christmas kitten

so, i have been planning to adopt a kitten for my daughter for christmas.  in so doing, i have been doing research about introducing a kitten to a home with a dog (4 year old 70 lb mixed breed... some lab, some bordercollie, some pit or other terrier)  I have discovered that i didn't do a good job introducing him to our origional cat (who has now left us.  i think she was disgusted with the dog)

He is gentle, but like to jump at our previous cat.  he would bow down to puppy-play pose at her.  she would hiss and spit and bat him in the nose before retreating slowly to our room.  he chases cats outside, but didn't chase her... but he really wanted her to play with him.  he would sometimes lay down outside her room and whine for her attention, creeping forward on his belly untill she hit him in the nose... which he though was the begining of play time and woud bounce up to play... almost always frightening her.  i now know i shouldn't have let him think that was ok.  i figured casue he didn't hurt her and always let her get away it was fine.  bad kitty mommy.

so reading about how this should go, and contemplating this kitten (and possibly her brother... the foster home would like to keep them together) i am trying to work out a plan.  i am going to give him a blanket i can then trade back and forth with the foster kitten... and maybe some plush toys too.  that could be a couple of weeks.  my husband is home during the day when my daughter is at work (and he is clearly the alpha dog in the house) so he may be able to bring the kitty(s?) over to visit and check out the house and dog a couple times the weeks before christmas.  My dad has one of those large wire cat crates (4x3x5) that could be a safe haven for the kitties and i can get it from him this weekend.  (i think this may also be a good way to present the kitties christmass morning... the dog can go straight from his bedroom to the back yard untill the kitties feel at home)  I am really hoping this will go well and my daughter can have a sweet surprize on christmas morning.  

suggestions welcome!

I have bred dogs in the past and have has some parents who have needed to introduce the puppies to kittens and cats. It sounds like you have the basics covered. The dog AND the new kittens need to have their own space in the house. You need to set boundaries with both (or all three animals) letting them each know what you expect of them. I would introduce them to one another slowly and be sure to give each an equal amount of time. Spats are going to happen. How old are the kittens? Remember that cats choose people, people don't choose cats.

It's a good thing that you are going to introduce them to each other gradually. I think you have a good plan. I just wonder if all the pets are spayed and nueotored. It will really help if they all are. It takes a lot of aggression out of the equation.

ed; sp

the kittens are 7 weeks old right now and will be 11 weeks old by christmas.  the dog is neutered, the kittens would both be fixed and have there shots before we got them. 

i am slightly worried about the choosing part... the kitten(s) are meant for my daughter, but that is no gaurentee that they will choose her...

hmmm.  i seem to be speaking about the kittens in plural...

It's pretty much a crap shot. I've never had any luck with cats. I've had them but I've never had a good one. I got my son a kitten for Christmas 2 years ago. It never would allow us to cuddle or pet it. It just wasn't very nice. It had kittens prematurely and they died. She stayed at her birthing place for 2 days then left us. I've not seen her since. She adopted a family down the street.

It's good that they will all be fixed. I'd say go with it and keep researching ways to blend your new family members together.

Well I don't think it's a crap shot...yes cats, like people, have different personalities so yes some will be more affectionate and some more independant. I have one of each of those personalities, and even the independant one still likes attention. I really don't know any cats that like to be cuddled/held, but rather lay near you. If you want a pet you can hold/pet/maul with affection, get a dog.

The whole 'my cat left us' is really bizarre to me, then again I don't (and wouldn't) let my cats outside unsupervised/unleashed. When we had a town house (we're in an apartment now) our cats would be brats sometimes and bolt out a door we opened, but they always came back... My dad let his cat out though and always came back. My bf's parent's cats are like completely outdoor cats, and even they stick around on their property, which is in the country no less. So yeah don't let r4eboxer scare ya! I'm sure those kittens will like you and your daughter just fine.

I think that being kittens will help your cause, they are going to be more playful themselves and more open to new environments/experiences. There will be some adjustment period sure, and he might scare them at first, but I think they'll get used to him. My dad got a puppy and a kitten at pretty much the same, and the puppy would get excited and rush at the kitten if she saw her out in the open...and the kitten would raise it's back and hiss etc, but after time they got over each other.

Original Post by vicereine:

Well I don't think it's a crap shot...yes cats, like people, have different personalities so yes some will be more affectionate and some more independant. I have one of each of those personalities, and even the independant one still likes attention. I really don't know any cats that like to be cuddled/held, but rather lay near you. If you want a pet you can hold/pet/maul with affection, get a dog.

