I need help introducing dogs and cats.?

[I LOVE MY KITTEN]

This summer my family is going to foster dogs from the local humane society. I currently have 4 cats, the only one I'm worried about is the youngest one. (She turned 1 two days ago.) My aunt just lost her job and is going to live with us for a little while too. She has a black lab and my kitten is just fine with her, but it took her a while to get to know her. Now we're about to bring a 6 yr old beagle into the house. Do you think she'll be OK? How should I introduce them?

 

[need to know]

I've had to do this 2ce once with my cat and dog,they both ended up passing away.A year later I got a dog (boxer-beagle mix),and my niece and nephews got a cat for Christmas a few years later so I had to do it again.Just hold the cat and let them sniff.Its fine for them to get close as long as there's no growling or biting.Do this a few times a day for a couple weeks,then let them just be together.There will be chasing,because thats what they like to do,just keep and eye on them for any aggressive behavior.

 

[Kris]

How did you introduce the kitten to the lab? just let them be and they'll either get along or try to stay away from each other. (more so the cat than the dog. The dog probably won't care too much since it's 6 years old)

 

[Chetco]

When I am bringing in a new dog, I feed them first, take them for a walk around the block, and establish some trust.
Then I keep a leash on the dog when he is to meet the cats. If there is pleasant interaction, the dog gets praise and a pat. If he shows excitement the leash is brought snug, and loosened as soon as he relaxes. If he does any straining on the leash or lunging, the leash is given a quick correction tug, and the dog kept to your side until he relaxes..
It will help if another family member is giving the cats attention, so that the dog sees that they are welcome and part of the family.
The meeting should take 10 minutes or so. If all goes well, he can be allowed loose-leash to follow you and stay with you. Until they appear to like each other, the dog should be allowed in the same room *only* when leashed.
Here is a video with some good tips:http://leerburg.com/dog-cat.htm

 

[D Gissendanner]

The dogs that u r going to.foster are they good with cats? U don't want to bring dogs in that go balistic if they see, hear, smell cats. My dog loves his cats. Sometimes he plays too rough with them. And my older alpha males and females sometimes tolerate him and when they don't hell yelp. But he knows his kitties from outsiders. It depends on whether they run from him will he chase them. Outsiders always run so game on. I had mine on a leash and set up kennel for him to stay in for a few days. So he got used to them being around and they to him. Anytime i was introducing it was one at a time. He on leash always. I had 8 cats and even though i had just lost their bubba of 5 yrs shortly before i still had to watch out for an ambush of cats on him. He was a little over a yr old and 65lbs. Bubba was 14yrs old and 120 lb. Same breed different dog. If the cats stalked him i had squirt bottles ready. He on leash was able to control better. He even tried to mother the babies very interested in them. He even took baby kityies to snuggle with and licked so much they were soaking wet. I flipped when i couldn't find them at first but when i did i praised him for taking care of the babies. U will have your house full and hands full. Good luck.

 

[B.3]

Pick a quiet room, and have lots of treats for both dog and cat. Try using only one cat at a time, and reward them both for quiet, calm behavior. When either starts getting excited or upset, remove the cat from the quiet room and leave the dog there for an hour or two and try again till you succeed with all the cats.