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how to get my puppy and kitten to get along

June 14th, 2008, 08:38 PM

I just wanted to get some advice on how to get my puppy and my kitten to get along.

Three weeks ago I got a little kitten and he's the cutest thing in the world. He was a rescue and he was only 4 1/2 weeks old when I got him. He is now about 8 weeks old.

I've always wanted a dog and a cat, so last tuesday I brought home a darling pomerainian girl. They are both angels and I love them so much, the only problem is they don't really get along.

They spend their entire time chasing each other and "play" fighting, but it looks more like attacking and one of them always ends up crying. My dog is bigger than my cat and I'm afraid to leave them home by themselves because I'm afraid my cat will get hurt. As a result, I've had to put up a gate in my hallway to keep my dog in a separate place than my cat when I cannot watch them. I also have people pet sitting for me all the time because I cannot leave them alone.

They are both equally bad. At times the cat goes after the dog and at times the dog goes after the cat. They also steal each other's toys, each each other's food and generally try to annoy each other as much as possible.

I had the impression that if I raised the two of them together that they would get along. Anyways, i'm exhausted from yelling and trying to keep them apart.


June 14th, 2008, 09:12 PM
Hmmm...hard to tell, but it sounds like they might be getting along pretty well. When they approach each other does the cat hiss and fluff; does the dog run away or growl? It's hard to tell without seeing it, but they really might just be playing. If you were seeing blood or if they were avoiding each other, I'd be more worried.

When our dogs Cole and Ember were young, they used to play extremely rough. To the uninitiated, it looked like warfare. That's just how they played.

Our Pack still plays rough, but it's moderated some as they aged. :D To the uninitiated, it still looks like warfare:



It's all part of the game. Because it's so rough, they aren't allowed to play in the house...but of course they do anyway. :rolleyes:

June 14th, 2008, 09:15 PM
If your pom is a puppy then they are playing, perhaps a little roughly but not fighting - playing, chasing, wrestling, etc. If you keep them separate they will never bond but if you need some peace and quiet put one in another room or cage for a time-out.

June 14th, 2008, 09:52 PM

Thanks for that advice. My kitten doesn't run away, if anything he stands up and provokes my puppy even more. I just start pulling them apart when I see biting. because my dog can bite quite a bit harder than my cat.

I know it'll come with time. i'm just worried in the mean time.

June 14th, 2008, 09:59 PM
Yup definately sounds like playing, puppy may bite a little hard, but kittie has claws, they will establish their own boundries over time. Lord you should see my two dogs playing, with all the roaring and growling you'd expect to see blood.

June 14th, 2008, 11:11 PM
One thing I would add is to make sure that your kitty has some vertical space he can escape to if needed. At 8 weeks he may not be able to jump very high, but if you can set something up where he can get above the dog and out of reach if he needs a break, he'd probably really like that. Cats love being able to survey a scene from on high, it reinforces their superiority over all living things :laughing:. When he's bigger, a cat condo (if you don't already have one) would be most appreciated.