We currently have 2 dogs, a 2 year old germanshepherd and a 3 year old australian cattledog/bordercollie cross. We just adopted a new siamese kitten. We really dont have that much room, its not set up that well to keep them separated or to really have a safe room for the kitten. Right now the dogs have the kitchen with a baby gate separating it from the livingroom and the upstairs, we only have 2 bedrooms which are both in use and not ideal for a kitten. The other thing i should mention is that my husband doesnt want the cat sleeping with us, but the dogs do sleep in the bedroom with us. I want them to get along well. The dogs have been around other cats at my mother and in laws and they seem to do fine around them, those cats live with other dogs as well so they are used to that contact. The First attemp was not so good, the dogs stayed in the kitchen and the kitten in the living room but the dogs whined and banged on the gate, i put them outside for a while, while the kitten got used to her new surroundings and she calmed down pretty fast. She was in a small shelter in close range with a bunch of barking dogs so i dont think that should bother her that much. She has been playing around the living room for a while now seeming to just smell everything and play around with the dog toys that are in here. As you can tell i just brought her home. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to introduce them better givin my situation?
I would hold the kitten and slowly let your dog see the cat and if their reaction is ok slowly lower down so the dog gets to sniff the cat.With all due respect I would strongly advice against this. There is nothing cats hates more than being restricted, and being held whilst a big dog sniffs it -chances are the kitten will freak out and lash out -with a bit of luck only on the owner's arms, with bad luck it will be a punctured dog eye. Any cat or kitten introduced into a household with dogs MUST at all times be able to run away from the dogs and approach only on their own terms. It's vital to have small hidey holes, baby gates yes, and somewhere for the kitten to jump up out of reach. The more it can see the dogs without having to be on the same level, i.e. watch from safety, the easier it will become.