Night Elf Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I have a 3-yr old Dachshund. We got him when he was 1 year old. At that time, we had 2 cats that pretty much stayed in the bedrooms. Once he figured out they were back there, he would constantly run back there and try to play with them. He never got close enough for us to see if he would do anything. When we adopted him, they knew we had cats and they said it was fine. (I trust this Humane Society.) Unfortunately, both of our cats passed away and we've been cat-less for about a year and a half. We are now getting a kitten and I'm a nervous wreck! The cat will pretty much stay downstairs with my dd19. It will be her cat and she wants it firmly attached to her. (I tend to be a pet magnet.) But, I don't know if I want the cat to just live downstairs. I think she should be able to move around the house freely, but use downstairs as her base. She'll have her cat pan down there and be fed down there as well. So.. is it possible to introduce my dachshund, who probably thinks kittens/cats are playthings, to the kitten? The foster parents have a couple of dogs and the kitten gets along fine with them. Is there a way I can encourage these two to live in harmony? We're talking about a dog whose breed is designed for flushing out small animals! Eeek! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Shhh. Don't let this get out in the dog community but when we had a cat it beat up the one dachshund. It was like a movie. The cat slapped it one way across its nose and then the other way. My other Dachshund is the hunter(aka why we have a chipmunk/bird/rabbit/groundhog/squirrel free yard). Our dog sitter has cats and the hunting dachshund doesn't bother them. The sitter slowly introduced them and makes sure her cats have a high place to go. It seems to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Thanks. I guess I'm just going to try it and hope for the best. I know it's just playing because of the postures he makes, but I guess I'm afraid he'll snap at the kitten and hurt her without intending to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Hmmm...I'm not really sure. Maybe you could really let him know she is there to stay, and he better be nice. Let him know you love kitty and expect him to treat her right. Dogs are smart; he will get it. And kittens/cats have a knack for protecting themselves. :D Also don't leave them alone together until you are sure doggie is okay with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bensmom Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Hmmm...I'm not really sure. Maybe you could really let him know she is there to stay, and he better be nice. Let him know you love kitty and expect him to treat her right. Dogs are smart; he will get it. And kittens/cats have a knack for protecting themselves. :D Also don't leave them alone together until you are sure doggie is okay with her. :iagree: They may need some time to get acquainted and boundaries established before they are left alone...but I think they will be fine. We have had several dogs and cats living in harmony through the years. Dogs may go out and kill snakes, bunnies, and squirrels, but they have never attacked a cat. (one of them likes to put the cat's neck in its' mouth and drools, but we tell her NO and she stops...the cat doesn't seem to mind:)) Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisa in Florida Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 We had a hamster years ago that didn't fare too well in an encounter our dachshund (hamster got out of his cage & was running around on the floor), but the same dog had a scar on his nose from his only run in with a cat. We've had several dachshunds and I don't think I would have left any of them alone with a kitten - at least until the kitten could defend itself! I love dachshunds, but I read once that they were bred to go into holes and kill what they found there. I think that explains a lot about their personalities! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Oh no worries about leaving them alone. The cat will stay in my dd19's room downstairs (split level home). The rest of us and the dogs rarely go down there. But I would like to be able to let the cat hang out upstairs with us sometimes if dd19 is gone for a few hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulRidge Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Hmmm...I'm not really sure. Maybe you could really let him know she is there to stay, and he better be nice. Let him know you love kitty and expect him to treat her right. Dogs are smart; he will get it. And kittens/cats have a knack for protecting themselves. :D Also don't leave them alone together until you are sure doggie is okay with her. :iagree: They'll likely be just fine after a while. Kitty will probably make sure the dog knows its place and then all will be well. I still vividly remember watching my parents 6 lb fuzz-ball of a cat beat the cr@p out of the new neighbors 100lb GSD mix. It happened so fast and the poor dog looked so, so confused afterward :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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