I have a jack russel and my girlfriend wants a kitten.?

Question

My jack russel likes to chase just about any small animal there is outside and once even tried to get a pet bird that we have flying in the house. My girlfriend and daughter really want a kitten and i want to suprise them on their B-Day with a kitten. How could i get my dog to adjust to the kitten. My jack russell is very very good with small children so im sure i could get him to adjust to the kitten once it was in the house. I keep him locked up in a crate during the night (so he doesnt pee all over the house) and i lock him in there when he gets in trouble. So i was thinking trying to just keep them seperate until the kitten is sort of older and the more the cat is around he should get used to it right?? Please help if you can, im running out of time.

Answer 1

Just because your JRT is good with kids means nothing about his behavior with cats or kittens.

A JRT was bred to hunt small prey---like a kitten or a cat. Keeping him locked up until the cat is full grown will be difficult for you, tough on him and not a guarantee he won't attack the cat.

Check out this page on the JRT Club site:
http://www.terrier.com/breed/breedmenu.php4

I thought this paragraph was particularly interesting:
QUOTE "Jack Russells can be very aggressive with other dogs, and in fact more than two should never be kept together unattended. There have been many instances of terriers being hurt, even killed, by their fellow terriers; even young pups over the age of eight weeks must be carefully monitored. It is imperative that prospective Jack Russell owners understand this part of the terrier's nature. Special facilities and handing are absolutely necessary when owning a Jack Russell, and especially when owning two or more Jack Russells. Their natural hunting instinct also brings out aggression towards other small animals such as cats, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc. " END QUOTE

Answer 2

maximum animals get on my own nicely whilst they're raised from domestic dogs or kittens. I did locate this documents nonetheless: Cats and different small pets (rodents) will many times no longer artwork with a Jack Russell through fact those canines are first and premiere looking canines. They see the cat or hamster/rat/guinea pig as prey (quarry). it fairly is not genuine for all Jack Russells, and if introduced into the enjoyed ones as a domestic dog, maximum would desire to be experienced to stay with a cat. Many Jack Russell vendors are horse human beings. Jack Russells at the instant are not herding canines, so the pony isn't of pastime to them. toddlers decrease than the age of six would nicely be a project, except the infant is taught a thank you to suitable cope with the terrier. Having the organic assertive terrier features, besides the undeniable fact that, the Jack Russell won't submit with even unintentional abusive habit from a infant. this would desire to be carefully seen, extremely with toddlers decrease than six. i've got heard that usually terriers have a chasing instinct.

Answer 3

Terriers are like oil and vinegar with cats. I brought two Terrier pups into my house with a resident senior cat. The cat that I got as a kitten lived in perfect harmony with my Corgi dogs. It's a constant outroar now, the cat has moved into the basement and whenever he does come upstairs they tag team him and I often times have to step in. Then sometimes they ignore him. The male Terrier has a stronger prey drive than the female but she does often corner the cat, luckily it's a big cat and hasn't been declawed. I'd never get a kitten with Terriers, I don't think it would last very long.

Answer 4

I vote in favor of the dog's genetic code. While he may be good with kids, kids are not potential food. You must already know how high maintenance Jack Russells are, so all you would be doing is setting up a potential tragedy for your family to witness. Not all kittens grow up to be tough enough to stand up to a dog who was bred to dig varmints out of the ground and kill them. This is not to say that he isn't a nice dog...but JR breeders I have known for thirty years and more all say that if you have one, it should be an "only" pet. It's in their nature.

Answer 5

Introduce the dog to the kitten as often as you'd like. Just hold onto the kitten and let the dog loose in the room. Let him sniff it and get used to the kitten's presence before you actually let the cat down. And when you let the cat down, keep the dog on a leash (just in case it tries to charge the kitten or tries anything funny). Just gradually let them get used to each other. I so suggest you keep the dog locked up at night.. be it in your room, the laundry room, the kitchen, or the garage. The dog running freely might stress a kitten too much. Just don't leave them alone together until you feel confident that the dog and cat are comfortable with one another.

Answer 6

Depends on the age but I wouldn't try it
Tehy aer bred to go after and kill these little animals.
My sister had one that appeared to get along with her cat until after a month the cat ended up in the vets with over $500 worth of surgery and stitches due to the jackrussel ( only 4 months old)

Answer 7

Quick - go to www.cesarmillaninc.com/ for expert advice on introducing the kitten to your little JR. Btw, make sure you check out Cesar's advice on your strategy of putting JR in a crate when he's in trouble.
Your girls will love you for it! Good luck mate :)

Answer 8

I agree with Elizabeth G, i had a JR and we decided to get a kitten and she wanted to kill it, but we did the same thing, and after a few days they were playing with eachother,
Also bookmom is right, a year later we got a Golden retriever, then another year we got another Golden, and our JR started attacking both of them, and getting very agresive, my grandma decided to keep the JR with her. so it all worked out.

Answer 9

i dont think you should keep them seperated for that long. what i did with my pets (and my dog was just like yours) was i'd hold the kitten up to the dog's face (not too close) and let her sniff him, them take him away. i didnt that for a while until i saw the two snoozing together