Kittens - Adopting at 3 months vs 5+ months

Just curious -- are there any "negatives" to adopting kittens at 5 months (from a reputable breeder) for a household with dog and children?

I have the option of getting 2 Kurilian kittens soon that are older (they will be over 5+ months old when I get them) or waiting a few months and getting two at age 12 weeks.

Thank you.

Not, not really.   The tendency to take them young in the older times, was the belief they need to be young to bind properly to their owner.   But it is not thrue, they do bind nicely with time also as adults, if you are friendly and nice to them.

Many people like to see a kitten playing and chasing vigorously.  So you miss this in part.   Perhaps a small price reduction in place?

But if you are planning to perhaps breed on them, or show them, its an advantage to take them later: you simply see easier what they are going to be.

At 12 weeks it may be difficult.

So, if you are happy with the 5 months, you dont need to hesitate.  Take them.  

Thank you.  One thing I read is that the kittens should be "socialized" with dogs at an early age.  At 5 months, they have never interacted with any dog.  I am wondering if this is an issue as I have a 4 month old large-breed puppy at home.

At 12 weeks, I am wondering if they'll be at a more "impressionable" age to socialize with a friendly dog.

arctic said:

 
Thank you.  One thing I read is that the kittens should be "socialized" with dogs at an early age.  At 5 months, they have never interacted with any dog.  I am wondering if this is an issue as I have a 4 month old large-breed puppy at home.

At 12 weeks, I am wondering if they'll be at a more "impressionable" age to socialize with a friendly dog.

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Its surely easier.  But if he hadnt any unpleasant or negative experiences from dogs, and the dog IS friendly, it should be alike as binding to you.  He will bind to the dog him too.

It should go OK without big problems, even it may take time - if you want to be absolute sure you will probably want to have a slow introduction.   Scent swapping and so on.  We have lots of thread on this in our Behavior forum.

I will add that the most important thing is that your puppy is *trained.* You should be able to get him to sit and stay and know that he is NOT going to chase the kittens. (This is true, regardless of the age of the kittens.) And, since he is a large breed, it would be great for him to lay down and stay in that position...less threatening to kitties.

Has your puppy completed any training classes?

I've been training him myself.  He does know sit, down, and stay, but well, he's a puppy.  If he's excited by another dog or a wandering cat, he gets up and barks or tries to chase.

One reason why I am considering the Kurilian Bobtail are descriptions like these:

"This breed is truly doglike in that it has a gregarious and accepting nature. They will run to the door to greet their owner and they are perfectly happy visiting with strangers. They adapt well to changes in environment, and rather than being a laptop, many will lay at the feet of their owner, a definite dog like trait. This cat is easy to train to respond to voice commands. They tend to be very quiet and rather than loud meows they tend to trill."

Almost every breeder and owner of the Kirulian seems to talk about how this is an extremely special breed that acts almost like a "dog" in their loyalty, trainability, and extremely sociable nature with people, dogs, and children.

It almost sounds too good to be true...

While I am sure there are specific characteristics to the breed, a lot still depends on how the kittens are socialized.

I think any cat whose first encounters with a dog are negative (being chased by, barked at, etc...) will associate dogs with that behavior. Does that mean the cat will always fear dogs after a bad experience...not always. But., it can sure make things more difficult and will certainly take longer to have the cat share space with a dog.

I highly suggest getting your dog enrolled in a basic puppy class (many pet stores offer classes.) I think this will be nothing but beneficial. Especially since you know he *does* bark and chase cats.

TCS has an article on Introducing Cats to Dogs that gives you some things to consider before you get the kitten.

Thanks.  That was really helpful -- seems like it could potentially be a lot of work.  I'm really hoping these Kurilians get along well with the dog long-term.