Ok, I want our new pup to settle as well as possibe straight away.

My main worry is my cats!  I think they may take some time and I am concerned they are going to run away.

What is the best way to introduce my cats to the pup?

I have moved the cats dry food/water upstairs so they have a completely safe area.

Any advice?  the breeder said the cats may disappear for a few days but will come back, but I am a wee bit worried.

Thanks :)

Ours were sort of the same, but they continued to be fed in the kitchen. We had a few hisses and noises made at them when pups. All the dogs now came after the cats.
My cat who has since passed on would bat them if they got too close initially, but he never ever had his claws out, he was a sweety like that. That is a concern is the claws if they go for the face of a puppy. The remaining cat is a horror of cat and would swipe at anything which got in its way, even us walking past him.. But when a new puppy came he would scarper. As long as you are there in the room when they both are and keep them supervised then all should be fine.

Saying that a friend of mine one of her cats hates the dog, won't go anywhere near him and hibernates in the bedrooms, the other curls up into the dogs fur..

Thanks :)

Trouble is my 2 cats are the wimpiest cats in the world.  Don't think they will swipe.  I will just have to play it by ear :)

when we got out obnoxious little pug (love her to bits but trys the patience of a saint at times)
to introduce her to the cats, she was in a puppy pen and the cats where allowed to sniff her and watch her through the bars, we then started to take her out of the pen and any chasing a quick aha ah but we found the cats would stand there ground with her  and if she kept insisting that bounce and rugby tackle was good she was thumped by them, no claws just a good old whack, and it would stun her and then she would walk around them watching them, the cats now after nearly 11 months have got her number, if she starts they roll onto their backs and look dead so of course she goes up and sniffs them and then they grab her and they usually then let her go get up and sit somewhere high where she can't get at them,
other times you will see them all in the bed together the cats asleep on top of the akita and the pug curled up inbetween the akitas legs, one of the cats even comes on the last night walk with all the dogs ,

my friend has just inroduced her elderly cat to her puppy, she put the cat in a large wire dog cage and let the puppy see him before they let him out,the cat was introduced about 5 days ago and has just been whacked a couple of times and now takes a wide berth from the cat, but the cat does follow the puppy and it is the puppy that hides from him now

I have had this predicament a number of time now and each time it has been different. I would have pup in crate and allow the cats to sniff as when they want to start with. Also as in the early days my pups have mainly stayed in our quite large kitchen a lot of watching when the cats are around and a bit of no or aha aha if pup is getting to interested usually works. Both my cats have perfected the walk around the work tops  so they view the dogs from on high. Last time our burmese did make herself scarce for abit  coming in or downstairs for food but it all settled down. She is the more difficult cat who will swipe at anything or anyone if not happy but ironically after all my vigilince it was a friends cat that swiped our pom x and hurt her eye.
I would say oversee any contact and start training puppy from day one.

It took my cat weeks to get used to the idea that the pup was here to stay! We allready had a dog in the house but the cat was horrified with the new arrival. She took refuge upstairs for days before daring to take a peek at pup.
Pup was mostly confined to the kitchen in the first few weeks, with a baby-gate at the door, when he was out of the kitchen he was on-lead (so as not to overwhelm the old dog who also thought pup was the most disgusting thing in the world!).

My cat was fed & watered upstairs, litter tray upstairs too.
My pup is now a 3 & half year old English Mastiff, he is HUGE, but the tiny cat, that was terrified of him as a pup, is definatley in charge of him now :-)

Take things slowly and don't rush the cat, also make sure, when the cat is around pup, that cat has an easy escape route and not allow pup to overwhelm cat.

Don't be convinced that your cat wont take a swipe. Fear can make a cat swipe. Please be aware of the damage a cat can do to a dog.
My sisters pup lost an eye to her cat. Pup was in the garden pestering the cat, the cat gave her a warning swipe, pup ignored and carried on cat took a second swipe and caught the pup in the eye. The scrath was hardly visable but it introduced an infection that caused irrepairable damage to pups eye, so she had to have her eye removed :(

When I got my pup one of my cats packed his bags and when to live next door, my nighbour was delighted so we left things alone.
I know of someone who's sister bought an adult dog to stay with her for a few days, one of her cats disapeared and has never been seen again.

When I brought my kitten in, my dog packed his bags and decided he wanted to sleep in the garden!
I now have a cat that wags its tail and thinks its a dog, and a dog that is, in his own way, waaaaay more sensitive than most cats I've owned.

Well so far, thank goodness, neither of the cats have packed their bags! :)

They will not come downstairs and Charlie my giant cat has taken to hudding underneath the duvet hiding so he can't be found by the squeaking monster
But they are both still here :)

> Charlie my giant cat has taken to hudding underneath the duvet hiding so he can't be found by the squeaking monster

Ahh bless him :)