In a weeks time we are getting an indoor ragdoll kitten, we have 3 Cavalier King Charles spaniel dogs and wonder if anyone out there has any ideas on the best way to introduce them, making it as easy as possible for all of them. 

Most people would probably say introduce them slowly, one dog at a time and supervise them at all times as kitty claws can be damaging to dog eyes etc. Also make sure the kitten has somewhere to escape to and get away from the dogs. But, I have two CKCS and I introduced two new kittens last year (I already had another three adult cats at the time). I just brought the kittens in and put them on the floor. The dogs both came over for a lick and a sniff and to say hello. My kittens are best of friends with the dogs and they all sleep in a pile together. I think that the personality of the cavvie is such that it loves and accepts any new critter into the "pack".

Good luck anyway, I'm sure they'll all be fine and get on like a house on fire!

CC

Thanks thats reassuring that things will hopefully go well so long as I take it slowly. The dogs are 1 male and 2 females, puppy and mum. The 2 girls are friendly the male after being attacked by dogs twice when he was younger is a little more highly strung.

If he(your cavalier boy that is) is anything like mine he'll give the kitten a wide berth until the kitten is older.

Your bitches will probably be the most friendly & "motherly"I rescued a 10 day old kitten when I had my first BC(a bitch)she had never had puppies & yet mothered him & he grew up thinking like a dog, my males(GSDs) at the time steered well clear until he was around eight months old & had been done.

As long as the kitten can escape from the dogs & vica versa they will be fine. I wouldn't leave them together unsupervised tho' as you may find they all become hooligans & create havoc ;) in your home. I once found one of my beardies & my rescue cat inside my sofa that the beardie had redesigned :O from the rear

Hi just wanted to say Ragdolls are lovely I'm quite envious of your new kitten.My Ragdoll is now approximately 5years old (not totally sure as I rehomed her ) and lives happily with 5 BCs and 2 Rough Collies very happily curling up with them or moving them as the mood takes her LOL Gillian

like others have said 1 dog at a time so they don't overwhelm the little baby. they will be fine i have kept dogs and cats together for years and they became best mates.shairing beds,eating food from the same bowl (my cat thinks she is a dog) they play together too.our cats will look for protection from the dog and he will give it but i think tthe cats rule to be honest.
if the cats in the dog bed then he won't kick them out but he will try and share.
good luck with the little one and soon they will be one big pack.

It all sounds that things will work out fine, and will be great fun.

We did this last year. We had Jasper already and introduced a kitten. At first we had to supervise as he wanted to eat her! A few "NOs" and he was better behaved but we didn't leave them together until the kitten was bigger and could defend herself a bit. They are now good friends and Jasper never chases her , although he will chase any other cat. Beaker even follows us when we go for a walk sometimes. If anyone causes trouble nowdays it's the cat  - I think she's just playing but she has (on more than one occasion) been hanging from Jasper's neck by her teeth. He just looks at us as if asking for us to stop her doing it to him.

I think you have to be very careful at first but, in time, they will all get on OK.

Good luck.

a few years ago we decided to have a cat, we only wanted a moggy but know we had to have a friendly 1, we sore about 6 litters before we found timmy,  we sore litters that had dogs in the house but the kitens had never seen them and were not every friendly the last litter we sore the whole family of cats were very frindly but the kittens had never seen a dog but we decided to go for it.

We put timmy in a puppy carry crate for the ride home,  when we got in we let both dogs in (both bitches) to see him we left him in the crate sorted the kids out for bed and by the time they had gone to bed timmy was purring and the dogs were trying to lick him though the crate.  We left him and he attacked them :) with in mins he was socking wet but sleeping happly on the back of my oldest bitch. 

i was told by every 1 that the kitten would be dead within 2 hours.  we never left them alone together until he was about 6 months old (and he was a big boy).

he really thought he was a staffie that was until the Bull terrier next door had him. we saslly had to have him pts :(  we have decided that if we have a cat again it will be an in door 1

ps congrats on the new baby i have always wanted a ragdoll

Agree with the advice given, Cavs are usually such lovely natured dogs that I'm sure they'll all get on together.  When my first dog (GSDxWhippet) was alive (she was about 2), we rescued a tiny kitten that had been rejected by his mother after some b#&^%D broke her leg with a cricket bat.  He was only about 3 weeks old, and I thought he'd probably die, but we wanted to give him a chance.  Shep, who'd never had a litter so had no "hands-on" experience, immediately took him into her bed.  He latched on to one of her teats and suckled away happily for hours.  Obviously she wasn't producing any milk, so it must have been a comfort thing, but we had to prise him off every few hours to give him his formula.  He also did this to our older neutered tom, who put up with it for a bit, but shoved him off once it became apparent he'd live.  It was a different matter with Shep - Smokey (as kitty was christened), lived on for about another 12 years and Shep a little longer, and up until the day he died, if she was asleep in front of the fire, this huge orange cat would burrow right in and suck away happily, with loud smacking noises.  I still lived at home at this point and he especially liked to do this when my parents were having dinner parties!  It tends to stop conversations!

Anyway, I'm rambling, but I'm sure as long as you're careful they should all get on fine.  I'm very envious - Ragdolls are lovely cats.

Good luck

Julie,

My cavvies are both males and we had no problems at all. In no time they'll be snuggling up together without a doubt! Although the cats "rule", the dogs love them and the feeling is mutual. Best of luck I'm sure they'll all be fine together.

CC

I'll let you know how it goes, we get the kitten on Friday, not long now!

It's not going that well yet, but it's early days, the kitten hisses and trys to scratch out, when the dogs are trying to make friends.

If your kitten wasn't raised with dogs it will not recognize their body language yet

I rescued a kitten at around 9-12 days old & it stiill had his eyes shut. He nursed on my BC bitch & when his eyes opened all he saw was my dogs, all his life he thought he was a dog. He was the only kitten I had no problem with. All the others did a bit of hiissing etc but as soon as they realized that the dogs were no threat(all my dogs have been raised with dominant cats)they soon took charge & settled down

As long as your kitten can escape upwardz he/she will settle, my last cat used to wake the dogs up for a play by nose patting & making them sneeze