New kitty afraid of the three dogs already in household, help?

Question

ONLY SERIOUS ANSWERS PLEASE! I'm asking this question for someone else - my kitty, who gives out advice on his website, would like to see if you have any useful suggestions!
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Good afternoon Sacha,

I figured I would write an expert. Ok here goes, we adopted a 10-month-old kitty about 2 months ago, we also have 3 labs. We did the usual meet and greet, kept Kit Kat separated so they would get the smell of each other, introduced gradually, and controlled meetings supervised visits... etc... Kit Kat has refuge in my children's room, he still continues to want to have nothing to do with the dog, he gives them the swat with the paw every single chance he gets, he seems to be afraid but will throw first paw every time, he hides under the bed. He walks and stalks the house when all are sleeping, LOL.

So how would you purpose to help the process of peace in the house. Any and all suggestions kindly appreciated,

-- Susan's "zoo"

Answer 1

I introduced my young kitten to my two dogs the same way.
She was nervous of course.
She's now 6 1/2 months old and she is BOSS!
I have a pit and a little doby mix. Sassy is to the point where she and my little doby will rough-house for an hour! They love to play. As for my pit...she wraps her body around Sassy while she sleeps. I think she has taken the kitten as her own.
Sooo...with time and luck, you'll have a foursome fursome. If not, then your kitty might just have to keep stalking while all are asleep! Since your kitten was introduced at an older age than mine..it might take a minute for peace to ensue.
In time...she'll see that the dogs will be no threat to her and maybe you'll see her stalking during the day! (as long as they aren't a threat to her)
Hope everything goes well soon!!

Answer 2

It sounds like you've done all the right things when you went through the introduction process. Some cats just take longer to get used to dogs than others. Is it possible that Kit Kat may have had a negative experience in the past with a dog, before he came to your home? I think thay may have been the case with one of my cats - it took her a good 6 months or so to relax around the dog I adopted. Now, although she won't lay down & relax near the dog like the other cats will, she'll walk by her and stand or sit near her without seeming nervous or irritated. And she'll just walk away if the dog tries to sniff her behind, instead of running.

Does KitKat have cat condos & some tall kitty trees in the rooms that he has to share with the dogs? If he has places that he can go to be higher than the dogs, places that are 'his' territory and that the dogs physically cannot invade, that may help him to feel more secure, and not feel so much like he has to 'put the dogs in their place' every time he goes into a room that a dog is in.

If Kit Kat likes a particular type of kitty treat and your dogs have a rock-solid 'leave-it' and are not food-possessive, you can use treats to speed the process up a little, giving him a treat whenever you see him come a little closer to the dogs. If you see Kit Kat approach the dog, tell the dog to 'stay' so it doesn't get up & startle him, and give Kit Kat a treat. You may want to give the nearby dog a treat too, to help the dogs appreciate his presence more, since they've been coping so patiently with the paw-slapping.

If Kit Kat likes pets or brushing, you could try giving a nice petting or brushing session somewhere near a dog while the dog is in a 'stay' - not so close that he gets nervous, but just a tiny bit closer than he would normally go, and then gradually come closer & closer to the dog with each petting session - but never so close that the cat can't relax and enjoy the petting.

Best wishes!

Answer 3

I have 5 cats and 2 dogs. Some of the cats are better friends with the dogs then others. You already did the right thing, let the cat get used to the smells and sounds before letting loose on the house.

If your dogs have been around cats before, the new cat has a better chance of being friends with the dogs. Give it time, they will work it out. Don't pay either more attention so there is no jealously. The cat is just testing the new environment and willl most likely be cuddling up with the dogs in no time.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

if oyu have 3 dogs let the cat meet them all seperatly. you should have their visits be like an hour or more and just hang out with them, maybe even leaving for a second to see what happens.

Answer 5

Honestly, this is quite normal. Our cats usually freak out when we have a new dog. BUT, over time...usually a couple months, they chill out when they know they aren't going to get eaten by the bigger animal and get along great.

Answer 6

I think she will get used to them in time.