple of major fits on Saturday which left him brain damaged, we made the decision of putting him down on Sunday. It was such a sad day for me and my family.

I've always said to my children that to keep the balance right between cats and dogs in the house I would get a replacement as soon as possible if one of the cats died. Soooo..... yesterday I travelled almost 2 hours to collect the most beautiful black kitten from Suffolk. We have named him Cheesy, and he is adorable.

I wasn't sure how my 3 year old black lab would take to the kitten but I pictured the kitten hanging off the dogs jowles (spelling?) and the dog just wagging his tail furiously! he reacts quite differently to the cats in the house depending on how they react to him. He is firm friends with Alan (grey cool cat) who weaves between his legs, sometimes the dog pokes him with his nose to try to get him to play. Rosie (tabbie) runs away, so of course my dog chases her, but when she stands her ground and its more often than not now, he stops in his tracks and walks away (the game finished). He used to be scared stiff of Oliver as Oliver was a grumpy bum who liked to scratch the dog and stand in door ways blocking off access to the rooms (on purpose I'm sure)

But......... last night when I brought the kitten home I was really concerned about the dogs reaction. I was holding cheesy in my arms and bent down to allow the dog to sniff him. Suddenly the dogs jaws had snapped over his head and I felt rather than heard the contact between his teeth and the poor kittens skull!

The kitten was fine, no damage at all and I'm sure that had the dog really wanted to kill him, he would have bitten down a lot harder. But I'm so worried now that the dog thinks he is food or something killable.

Has anyone ever had this problem before? what should I do? I want to know how to go about getting these two to be friends.

The dog starts shaking every time I come close to him with the cat in my arms.

 

[ymu]

Haven't got any actual bona fide advice, but noone else has replied yet so I thought I'd try.

I used to keep rats and the trick there seems to be to make sure the existing ones know that you approve of the new one being there. They're very territorial but they do know that it's your territory really.

It sounds like the dog is pushed around a bit by the other cats. Maybe he feels threatened by another one arriving? How do the cats feel about the new arrival?

Maybe instead of taking the kitten to the dog just have it in your lap/playing on the sofa and encourage the dog to come up and see what's going on? And make an extra big fuss of him when he's near the kitten.

 

[dirtysanta]

a cat named cheesy

Poor fucker

 

[votisit]

Thanks for the response. The cats seem to be OK with the new arrival, a little hesitant to approach it as he hisses at them!

As for the dog, well..... I've done everything you say and so far he has stopped shaking which I suppose is a start. I imagine this is going to take a lot longer than I thought.

We already had three fully grown cats in the house when we got the dog as a puppy and they all took to him really quickly (apart from Oliver). I thought that doing things the other way round would be just as simple, but I was so shocked when he bit him!

A few times today we have put Cheesy in the conservatory and allowed the dog to watch from behind a closed glass door, as soon as the kitten gets close to the door the dog jumps at it and scratches at the floor trying to get in. We have also had the kitten on our laps whilst the dog has been in the room and he sits really close licking his lips and making smacking noises! eeek.

I'm wondering if I have to wait for a few months until Cheesy is big enough to defend himself. Perhaps by that time the dog would have grown used to having another animal in the house and show less interest, but that seems a long time. I was just wondering if there are any tried and tested procedures for this sort of thing.

I've always trusted my dog, being a labrador we couldn't ask for a soppier dog, even around my five year old son I've never thought he would be in any sort of danger, but I really do fear for Cheesy's life! I could be wrong of course, its possible that had he encountered the kitten on the floor he may have simply started licking it. I really don't know, but I have thoughts flashing through my head of Pagan grabbing the kitten and shaking it till dead.

Oh and the name Cheesy was chosen by my teenage girls who thought his original name sounded cheesy and I quite like it.

 

[Cheesypoof]

a cat named cheesy

Poor fucker

Cheesy is a great name for a little kitten

 

[votisit]

He he he you made me laugh this morning. I actually call him cheesypoof!

