cats and dogs

I have a 10 month old springer/brittany mix puppy (Riley) and a 10 week old kitten (Elliott). They play together under supervision, of course, and can get quite rough, and they both love it. Although I think sometimes Elliott is the rougher of the two. The problem is I recently brought home a stray kitten, probably about 5 weeks old, and Elliott wants to play just as rough with the kitten as he does with Riley. You notice the kitten does not have a name yet, I am not sure yet if it has a home somewhere else or if things do not work out here I may have to find it another home. The kitten has only been here for 5 days and is quite small compared to Elliott. Is he just trying to show his dominance or could and would he possibly really hurt the kitten? I keep them separated for now. They will eat together but as soon as Elliott is done eating he jumps on the kitten. Is Elliott being aggressive because he plays so rough and tumble with Riley?

Hello Taribee - it's nice to meet you and your crew!

Wow, Elliott is still a kitten himself isn't he. It's hard to say without more information, but I suspect this is a bit of kitten rough and tumble.

Let's see if we can't get this moved to the Behaviour forum - somebody on there might have a better idea of what's going on with your two little babies

Welcome to TCS!!

See you on the forums

Hi, welcome to TCS! Let's see what our experts have to say regarding your little ones!

Hi, welcome to TCS!

My dog, Brynna, tried to play as roughly with Sophie when we brought her home as she used to with Sunni. Sophie was only 9 weeks old, so I had to closely supervise them. Now they're fine together, and Sophie is actually the rougher of the two when they get to playing.

Good luck with your little ones there!

Hi, Welcome to TCS!

Perhaps this article will help:
Cat to Dog Introductions (click here)

You'll need to be careful and continue to keep the young dog separated from the kittens when you can't supervise - even though Riley might not mean any harm, a dog can easily injure or kill a cat or kitten by playing too rough, especially with a tiny 5-week-old.

I would also suggest doing some obedience work with the puppy - teaching him "leave it" would be especially helpful. A good clicker-training class would be fun and helpful. This book is a useful one too.

Bravo to you for rescuing a stray kitten! If you have questions about raising your kitten, there are lots of helpful folks in the "our feline companions" forums.

Riley has no contact with the small kitten at this time. It's hard enought to keep the little kitten and Elliott apart.