I have a very nice dog, a retriever/collie mix, who doesn't seen to notice my cat. My cat, though, hates this dog, and whenever he goes into the same room she arches her back and meows and hisses. One time he even stepped on her, resulting in a not-too-friendly smack. But i was wondering, if i got a kitten young enough, could i train her to like the dog, and train the dog not to eat her? My cat is not very playful, and will swipe you just for touching her not on the head. But a few of my friends have kittens, and they are the coolest cats ever. Is it just the young age that makes them reckless and playful? Or does it really just depend on the cat?
If your dog is that cool with the mean kitty, I don't think you'd have a problem with a kitten. Just be sure to watch very carefully at first. Kittens are delicate, and a dog can accidentally do some serious harm even playing. As far as the kitten goes, it just depends on if they are used to dogs at a young age. They can get used to a dog, but I don't know if I would call it training. More like conditioning. Be positive when introducing them. What I mean by that is, don't scold your dog for getting too close. Do whatever you do to make your dog feel good when he's around the kitten to reassure him that it's a good thing, not something he'll get in trouble for. Please provide close supervision so nobody gets hurt. Are you in a position to watch them closely? Can the dog and kitten be separated for a few weeks when nobody's at home? We have 2 dogs and 3 cats. The first cat was "lord and master" before the first dog came as an 8 week old puppy. He (the cat) got to raise her (dog) as he pleased so she's submissive to the cats even though she could break them in two with one bite. The other dog was 5 months old when we got her, and we watched her like a hawk. She was more aggressive with the cats, but she's ok now after lots of positive reinforcement. Just be careful. It would be awful to see your big dog accidentally hurt the kitten.
I agree with peaches - but the original ? is a tad confusing - is your cat a cat? as in adult? How long has it lived with your dog? If they have co-existed for some time and they just don't "hang out" together - it's because some cats don't desire canine company. They are different species and some canines and felines have loving/playful relationships, while some can't be left alone in fear one will get hurt, while yet others simply ignore each other for the most part. I have 2 cats and 4 dogs - the dogs like cats, one cat likes the dogs and will sleep with them and share a water bowl at the same time - the other cat - avoids them like the plague. That said - the cat who likes the dogs has all of her claws - she know she can defend herself if need be. She drew blood on every dog (swipe across the nose during their first encounter - no matter how many days we watched them) The other kitty is declawed front (I adopted him this way) he knows he cant defend himself and that could be the reason he avoids them. BTW - A dog can be in danger in a cat-dog confrontation ----one of my foster dogs lost her inner eyelid due to a swipe from a cat. She did nothing to warrant it - she was sleeping and the cat picked the fight. Poor pooch :-(