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Not being a cat lover and all, I'd probably just put the cat down and let the dog eat it.

Otoh, I wouldn't get a cat and a dog, especially when the dog has already become territorial about the house.

We got a rabbit, and the dog chased it every chance it got. The rabbit was too fast, though.

 

[Cheesypoof]

He he he you made me laugh this morning. I actually call him cheesypoof!

I am honoured sweetheart. I absolutely LOVE cats, the little angel xxx

 

[Cheesypoof]

how are Pagan and little Cheesy getting on now darlin?

 

[Cadmus]

although i haven't been in the situation myself, my aunt has gone thru a similar scenario.

firstly, you need to isolate the kitten in a place which is not ur lab's favourite or often visited place. try and prevent their contact for a couple of days. then start taking the kitten occasionally out from the isolation to a safe place while letting the dog in - he will have the need to explore the new smell. you may also expose him to the stuff the kitten's been sleeping in. he needs to understand that this smell is now 'domestic' too, part of the pack, and not foreign.

their meets should firstly be brief and supervised. my aunt used to hold the kitten while her husband would hold the dog at the opposite ends of the room and just let them stare at each other for a while. they also need to be given the freedom to do as they want - don't force them, especially not the dog.

another good idea is to put the kitten in a cat carrier with a grill so the kitten is protected and slowly allow the dog to come close and explore the kitten thru the bars.

make sure you praise and reward the dog for adequate and calm behaviour but never punish him for inappropriate behaviour in this case, just ignore it.

it just takes a bit of time, good luck

 

[Jessiedog]

I think Cadmus is hunting in the right Parish.



Woof

 

[votisit]

I thought I would dig up this post and let you all know how I've got on. (with photos) (and a second kitten )

This is cheesy when I first bought him home, taken a few days after the original post above.

About one and a half weeks after bringing him home and the incident with Pagan, we allowed the dog to meet him again, this time it went well, the dog had got used to the smell of the new kitten around the house and approached him a little slower without the major slobbering excitement! Last week we realised after several more little introductions that all Pagan wanted to do was play, so each time they met was for a little longer until finally they were both able to be in the living room together without chaos.

In fact, things went so well that I went and got another kitten........

meet Pickle, here she is, a little scared as she isn't really used to Pagan, but not climbing the curtains. Notice her ears are back and Cheesey's arn't.

Their eyes are following the dog around the room (photo taken about 1 hour ago)

More to come..............

 

[votisit]

awwwwwwwwww


One of Pagan, desperate to play, unfortunately the kittens were exhausted from pouncing on each other.

 

[votisit]

Final pic to show how close Pagan can get without the kitten going nuts. Its still early days and we only allow the dog into the living room for a few minutes at a time. But it won't be long before we can safely leave them alone in the house.

 

[Cadmus]

Glad to hear they're becoming mates. It really only takes time, much longer than we humans would like it or are used to.

 

[votisit]

Yup, your advice was good, brief meetings helped a lot. I think I was overly worried because of the initial reaction of the dog. But thinking back he probably reacted that way because of all the pretty squeezy toys I've bought him in the past.

Perhaps he thought it was a toy?!

 

[Poot]

Those pics have really cheered me up! I love labs and yours looks gorgeous. i'm sure he thought the kitten was a toy! My old labrador got worried by a sheep once, bless him. They generally mean well!

 

[T & P]

AWWWWWWWWWWW!

Can I visit you and play with your kittens?


Glad to hear all is going well between felines and canine (lovely looking dog as well- what a happy household your home must be )

 

[votisit]

Those pics have really cheered me up! I love labs and yours looks gorgeous. i'm sure he thought the kitten was a toy! My old labrador got worried by a sheep once, bless him. They generally mean well!

OH! did the poor dog have a phobia of sheep after that!

AWWWWWWWWWWW!

Can I visit you and play with your kittens?

Any time! I'm North Essex though, can make you Paella too....

 

[Jessiedog]

RESULT!!!



Gorgeous looking dog too.

(And I even think the kitties are cute )



Woof