my father said he was going to me a Siamese kitten but i already have a Westie at my home.My Westie is protective of me and my family and i don’t want there to be a chance of my new kitten to get hurt.If i don’t get the kitten then it will be given away.How do i introduce them?
the first thing you should do is to introduce them gradually. Depending on their age will somewhat determine their ease of compatibility with each other. First I would put the dog/or cat into a kennel (e.g. pet carrier) and slowly introduce each other. You should expect this to go on for several weeks. When your dog/cat has become used to the other’s scent the allow then to have controlled and supervised interactions. you must be there during these first interactions. you must give support to your westie to make him understand that he is NOT being neglected or replaced with another animal. you have to show him that this new memberof the family is there to be another friend an partner. Granted, this will take several weeks, if done properly and be patient. OH also keep the cat in an enclosed area such as a bathroom or a spare room – something that your dog would not feel jealous of but can still smell . Another approach is to, after the initial introduction, is to keep them separated, yet still able to interact through a safe barrier (such as a baby gate). I know a lot of information about introductions of animals. More than I could possibly address here. Please feel free to contact me anytime with any questions. Take care and I hope everything goes well with your introduction!
<3 Kat
Tags: Westie
The dog needs to be on a leash when he first sees the cat so he won’t lunge and grab (he’s a terrier, you have to be cautious).
Introduce the dog to the cat in a carrier, with a towel covering most of the door of the carrier. Pull the dog back and make him sit. Don’t take the cat out yet. Wait a good 5 minutes watching the dog, then walk him back to the carrier. Don’t scare the kitten doing this.
Then put the dog in another room with a closed door and let the cat out to explore for 15 minutes. At the end of that time, put the kitten in the bathroom and close the door. Go get the dog, let him off leash and let him smell around the house to get used to the kitten’s smell. Don’t let him in the bathroom.
Put him back on leash, have someone hold him and you go get the kitten. If the kitten is in any way frightened, take it out of the room away from the dog. Dogs chase what runs, you don’t want a panicked kitten streaking anywhere. If the cat is ok with this so far, set the kitten down on the floor more than 8′ away from the dog.
Make sure the dog can NOT lunge or bite at the kitten if it comes close. Watch him closely, his first close up actions with the kitten will tell you if he’s a danger to the cat or not. If he is, you may need to get a pet gate to keep him out of one room so the cat has a safe area to be in that’s dog free.
Do not push the cat up to the dog’s face.
Do not let the dog run at the cat or attempt to grab it (correct the dog immediately).
Do not put both animals in the same room and close the door.
With luck both will be tolerant. The dog takes his cues from the family, if they all act to protect the kitten, the dog should get the message.
References :
This may sound strange but believe me it works. I introduced my
kitten to our Boxer dog she too was very protective. All I done was
held my kitten in my hands and let my Boxer sniff her all over they always make a point of sniffing the rear end. It worked, my kitten went
on to became a mum having 4 kittens of her own and happily showed
each of them off to our Boxer who adored them. It works good luck.
References :
the first thing you should do is to introduce them gradually. Depending on their age will somewhat determine their ease of compatibility with each other. First I would put the dog/or cat into a kennel (e.g. pet carrier) and slowly introduce each other. You should expect this to go on for several weeks. When your dog/cat has become used to the other’s scent the allow then to have controlled and supervised interactions. you must be there during these first interactions. you must give support to your westie to make him understand that he is NOT being neglected or replaced with another animal. you have to show him that this new memberof the family is there to be another friend an partner. Granted, this will take several weeks, if done properly and be patient. OH also keep the cat in an enclosed area such as a bathroom or a spare room – something that your dog would not feel jealous of but can still smell . Another approach is to, after the initial introduction, is to keep them separated, yet still able to interact through a safe barrier (such as a baby gate). I know a lot of information about introductions of animals. More than I could possibly address here. Please feel free to contact me anytime with any questions. Take care and I hope everything goes well with your introduction!
<3 Kat
References :