The whole 'my cat left us' is really bizarre to me, then again I don't (and wouldn't) let my cats outside unsupervised/unleashed. When we had a town house (we're in an apartment now) our cats would be brats sometimes and bolt out a door we opened, but they always came back... My dad let his cat out though and always came back. My bf's parent's cats are like completely outdoor cats, and even they stick around on their property, which is in the country no less. So yeah don't let r4eboxer scare ya! I'm sure those kittens will like you and your daughter just fine.

I think that being kittens will help your cause, they are going to be more playful themselves and more open to new environments/experiences. There will be some adjustment period sure, and he might scare them at first, but I think they'll get used to him. My dad got a puppy and a kitten at pretty much the same, and the puppy would get excited and rush at the kitten if she saw her out in the open...and the kitten would raise it's back and hiss etc, but after time they got over each other.

 I pretty much agree with this.  Although cats do have different personalities like we do, introducing them to your dog as kittens should make it easier for them to co-habitate.  Obviously the dog will probably scare them at first, they will soon learn that he means them no harm and with any luck they will become friends.  That's what happened when our Luna met two kittens name Mo and Snow and they remained best friends all their lives.  Now, however, we have Cody a lab mix who is much too playful for his own good and Miss Kitty.  They get along well most of the time, but sometimes Cody gets a little rambunctious and Miss Kitty (being an indoor/outdoor cat) decides it's time to go out.  Good luck!

i am planning for the kitties to sleep and eat in my daughter's room... and she is already clear about how kitties like to be treated versus the dog.  she can roll on him all she wants and he loves it. 

as far as "my kitty left us" i am sad about it.  she was 15year old indoor kitty.  she lived with the dog fine for 4 years, so i was kidding that she left because of him.  she didn't care for him much, but he didn't really bother her.  she avoided him for the most part. 

what happened was that she often went out on the porch with me in the morning while i was getting ready to go to work.  when i left and locked the door, i would shoo her back inside.  one day this fall my husband was leaving just a bit after me, and Munchkin was still on the porch when i left.  he wasn't successfull shooing her back in, and left for work figuring it would be fine and we could let her in in the evening after a fun kitty adventure.  well, she hasn't been back and no one has seen her.  i am trying to convince myself that she adopted a dog free family a few blocks away and is living in comfort and security unable to return to me.  but signs up in the neighborhood, calls to the local vets and repeted serching and asking the neighbors has produced nothing.  i think the pitbull at the end of the block who is let out to wander the neighborhood some evenings probably got her.  he is a nice enough dog, but i wish his owners would restrain him, and i know he has gotten at least one other pet kitty someone left out by mistake.  husband feels bad and now we don't talk about it much.  Munchkin is fine in a dog free home we can't see. 

made me cry.  again.

Original Post by vicereine:

Well I don't think it's a crap shot...yes cats, like people, have different personalities so yes some will be more affectionate and some more independant. I have one of each of those personalities, and even the independant one still likes attention. I really don't know any cats that like to be cuddled/held, but rather lay near you. If you want a pet you can hold/pet/maul with affection, get a dog.

The whole 'my cat left us' is really bizarre to me, then again I don't (and wouldn't) let my cats outside unsupervised/unleashed. When we had a town house (we're in an apartment now) our cats would be brats sometimes and bolt out a door we opened, but they always came back... My dad let his cat out though and always came back. My bf's parent's cats are like completely outdoor cats, and even they stick around on their property, which is in the country no less. So yeah don't let r4eboxer scare ya! I'm sure those kittens will like you and your daughter just fine.

I think that being kittens will help your cause, they are going to be more playful themselves and more open to new environments/experiences. There will be some adjustment period sure, and he might scare them at first, but I think they'll get used to him. My dad got a puppy and a kitten at pretty much the same, and the puppy would get excited and rush at the kitten if she saw her out in the open...and the kitten would raise it's back and hiss etc, but after time they got over each other.

