So I have a Westie resident dog. He is about 10 years old now. I just got two 8 mo old kittens and did the "Introduction" process recommended to me. The Westie adapted fine to our current cat, who is about 7 now. But the new kittens are posing a serious problem. I got them used to each other's scents and let them sniff each other on either side of a door. I waited a long time. Then I introduced them. The new kittens will hiss angrily at the dog, which he will generally ignore until he finally gets curious. When he ventured a little too close, one kitten lashed out and smacked him on the face. That caused the dog to immediately start to howl and bark at the top of his lungs. I separated them, restarted the process and tried again with kitten number two. things seemed to be doing great, until AGAIN the dog got just a bit too close and kitten number two ALSO lashed out and smacked him on the face, causing another episode of wailing and barking. Westie has sustained not even a scratch so I'm assuming their claws were sheathed both times. I am at my wits end. I keep restarting and re-introducing with the same result. Now the dog is frightened of them but STILL insists on coming up to sniff them, provoking an angry outburst from the kittens. Is it too late for them to ever bond?? Or at least tolerate each other?