How do I introduce our 2 new kittens to my bulldog ?

[Ann O]

Collected these cute kits whom were still with their Mother.
Adjusting great, but did'nt drink their special kitten milk.
Our dog loves cats, but when we introduced the kittens they were terrified, even though there was a German Shepard in the first home we collected them in, and it was amazing the way he looked after them and no terror frm them
Your advise would be gratefully appreciated.
P.S. never had kittens before/

 

[Adelle]

when i first got my kitten, my dog was about ready to eat him and he was terrified. but since your dog loves cats, it won't be as hard. you need to show the kittens to your dog every day for at least 3 minutes. then, gradually get up to 5 min. then 10 min. and so on. eventually they'll know him and won't freak out. it worked for me. hope it works for you

 

[eyJude]

take a blanket/ sheet or T-shirt and wipe it all over the dog... poo area etc. and then put it in the cats bed.
this will allow them to smell the dog.
since your dog is ok with cats... you will just have to take the time to allow them to get aquaited. put kittens in one room dog in the other and allow them to sniff and smell each other.
it just takes time .. before long they will all be sleeping together!

 

[Brian J]

The kittens are likely too small to know a dog is a dog is a dog, so each new one they encounter is a totally new animal to them. If your bulldog has a crate where he can see out of it, put him in it. Then grab the kittens and bring them to the crate. Let them see the dog in the crate for no more than two minutes, then take them away. Do this a few more times, giving them praise when they do good, and your bulldog praise, too. When you think they are ready, you can reintroduce them, but make sure it is supervised.

 

[Geoff The Phantom Skier]

You say "Kittens, may I introduce you to Mr Bulldog, he is awfully big in burying bones and fetching a stick"

Then you say "Mr Bulldog, may I introduce you to these kittens, they are quite new on the scene but I think you'll be amused by their pretentiousness"

Provide a chilled white Sauvignon and a few crudites with dips. I'm sure they'll get along famously.

 

[Bob N]

Here is how we introduce new cats to our existing cats. The basic approach should work for two kittens and a dog.

You first objective is to get the kittens used to the new humans and the new house. Only then do you proceed to introduce them to the dog.
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Cats need to be properly introduced to the new home, the new humans, and the existing cats if they are to get along well and not have problems.

Here's how we introduce new comers to our gang:

Cats need to be introduced very slowly.

First of all, we do not allow a new cat to have any contact with our other cats until a vet has given the new cat a clean bill of health. This includes tests for such things as FIP and Feline Leukemia.

Cats can be successfully introduced to each other regardless of their ages or sexes.

We have successfully added adult cats to our family containing both young and old cats as well as introducing very young kittens to the other cats.

It has to be done slowly. If you simply put them together, you will fail the vast majority of the time.

The new cat has to be given time to get used to you and the new environment.

The existing cat has to get used to the smell of the new cat.

We introduce cats by keeping the new cat in the back room for up to a month. My office is there as is my wife's sewing table. There is a sofa and bookshelves.

We spend a lot of time with the new cat to get them used to us, the new environment and the new smells.

After they accept us with no problems, we put a screen door on the back room door frame and let everyone see each other for a week or so.

It may take a lot less time than a month to get to this point but we just take it slow and easy.

Once we judge it safe to do so, we let the new cats out into the house and chaperon the first encounters.

We've only ever had one problem introducing cats like this and that problem was resolved in a couple of weeks.

We've had 26 cats over the past 22 years and many of them were adults - 12 and older - when they joined our family.

We've also introduced several kittens, ranging from ages of 7 weeks to 4 or 5 months, to the rest of the crew with no problems.

You have to take it slow.

If you can't put up a screen door, perhaps two baby gates, stacked one on top of the other, will close off the door but still allow the cats to see each other.

If you can't use a screen door or baby gates, try letting the existing cat into the room with the new cat for a few minutes while you chaperon.

If things get bad, take the cat out of the room.

You just have to introduce cats slowly

There are cats who could be thrown together and become pals but they are few and far between.