Introduce litter of kittens to dog?

mallen0624

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My cat had a litter of kittens two weeks ago. They are in their own room( walk in closet in basement). Thinking about bringing them upstairs so we can start to socialize them. Is it ok to introduced them to our dog? She's really good with our other cats.
 

handsome kitty

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The mother cats are usually very protective of the kittens for the first month.  Sometimes the moms move the kittens to quieter places away from other household pets.  Sounds like she is in a good place right now.   It's recommended that you wait to introduce the dogs to the kittens.  There have been a few reports of moms being ok with the dogs for a few minutes.  
 

kstonya

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I agree that you need to wait until the kittens are out of the nest before socializing with the dog. The same socialization would be for kittens and dogs and for other animals. When the kittens start running around allow the dog to smell the kittens with a barrier in place. I have used the technique of letting the one animal smell the anal of the other with both animal under control of 2 different people that way if they get aggressive you can immediately separate the animals. If you have a screen door that you can place between the play rooms and allow the animals to smell them through the door to get use to the smell. I have also allowed one pet to smell the bedding of the other when I change it so the kittens smell the dog bedding and the dog smell the kittens.

You might also search for socialization on this site.
 

opal16

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When I got my cat I introduced her to the dogs by holding her while my dad held the dogs. I just let them sniff each other and that seemed  to work well.
 

Sarthur2

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Definitely wait until the kittens are bigger and eating solid food before making any introductions. They are much too young right now. I would say wait until they are 8 weeks old, and then introduce them very carefully and under supervision and for very brief periods of time.
 

kstonya

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The smelling of the anuls is how animals identify one another so if they are older and the screen has been used when they finally are allowed together the first time with assistance allow them to smell so they can figure out who is who. Again wait until the kittens leave the nest on thier own or the mommy brings them out.
 
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