Cat...Kitten

[LoneStar]

We are currently in the process of moving into a new house. My wife promised my little girl that she could get a cat when we move to the new house (this was about 8 months ago). My little girl has not forgot. The problem is, I have a 90-100lb rott. She seems not to like cats too much. Is it easier to intraduce a cat or a kitten? And also, what type would you suggest? It has to be completely indoor cat. My wife knows someone that has a 7 month old Siamese. I feel that the rott will not take to nicely to it.

The rott is a real playful dog and several times stray cats come up to the house for us to feed them. The rott will wag its tail and look very friendly until it circles the cat. Then it is all business. Of coarse, I never let the rott get to the cat. There seems to be alot of cat lovers on here and I hope to get some good advise.

Thanks,
Jeremy

[reefer21]

I would suggest introducing a kitten instead of an adult cat. It does not matter what kind of cat it is, as long as it's a kitten. Female dogs will sometimes feel maternal towards a young animal and may adapt to a kitten as one of its own. On the other hand male dogs often times get along with kittens, but have a problem adjusting to an adult cat. First start off by taking a towel that was in the cat’s carrier that the cat slept on. Then, let the dog sniff it. Then with the kitten secure in your lap, allow a friend or a partner come over with the dog. While the grip on the dog's collar or leash should be secure, it should not be a chokehold or in any way painful to the dog. Next, use a calm voice and talk to both the cat and the dog. Allow them to sniff and touch one other. If the dog starts to bark pull the dog back and tell them it's not ok to do that. Praise them for their tolerance with comforting strokes. Then you might want to allow the cat on the floor with the dog; first holding the dog firmly then letting up as the situation dictates. This might take several tries, but you should be able to pull it off successfully and have a loving bond between the cat and the dog. Also if you leave the house, never leave the kitten and dog in the same room. In other words never leave them unsupervised, untill you feel they are comfortable with one another. Hope this helps...

Jason

* Also do not let the kitten eat out of the dogs bowl. Cats for instance need approximately 45% more protein than dogs. Do this by feeding your kitten in a different place than where the dog's bowl is located. You will be insuring more adequate nutrition and less bloodshed this way.

[Brandon]

Good suggestions, only one thing to add, something like a Maine Coon can usually handle themselves around a dog, they act kinda like a dog anyways.

[Melissakins]

Another thing to add to the don't let the kitten eat out of the dog's bowl - dogs sometimes become food agressive and may hurt the kitten/cat. So feeding areas should be separate.

[GermanShepherdGirl]

I 100% agree with introducing a kitten....not an older cat. Young kittens will adjust better to a dog than an older cat will. Another way to introduce them is with 2 crates. Put the dog in a crate and then with the cat in his own little crate put it next to the dogs crate. This way you won't risk being scratched or someone getting hurt. They can also be put close enough to each other to allow them to sniff each other without hurting each other. A 100 lb. rott can be a handful. My male German Shepherd is 90 pounds and when his prey drive kicks in, my husband even has trouble holding him back. These large breeds have extremely strong muscles and if you have the dog on a leash and he wants to get that cat bad enough then there is no stopping him and you will have a dead cat....not to mention whoever is holding the animals can also get injured. That is why I suggest using crates instead of holding the animals. You should introduce them VERY slowly. If you have done a lot of obedience training with your rott then that will be very helpful.

Another option is to use an electric collar. A lot of people will disagree with the use of these collars. But if you know how to properly use them, they can be very effective. When the dog shows any sign of aggression towards the cat (while having him in the crate) give him a "nick" with the collar. He will associate that whenever he is aggressive towards the cat that he will get this "nick". If you want to learn how to properly use an e-collar (or want any other training information) go to http://www.leerburg.com . They have a video on how to properly use an e-collar that is nearly 3 hours long. They also have tons of other training videos. You won't find better training videos anywhere else. I have bought 2 videos from them and plan on buying more in the future.

Let us know how it goes when you get your kitten. I know someone with a 175lb. rott and he has killed every cat they've had. Some dogs will just never warm up to a cat and some develop wonderful relationships with the cats. Just like people, every dog is different....regardless of the breed.

[LoneStar]

Thanks for all of the input. I hope it all works fine. The Rott listens very well. Whe I would bring the strays in for the little girl to play with, I can tell the rott "NO" and she will stay in another room. I just do not know what will happen when they are alone.

Thanks again for all of the input.
Jeremy

[GermanShepherdGirl]

Well that's good that she listens well. I would wait a few months until you are 100% sure that she won't hurt the kitten before you leave them alone together.