NWR: My dog wants to eat my new kitten!!

(Cont) MY male cat and the dog are practically best friends now and run around and play now. The dog still steers clear of my female cat...but that's just because she's mean and likes to bully him even though he's like 4 times her size. Feliway is the SAME stuff they use at the humane societies to calm cats and dogs down when they are literally going bonkers.

You can read more about it here:

http://www.petcomfortzone.com/dogs/how-it-works.html

I have it backwards my 2 10lb cats beat up my 110lb bull mastiff! No matter what I do to try and get them to get along it just doesn work. So the house is divided. The cats have the upstairs, and the dog has the downstairs.

We introduced our dogs to our cats by keeping the dogs in the crate at first. It allowed them to become accustomed to each other's smell, etc. while still being separated. Then on leashes, etc. It was about getting them used to the site and smell of each other while still keeping a safe barrier between them. It worked for us...

It's good you have her seperated from the dog with all her supplies, but I would suggest putting her litter box and other supplies somewhere other than your daughters room, for sanitary and health reasons. You can change the litter box alot, and sometimes the smell just stays, especially on soft/fabric surfaces, which your daughters room would have with bedding, stuffed animals, carpet, clothes, etc. Not to mention the dust the comes up when the cats go to the bathroom, would be inhaled into your daughters room. Plus cat feces can carry some pretty nasty stuff.
I also reccomend a trainer for some advice/tips/tricks/etc.

Wow. Um, NEVER let the dog leave your sight. Keep the kitten in a secure room. Let them get the scent of each other through the door jams. Do not take a risk. Dogs kill cats, its a fact. Just please please be careful if you're going to insist on having both. We have 3 BIG dogs who have learned to avoid the cats by using a REALLY harsh voice and shoving the dogs away whenever they got too close to a cat. Do not back down. But if there really was a "crazy look" in its eyes, you may not ever be 100% safe. Sorry.

My daughter has a super powerful air purifier in her room so I'm hoping the litter box in her room won't be an issue (it's actually in the corner of her walk in closet). My common sense would kick in if the room started having a strong odor to move the box..I just want to get her litter trained asap and that is were she will be spending most of her time so it makes the most sense to have it close.

We had a mini introduction this afternoon, the dog had his harness and leash on and I brought him into the room were the kitten was. I held on to him the whole time and he eventually sat down and just looked at her, panting :-/....we did this for about 5 mins while petting the dog saying 'good boy, she isn't your food..' lol, and then he went back outside. I think I will do this again shortly. Baby steps right?

Aww suuuch a cute kitten..Honestly, not that I'd exactly have money for this, but I would try to invest in a professional to assess the situation and give you pointers..For the kitten's sake you really need to take some action/investment..maybe Humane society or pet stores can refer you to cheap trainers or like dog training classes..I'd test out the dog, how does he do with small toys that move on their own? There was a dog whisperer episode with one dog that could not overcome his lunging urges to Ceasar kept him..Hopefully it's just him claiming his territory and not a long term issue. Good luck!

Baby steps is right, and it's good he didn't lunge. I just want to point out that cat feces doesn't have to smell to spread all kinds of germs/pathogens/etc. I'd rather not risk it, even with a purififer.

Aww ya that sounds like a good exercise..hopefully he'll calm down.

"sat down and just looked at her, panting :-/....we did this for about 5 mins while petting the dog saying 'good boy"

Be careful of when you are praising... Was he fully relaxed or still "fixed" on the kitten. If he wasn't fully relaxed then you may have been praising unwanted behavior. Without being there it's hard to tell, but from what you wrote it sounds like he was stalking the kitten, possibly still in a hunting mode.

He was def still fixed on the kitten, I was praising him (a little, more like talking to him) for not lunging at her like he was before. He wasn't relaxed, but he was showing a little restraint which I thought at least deserved a "good boy".

Hate to burst (another) bubble but an air purifier isn't going to do it when that kitten gets a little bigger. Used kitty litter has a LOT of ammonia in it, and it's not healthy to breathe. So that's not a long-term option, either.

He may just be curious - that is entirely possible - but you really need to know for sure that he's not hunting. Sounds more promising than before, but...I shudder to think about the poor kitty and the trauma to your family if this goes wrong.

*NOT* keeping the cat box in her room long term, just until the kitten is litter trained. No bubbles burst here, this is temporary.

She is adorable!!

Is your dog showing any signs of threat, like hackles standing up or growling at her? Or is he wagging his tail, panting, nose in the air? Because there's definitely a difference in his body language. And has he sniffed her yet? Has he been able to physically smell her tushie? ; / He may just be incredibly curious and of course, unaware of how fragile she is.

Whenever you get a new pet, it's very important to properly introduce. Have you tried bringing the kitten to him, making him sit, and let him sniff her - GENTLY? He might be obsessing because he hasn't been able to sniff and she's in HIS house. Try that.

When we got our puppy, we tried the introduction to my cat. The pup is a rottweiler-chocolate lab, and the cat is a Maine coon, which is a large breed of cat. And the cat swatted him, got chased around, got cornered. Maybe once the kitten is big enough, she can handle it. But not yet. My cat still gets chased, even now, three years later.

We have made progress today! I just let him back in the room, let him sniff her living space and bed and I didn't have to hold him by the harness, he even sat down when I told him to! I was sitting on the floor holding the kitten and didn't let him get too close, but he knew I was holding her and just sat there looking curious! By no means do I think he's ready to have her in the same room, but he is learning quick so I'm happy!

Good progress! I think he's VERY curious. Bulldogs have a reputation for being good with other animals, so he's probably just SUPER excited and SUPER curious. I say keep going with the baby steps! Introduce her as you would a new child. He'll get it.

My dogs used to HATE my cat, but a few years later, they got used to her. Now they LOVE her, and she's the princess of the house.

Once the cat gets bigger, all should be well.

"/ Sorry I'm not very encouraging with any quick fixes lol

OMG! The kitten is adorable.

That is a scary situation! Everyone has been giving excellent advice. Crystal is 100%, get a trainer in there with experience.

The kitten is so cute. We had one like that growing up. It might take some adjustment time. Each dog is different. My Saint Bernard couldn't care less- my Lhasa is scared of cats ( the one she has met is bigger than her)..lol. Take it slow and talk to a professional. Good luck. Has the dog ever been around any cats?