Do you think I was trying to scare her? Scare her about WHAT?

on edit: and yes cats do leave, cats tend to choose people. I don't know why you find that bizarre, maybe when you've had some more life experience you won't find it so strange.

huh... i didn't get that anybody was trying to scare anybody... i thought we were just sharing our dog/cat experiences ;)

Original Post by jessiemccrory:

i am planning for the kitties to sleep and eat in my daughter's room... and she is already clear about how kitties like to be treated versus the dog. she can roll on him all she wants and he loves it.

as far as "my kitty left us" i am sad about it. she was 15year old indoor kitty. she lived with the dog fine for 4 years, so i was kidding that she left because of him. she didn't care for him much, but he didn't really bother her. she avoided him for the most part.

what happened was that she often went out on the porch with me in the morning while i was getting ready to go to work. when i left and locked the door, i would shoo her back inside. one day this fall my husband was leaving just a bit after me, and Munchkin was still on the porch when i left. he wasn't successfull shooing her back in, and left for work figuring it would be fine and we could let her in in the evening after a fun kitty adventure. well, she hasn't been back and no one has seen her. i am trying to convince myself that she adopted a dog free family a few blocks away and is living in comfort and security unable to return to me. but signs up in the neighborhood, calls to the local vets and repeted serching and asking the neighbors has produced nothing. i think the pitbull at the end of the block who is let out to wander the neighborhood some evenings probably got her. he is a nice enough dog, but i wish his owners would restrain him, and i know he has gotten at least one other pet kitty someone left out by mistake. husband feels bad and now we don't talk about it much. Munchkin is fine in a dog free home we can't see.

made me cry. again.

sorry to hear that :( I had directed that to r4eboxer though, not you.

@ r4eboxer, maybe you weren't trying to intentionally scare her, but you made her afraid these kittens aren't going to like them. Yes all animals tend to have a favourite person in the family but I've never heard of a cat disliking everyone and "leaving". Maybe cats just don't like you... more life experience? lol ok, we're talking about cats here. I'm sorry they don't choose you and pack up to live with your neighbours. I also like how you say it's good she'll spay/neuter her pets, yet you didn't yourself. How long ago did she have the kittens? She was probably still one herself, hence the complications.

Anyways, jessie since the kitten things will be in your daughter's room, you can  close that door and they can smell each other from under the door. I've read on doing that when introducing a new kitten to a cat. I think your plans sound fine so far.

Outdoor cats might leave; indoor cats can't (unless they get out).

Cats tend to choose the person who feeds them and is around the most.  When my sister got kittens, they "chose" my mum because my sister was at school all day and my mum was home.  So, make sure your daughter gets to spend lots of time playing with kitties and feeding them (or helping to feed them if she's young).

Cats can also change their mind about who they choose - and some really aren't fussy at all.  One of my sister's two cats has definitely switched over to having her as his person (a decade later) while the other still leans toward our mum  (though mostly he's his own cat).  When I got my two, one of them is an "everyone cat".  The other picked my sister (who was living with me at the time; her cats were living with our parents) but, after she moved out, switched over to having me as her person.  So, even if the kitties pick you at first, it's entirely possible they'll pick your daughter if she gives them lots of good attention.  And it's not like they'll only spend time with their favourite anyway. 

vice: maybe you should pay a little more attention to my posts. I've had cats all my life. I've got kids your age and tell them all the time little things I've learned in life, they argue with me but in the end they find out I'm usually right. I can't count the number of cats that have been in my home. But maybe your right child, they may not like me. (funny that sound just like something my kid would say) I will not continue to squabble with you. It's not worth my time.

jessie: I'm sure your kittens will love you and your family. But just remember you are doing all the right things and I'm sure you didn't do anything to make the previous cat leave. You may get surprised too, cats tend to disappear for a while and then show up one day at home. I've had that happen many times as well. my sister just had a cat show up a few weeks ago that was away from home for 6 months.

one of my thoughts is the dog is only alowed in my daughter's room at bed time when daddy reads to all of us.  for a while he may have to spend that time outside and get his own cuddles before and after bedtime.  when everyone is comfortable with the idea, i can sit with him in the doorway during story time, he can still be part of the family time, but less threatening for the kitties, and i think we can probably keep her room a dog free space.  i think that in itself will likely endear the space to the kitties. 

daughter is 7 and shouldn't have much difficulty keeping food and water available (probably on her desk) for the kitties.  and she loves giving treats. 

it sure would be a lovely surprize to find munchkin waiting for me on the porch one day.  although i know she would be absolutly incenced to find more animals in her space.  she has such a lovely distainfull air for others that want mommy's attention. :)

he he he!

i have pictures of the kitties in question in my galary now!