Hi guys,
so my new baby has finally come home with me. I am so happy little Loki loves his room and toys. I am keeping him in my bedroom for now, but I would love it if he could explore the house. Unfortunately my dog wont allow that. My dog is a fox terrier cross, so he is about medium sized and LOVES to chase cats. He has caught and killed small animals like rats, rabbits and sometimes birds before. I tried to introduce them by holding my dog and letting Loki decide when to approach him. Loki was very brave and after a few minutes walked right up to my dog... and then when he was close enough my dog attempted to grab/bite Loki. So I whisked Loki away and back into his room and haven't let him meet the dog again.

I am terrified that my dog will manage to get in if someone forgets to shut the door and he will bite or even kill Loki. I love Loki so much I'll start crying if I even think about that happening. How do I stop my dog from seeing Loki as a toy or prey? He gets along fine with our other cat, because he was introduced to her when he was a puppy.

I know I am new here and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but are you freaking kidding me? First you get your kitten from a irresponsible breeder, who let their kittens go a minimum of 3 weeks too soon... 12 weeks is ok, but 13 weeks is even better... but 10 weeks is pathetic and no responsible breeder would do that.

But now we come to learn, YOUR an irresponsible pet owner! What responsible pet own would bring home a little bitty kitten (even extra little because of being adopted too soon) when you readily admit your dog attacks and kills small animals!!!! I mean REALLY!!!!????

Here is my advice... get rid of the dog ASAP before it ends up killing that poor kitty or take the kitten back. Or maybe do whats best and get rid of both, because I am sorry... there is just no way your decision makes any bit of sense... do you understand what you have done?

Here is an instant reply of you: Hi I have a dog that chases and kills small animals, so I went out and bought a kitten that's actually to young to have been adopted and now I want to know how do I stop my killer dog from doing something to the kitten that I never should have gotten in the first place, knowing that my dog will probably chase and kill it.

REALLY? I have seen some stupid and irresponsible things in my life, but this just takes the cake.

Taken from a pet site:

Fox terriers make excellent companion dogs, but they're among a few breeds that don't mesh well with cats. Fox terriers are lively, intelligent and very active; they're born hunters that don't always like other pets. They adore their people, though, and generally prefer being the only animal in their home.

Safety Issues

The average fox terrier has such a strong hunting drive that he isn’t a safe companion for a cat. Bred to flush, chase and trap foxes, these dogs instinctively view small animals as prey. Even if you raise your fox terrier from puppyhood, you can’t train away his genetic urge to hunt. When he’s on the trail of your cat -- or the neighbor’s cat or another fleeing animal -- there's a higher risk in this breed than in others that he may not respond to your commands.

I got Loki at 11 weeks old not ten. I know its not ideal, I wanted to wait until he was twelve since that is one thing everyone keeps saying on this forum... but the breeder asked me to pick it up early and I obliged. I figured 11 weeks was better than 10.

As for my dog. I am moving to a dog free home in a different city in a month (my dog is staying with my parents, Loki is coming with me). In the meanwhile I was hoping my fur baby could get to the point where he could roam around the house. But it seems you guys think it is not going to happen. I will keep him in the room and away from my dog.
I just thought if my dog could learn to not chase the other cat, he could learn to not chase Loki. He has been living with my parent's cat for several years and he has never hurt her. I'm sorry to cause you guys to get so angry about this.

It a multi-problem issue. If you did proper research you would have seen that a responsible breeder would wait until 12 - 13 weeks (if not more) before adopting. SOME breeders will adopt at 10 weeks and think it's fine, but overall if you looked at vast amount of breeder sites... 12-13+ weeks is more typical and acceptable. Anything younger and your looking at possible behavior issues and within a few weeks or months we could be in a "we told ya so" moment if you end up with problems.

Granted it's not your fault the breeder is adopting too young, but just remember you were warned. Then we wonder why their are so many unwanted pets in the world... bad breeders are part of the problem. They adopt pets out too soon and then the owner ends up having issues with aggression and or poor bathroom habits and there's another pet tossed into a shelter or tossed out in the street and all over something that could have been avoided.

As for the dog... I just can't understand what would make you buy a kitten, knowing you have a dog in the house that could kill it? Why wouldn't you have just waited till you were not in that house before adopting? And another paragraph I read about that dog breed, specifically stated that sometimes the dog can coexist with a cat for years... and then out of the blue turn on it.

"Fox terriers that are uncharacteristically mellow can spend their lives coexisting with cats; but cases have played out whereby the two pets get along for years and then, for no apparent reason, the fox terrier turns on his feline companion. No matter how well-behaved your fox terrier is, never leave him alone with your cat; crate the dog or securely confine the animals in separate rooms."

Not exactly the proper environment for a kitten. Not to mention that the cat already being too young to begin with, but adding on this kind of extra stress could just multiply the possibility of even more issues with the kitty.

I'm gonna have to bite my tongue...

Not everyone that has cats with dogs can't handle it and should be called irresponsible.

Perhaps once your kitty gets full grown -- now she's a little tiny thing and she has no idea what a dog is or that a dog (your dog) could potentially harm her. You've got to keep them separated for the time being. Some cats and dogs get along great. And a kitten will want to play with a dog. I know some people have come down hard on you for this .... but you've got a little life to protect.

I have 2 Bengal kittens, now 18 weeks old. We bought them from a breeder and was assured they were 13 weeks, our vet informed us they were barely 10 weeks. I don't think this makes me a bad owner but will take action against the breeder. However, they are better with me, even at 10 weeks, because we also discovered they had fleas. At least i had them I the vets the day I got them, wormed, flea treated, life time injections.... Everything.
I also have 3 dogs, 2 Labs and a Border Collie. They get on great and all sleep in the kitchen overnight without any problems. Introductions were closely monitored, and there were a couple of snaps, but I have complete trust in all my pets.
Re the comment above referring to behaviours, a good friend of mine has a husky and was told never to let it off the lead along with various other warnings about the breed. He is the most loyal dog because he has been brought up with a great owner and socialised with other dogs. He is always off the lead with my 3 across the fields and always recalls when my friend calls him. He now has a Lab puppy and a dog de Bordeaux puppy... Madness !
I do think some of some comments above are unnecessary, she has been naive but didn't deserve those responses.

Let me make it clear; I love my kitten and will do whatever it takes to keep him safe. I guess I was being a bit optimistic about them being introduced right now. I will keep them separated for now, and look at introducing them when Loki has gotten a bit older. Apart from biting my head off, no one has actually explained a good way to introduce my kitten to my dog. Since it seems I should wait until Loki is bigger (the breeder says Loki is going to be a really big boy like his parents ), how do I introduce a cat to a dog?

Thanks

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The little monsters 3

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The little monsters 3