First of all, try not to leave the dog alone with the kitten if you are not close by. And it has its reasons: there is always a high chance of playing too aggressively and also injury. Letās see what we can suggest different tips regarding this problem.
1. Make space for a kittenĀ
At first, there is no need to make a meal area for the kitten in the common kitchen. It should live in one room of the house. At this time, you can let your dog(s) just accompany your cat so they can acknowledge each other.Ā
In the beginning, make space for the kitten. This means that you should keep your dogs away from the kitten's food and water bowl. However, do not leave your dog(s) in another room of the house while you let your kitten eat or drink. It is best to take care of this during meal times.Ā
You should also keep the dog's toys away from the kitten. Dogs sometimes like to eat small things and it may harm the baby cat if it were to chew on one of your dog's toys. However, if there is a dog bed in the room, this will have to be moved elsewhere in the house until your kitten is used to his or her environment.
2. Try to separate them as secure as possible
Once your kitten has gotten used to her room and has had time to eat and drink there without the dog(s), you can now try introducing them. However, there should always be a barrier between them at this stage.Ā
I would suggest the dog be on a leash at first so you can control his behavior. You can also put the kitten in a carrier or have an assistant hold her on their lap if needed during this introduction.Ā
You will have to consider each situation for what is best for your pets individually. Face to face, your dog(s) may become too excited and attack the kitten. However, at this point, you can now let them have supervised time together. This means that you should be in close proximity to the kitten at all times. If a fight breaks out, become involved immediately. If your dog is mature enough for training, you can try teaching him to "leave it" when the kitten is around. This way, he will learn not to play too roughly in case he accidentally harms the kitten during playtime.
3. Make a slow introduction
The only way to properly introduce your dog and kitten together is to do it slowly. We suggest you not leave them alone until they are older and have gotten used to each other.Ā
You can start by bringing them out, one at a time. If the kitten gets scared right off, you may have to put the kitten in a carrier and bring him/her back inside the house or close by (office room, closet, etc.). If the dog is too excited, you may even have to separate them for a bit. If your dog is not aggressive at all, you can now try letting the kitten go off leash by itself in your backyard. Even if the dog and kitten are getting along well, they must still be supervised while playing together. It may take a while before they are able to play properly without problems. You can always use other toys if there is a problem with one toy that gets destroyed by the other.
4. Be attentive to body language
This will be the most important for your pet to learn. There are certain signals that each animal may communicate with each other that can let you know what is going on.
Dog's body language
Dog's tail -The tail will go between legs, lower, and then up. This is a sign of showing submission to the kitten. If you see this, make sure the dog does not reach for the kitten with his/her mouth or tail in between them.
Dog's ears -If the dog's ears are up, then it shows a sign of showing aggression. Dogs often raise their ears to people and other dogs. This means that your dog is generally not aggressive. However, it can still indicate "fear" or even "aggression" if the ears are straight up and stiff. If there is no aggression from the dog, but the ears show "fear" then you may have to consider if the kitten is being ignored by your dogs.
Dog's eyes- There are different ways that your dog's eyes can communicate. One of the ways that dogs communicate is by looking into the eyes of their owners. If both owner and dog are looking at each other, this means that the dog is not going to bite the kitten. However, if you see eye contact but then later there is a play where you know he/she will bite, then it could be an indication of aggression or fear.
Kitten's body language
Kittens can come with a variety of body language, but the most common is the "sneezing" display. This means that they will puff themselves up and sneeze at the dog. If you see this from time to time, then it is okay. However, if it is a sign of fear or aggression, then you may need to reconsider whether or not it is a good idea to keep the dog and kitten together.
5. Be Patient
If you wait until your dog and kitten are older, they will be used to each other. They will know what is expected of them. You will only have to deal with problems after they are older. If you have a very immature dog like a Pomeranian or small Chihuahua, it may be hard to get them used to a big kitten. You should give them time to grow up and learn how to act before getting near the kitten.
Conclusion
There are many ways to introduce your dog and kitten. Some people leave them alone until they become more mature and used to their environment. However, you should always consider the safety of your pets and know when it is not a good idea to leave them alone together. It is important that you do not leave the two of them alone in the same room until they have gotten used to each other.