So we just got a new really cute kitten today (technically it's MY kitten). So far introductions have been rocky at best. Kitty (we haven't picked out a name yet) thinks Valentine is THE WORST MOVING THING ON THE PLANET and Valentine thinks that Kitty is nothing but a running chew toy. Any suggestions on making this transition a good one and ensuring that they will be friends not enemies? This is a whole new ball game for us, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Oh, by the way, it's Valentine's 1 year birthday tomorrow!

Amy

We kept Topanga seperated from the girls for quite a while.

Slowly I let them smell each other thru a puppy gate.

first meeting without the gate

now they tolerate each other and sometimes play

the first pic over me is cute ^^ his tongue is out cause he wants to eat that kitty so cute

Yeah, what Rusty said. The first picture looks like Topanga saying "Mmmmm! Fresh kitty for breakfast! Now all I need are some fava beans and a little Chianti." LOL

I have a 14 year old cat and two brother cats who are a little over 5 years. One of the three had the unfortunate mishap of being a dog who got trapped and born inside a cat's body. He teased my last dog mercilessly, a 96 pound rottweiler. He loves to wrestle and instigate play with my 23 pound Corgi. For some reason though, he has no clue what to do with Desta. The cat is 17 pounds and Desta is 13 pounds....first time he's seen a dog smaller than him. They're still working on perhaps being in the same room someday...maybe. The other two cats are 100% cats born inside the correct species type. They will have nothing to do with dogs. Everyone does live in peace though. I never let the dogs chase the kitties, treat them like prey, or scare them. The cats have free run of the house and can choose to interact with the dogs or not. Much easier to train the dog not to chase kitty, than to teach kitty to like the dog. I'd say just make sure that neither pet gets badgered or picked on, and that the cat always has an escape route and safe place it can get away from the dog if it wants to.

Just a quick tip: You'll probably need to barracade the kitty litter box so only the kitty can get to it...most dogs love catbox cookies more than anything. So soft and chewy.

My cats were 6YO old when I got the dogs. They have never been "friends" but the cats tolerate them. Sadie just always wants to lick them to death. Scooter used to chase them until he got his butt handed to him on a platter from my male cat. For some reason Mylo (my male cat) will not do this to Sadie and I kind of wish he would, then she would leave him alone. Mylo weighs 22 pounds (he is Maine Coon) which is about 7 pounds more than Sadie, so he doesn't HAVE to put up with it, he just does.

Scooter could care less about the cats, Sadie thinks they love her (which they don't).

I would just let them work it out, but DO NOT allow the dog to chase the cat. I ALWAYS corrected this. I also used to get on floor with the cat and dogs, when the dogs would go after the cat, I would lean over the cat to show the cat belonged to ME not them and they would back off. I saw this on an episode of Cesar and he did same technique with a guinea pig.