Question:
I have two house dogs and foster cats/kittens from Humane Society, but they are downstairs in their own rooms. I am wanting to adopt one or two of the ones I am fostering, but am unsure as to how to go about introducing them. One is a kitten, about three months old, and he already has met the dogs and does fine with them, but only for visits.
The mama cat I dont know much about, other than she is really sweet and kind. She has not met the dogs, other than once when Issy the pug ran in the door before I could catch her, and Mama froze.
anyway, any tips on handling this would be most appreciated!


Answer:
If the Momma cat has never been in contact with dogs before.. you need to do a gradual introduction so your dogs don't get hurt... Here is a method to try..
http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet...our/behav1.htm


Answer:
Here's another good site.. it has alot of good info for other areas too...
www.ddfl.org/behavior/catintro.htm


Answer:
That was very interesting.... I never realized what methods could be used


Answer:
I haven't actually used any of them myself.. with my foster cats I already have them confined in the bathroom.. then they are slowly introduced by using a barrier across the bathroom door.. so I leave it up to the cat to make the first move towards the dogs.. my dogs are very gentle as well and instinctively know not to rush up to a frightened cat.. I guess that's what happens when they've grown up with so many different cats & kittens coming and going..


Answer:
Originally Posted by suzoo
I haven't actually used any of them myself.. with my foster cats I already have them confined in the bathroom.. then they are slowly introduced by using a barrier across the bathroom door.. so I leave it up to the cat to make the first move towards the dogs.. my dogs are very gentle as well and instinctively know not to rush up to a frightened cat.. I guess that's what happens when they've grown up with so many different cats & kittens coming and going..
This is how I've done introductions in the past also. Gradual conditioning and familiarization is the best!