# new kitten meeting protective border collies?



## yogashi (Nov 16, 2009)

hey i am getting a kitten next week. its 9 weeks old and im scared about introducing it to my 2 border collies.
they are agressive towards intruders. one is female, old and grouchy. the other is a a 1 yr old male who gets a bit over-excited.

i needs tips as we can't put the old dog outside. (she has trouble with stairs and cold.)


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## PembrokeMadhouse (May 18, 2009)

I would suggest putting dogs & cats in separate rooms but with like a stairgate separating them to start... allow the dogs to sniff the cat cage that you bring her home in.

My collie tries to herd the kittens here and is never left alone with them ever... Much that I love her I don't want to come back to blood and guts everywhere.

You must be sure not to ever leave them unsupervised in the same room at first... I wouldn't lock any of dogs out of the house.... make sure you fuss the cat and allow the dogs to smell the smell, tht way you might guage a reaction of the dogs. Hold the kitten to the dog (so you can move it out the way quickly! if needs be).... see how they react... they may be fine...

My friends Collie would eat my cats given half the chance, but mine is lovely with them. It will not be easy I can assure you. The dogs will want to sniff the kittens bottoms and stuff.... but watch for the lip curling.... that's you cue to move the kitten!

It will take time, and they may never be happy with the cat, be prepared for that.... I personally would say it is the younger one you might have to watch careful. 

Have you not got friends with cats that you can "cat test" the dogs, so you know what to expect... and it's not too much of a stressful situation for the dogs. That's how I found I out my friends dog is not cat friendly!!!!

Take it slow and careefuly...


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## yogashi (Nov 16, 2009)

my cousins got cats though they are both male. my kitten is female. should i give that a try anyway?


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## lady_r0gue (Jul 22, 2009)

Oh goody lol another thread where I get to post about this!

I really think you should get another kitten of a similar age if you possibly can...

We have a lovely 9 year old dog who has always been ok with cats but hadn't lived with any since a puppy and so he was nervous of them as first, and barked at them a bit. We are glad every day we got two kittens for so many reasons - they are the best of friends and keep each other amused, exercised and happy, it meant that we could at first keep the kittens in one room without them getting lonely - and they never really needed to bother the dog for attention. The female at first would shadow box him every time he came near but now after 4 months they all get on famously, he sniffs and kisses them quite a lot and they "nose" him back which is lovely. The only time I have to watch them is when I'm feeding them and they're all clamouring for their dinner round his legs, but bless him he doesn't even mind if they dive in his bowl these days (though this can be a very dangerous situation, my friend could tell you a horror story about this one - so even though we're all cool I usually put the cat food down first to prevent this happening)

Also it was the thought of our little Halo being all alone when we went out (with the dog) that swayed us. Harry came too and as I said we are thankful every day that we made that decision 

Anyway here are some reasons why you, the dogs and your new kitten might be better off if you got two, I really hope you go for it   

I know that this article mentions an older cat - well I think the same stands for an older, established dog (or two)



> Although it might sound contrary, an older, established (cat) will probably accept two kittens better than one. One kitten will seek out the older (cat) as a playmate, or worse, tease and pester the senior cat which can cause stress to an older (cat). The kitten in return, will be "rewarded" for his playful efforts with hisses and swats. Two kittens will expend their energy in play with each other, leaving their older "uncle" to relax in peace.


When Two is Better Than One
10 Reasons Why Two Kittens Are Better Than One

Aside from that i wouldn't bother introducing your cousins cats to your dogs! They are different from your new kitten.

As with any new kitten I would say keep the kitten in a separate room for 3 weeks. Once or twice a day you could bring him/her down and hold it very carefully, offer the (un-threatening) tail end and allow the dogs to sniff the kitten's bum. Any signs of aggression, remove the kitten instantly from the room and ignore the dog. Keep them apart at mealtimes at this stage and only feed the kitten in the room you've designated as "kitten room".

After 3 weeks the kitten will be wanting to explore further and I expect you will have more of an idea how your dogs are dealing with their new housemate. I would say if you are only going to have one, if it starts to bother the dogs while they're sleeping or whatever remove the kitten from the dogs' space as quickly as possible and distract him/her with any toy that comes to hand - feather, pencil, scrunched up paper, fingers - dogs aren't usually bothered about "toys" like that so you can safely distract the kitten's attention this way and not have the dogs trying to join in. With just the one you'll have to do a lot of active play time at first though or littlun will probably find it's own amusement, attacking the dogs' tails etc.

Best of luck xxxxx


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## yogashi (Nov 16, 2009)

oh my parents weren't even going to let me have one since my cat died 6 years ago.
they'd think i was crazy to even ask for a 2nd one.

^^;
but if i put everything like food. sleeping place and toys in my room and litter in the bathroom woudl that be suitable.. its a more closed off area.


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## kittykat (Nov 2, 2007)

yogashi said:


> hey i am getting a kitten next week. its 9 weeks old and im scared about introducing it to my 2 border collies.
> they are agressive towards intruders. one is female, old and grouchy. the other is a a 1 yr old male who gets a bit over-excited.
> 
> i needs tips as we can't put the old dog outside. (she has trouble with stairs and cold.)


Sorry if this has been mentioned but I would put the dogs in a crate in the same room as the kittens so they can get used to them.

But never leave them unsupervised around the dogs just yet.


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## lady_r0gue (Jul 22, 2009)

yogashi said:


> oh my parents weren't even going to let me have one since my cat died 6 years ago.
> they'd think i was crazy to even ask for a 2nd one.
> 
> ^^;
> but if i put everything like food. sleeping place and toys in my room and litter in the bathroom woudl that be suitable.. its a more closed off area.


Absolutely. Any new cat should be kept in the one room for nearly all the time for the first 3 weeks, and keep the dogs out of the room for the time being. Best to keep the litter in your room and feed in there as well (don't worry you should be able to have your sweet smelling room back in 3 weeks time). Make sure kitty has a place to hide and is allowed on high places too ie- shelf or windowsill. If at any point you allow the dogs to come in one at a time I'd take the food away so there's nothing for them to concern themselves about. But I'd leave the gentle introductions for at least a few days. If you bring some of the dog's bedding into your room and also let the dogs sniff the kitten's bedding or toys they will become accustomed to the smells of each other before they actually meet. Take it day by day. Be aware that the kitten will likely seem like a threat to the dogs at first and not the other way around so do everything you can to show the dogs that the kitten isn't threatening, and don't allow the kitten to invade the dog's space. Every time a dog reacts in a positive way, ie doesn't show aggression to the kitten, fuss the dog and praise him. If the dog bares it's teeth or growls just pick up the kitten and walk out, ignore the dog.
With any luck, in a months time they'll all be the best of friends. The dogs should work out soon enough that the kitten isn't a threat to them and as I said, dogs aren't usually bothered about cat toys so you should be able to distract the kitten quite easily if he looks like he's bugging the dogs!
A stairgate is a great idea; we borrowed one from a friend who's kids were 5 and 8 so had outgrown theirs somewhat - also later I just blocked off the lower part of my daughter's bedroom door. The dogs, the cats and my kid could all jump over it, it was just there as a visible barrier.


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