Both dogs and cats are adorable pet animals and are often adopted by many pet lovers.Often families adopt both a dog as well as a cat together. They get along well without many instances of fights.Dogs belong to the family of Canidae and are descendants of the family of wolves. Most dogs have bodies covered by furs, the intensity of which, differs in different breeds of dogs. Dogs like the German Shepherds have thicker fur compared to Golden Retrievers. They have an upturning tail and wag it constantly when excited or happy. On the other hand, cats belong to the family of Felidae. They are characterized by the presence of a flexible body, sharp teeth, and excellent claws. Cats communicate by meowing, purring, and growling while dogs bark, whine or growl to deliver their emotions.Read on to lear how to introduce a kitten to a dog, and how to treat your pet animals to have calm behavior when living together. Afterward, check out how to stop a dog from pooping in the house and how often should I take my dog out?How do I get my dog to accept a kitten?There comes an instance of a particular idea out of the blue when you feel like adopting a new pet cat to your family. But, the problem is you already have a pet dog at your house and thereby now the confusion and the most probable question arises, how to introduce a new kitten to a dog for the first time. Don’t freak out about adding a cat as a family member as a cat and a dog can totally get along well, it just needs a bit of patience.If you are wondering how to introduce a new kitten to a dog, the matter is very easy and doesn’t require much effort. However, introducing a kitten at first requires patience. When you introduce an animal smaller than a dog it will have a tendency to prey upon the little creature and will not put up a calm behavior. So, the first thing that you must make sure of is that your dog doesn’t prey upon and try to bite your little new kitten. The kitten might as a result in order to protect itself scratch the dog resulting in wounds in both the animals.Therefore, the first step towards introducing your kitten to your dog is communicating with your dog and making sure that it follows your commands. You can instruct your dog and train it to behave in a calm way when your kitten is around your pet dog. For a particular period of time, you will require to instruct your dog repeatedly till they both become familiar with each other. Secondly, at the beginning when you are introducing a kitten you can try to keep your week-old kitten in a different room at your house or put barriers such that no sudden attacks take place. Thirdly, make sure that you adopt not a shy cat but rather a cat you can make its way around and will not avoid or run away from the room your dog is in.A dog will always try to chase a kitten that runs away from him/her. Try to leash your dog so that if your dog tries to attack your cat you can pull it away by tugging the leash. Introduce both of them by means of a small baby gate in your house and let them get close to each other. After a certain period of time slowly you will find them getting along well.How long does it take for a kitten to get used to a dog?You’ve spent a few days commanding your dog to behave in a friendly, calm way with your cat. You have maintained a fine barrier between them and have allowed them to see each other and get friendly. Now, you are probably wondering how long it will take for your cat to get along with your dog.Well, as biologists have observed, this process of two animals of different families getting to know each other might take a few weeks. To be more precise it might take two to three weeks. At first, the dog might bark in the room the cat is present or might even chase it around making your cat afraid. But, under proper command, the dog will be forced to behave in a friendly way, and slowly after three weeks, you will find both getting along well, and while the dog will ‘woof’ to the cat, the other might ‘meow’ in response. But do not leave them alone until these pets are comfortable with each other.How should I commence with the introduction of my new cat or kitten to the family dog?Introducing two animals from two different families can be tough at first. The one which is superior in the manner of size might try to prey upon the smaller one. In this process, both might get hurt or severely injured.Dogs obey their trainers or owners. This privilege can be used in this case. At first, you might keep your newly bought kitten in a different room. Then ask your dog to sit in a calm way, you might even consider attaching a leash around your dog’s neck in case it tries to jump off. Then bring your kitten to the room where your dog is for the introduction. It’s natural that both of them will react in a wild way upon coming in contact with each other. However, a couple of commands and instructions might lead your dog to behave itself. Slowly after a couple of days, you will find both cat and dog habituated and playing with each other.What if my dog wants to feed on the kitten?Normally, dogs don’t eat kittens unless there is a problem. If they really do then it’s wise to seek advice from a vet or take a professional helpThe thing about dogs is, being larger in size it tries to overpower small animals like kittens. It will either try to scare it off by hunting it down or it will try to attack it in this process and might injure your kitten. Both fight when given food and it might result in injuries but the dog won’t eat the cat. However, in cases where your dog is repeatedly trying to chase your kitten, you might consider bringing in a dog trainer or might keep your dog under severe command till it gets adjusted to the new member.What if my kitten scratches the dog?Kittens might scratch your dog when preyed upon or attacked suddenly.Dogs occupy a higher level in the food chain than cats. Because of this hierarchy dogs see cats as objects to be preyed upon or chased. Think about cats and mice. When cats are chased or they face a sudden attack from your dog, in order to protect itself it might scratch the dog with its sharp claws thereby injuring your dog. Keep them both under close watch till both get along with each other.Training Your Dog To Accept A KittenYou can’t just bring a kitten and let it roam around your pet dog expecting both will get along well. It’s obvious your dog will get aggressive around a cat and will try to injure it.Training a dog to accept a kitten is simple. In the beginning, try training your dog to be obedient. Try teaching your dog that chasing a cat is unacceptable behavior and try delivering commands like asking your dog to sit or stay down. If your dog follows these commands around your cat it becomes much easier to handle both. Secondly, as aforesaid do not leave your cat and dog together at the beginning without any supervision. It’s natural for the dog to get aggressive and hurt your kitten. Thirdly, keep a separate room for your kitten, such that when chased by the dog it can take shelter there.Also, animals use scents to get to know each other. This can be done by interchanging your pet dog’s bedding with your cat’s. This might lead them to get familiarized with each other. Also, if your cat wants to run away when introduced to the dog let it run away and be alone in its kitten home. The most important thing is instead of bringing adult cats for your puppy try to bring a kitten of near age to your dog. If your puppy and kitten grow together they will get each other as companions and will get along well and play with each other.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how to introduce a kitten to a dog then why not take a look at why do dogs lay on your feet or different types of Bulldogs?
Both dogs and cats are adorable pet animals and are often adopted by many pet lovers.
