The Golden Retrievers and Husky in this video are loving their experience with very young kittens. They must be very good friends with the mama cat to get this close to the young kittens. It looks so natural for all 3 dogs to nurture the kittens. As if it’s the norm.
Some dogs are cat people, and some are not
Just like people, some dogs are drawn to cats, and some aren’t. And some dogs with predatory instincts are probably best not matched with a family with cats, unless they grow up together. And even then, you would probably spend time to help them get acquainted with each other and build a harmonious relationship. Some dogs would be fine with cats in their own household, but not with cats outside their family. Some breeders deliberately have cats in their family so that the puppies are used to being around cats. Then if they are adopted by family with cats, the socialization would be a lot easier.
How to introduce dogs and cats to each other
American Humane offers some tips on how to introduce a dog and a cat to each other. It would be best to match a dog with a cat who share similar personality and energy level. Playful with playful. Quiet ones with laid back ones. You just don’t want a rambunctious one playing with one who doesn’t want to be bothered. Or one who likes to rough-house playing with a timid person.
Getting used to each other’s scents
The introduction is important. And definitely a supervised meeting. This article goes into some details. For the first few days, rotate giving one the freedom to roam while the other is confined to one area (or another room) so they have lots of time to get used to the other’s scent. When the dog is calm and no longer fascinated with the cat, and the cat is calm, eating and using her litterbox normally, then you can have them in the same room, with your dog on a leash. Continue this kind of meetings until both are relaxed and happy around each other. When you are absolutely sure that they won’t hurt each other, you can move on to unsupervised interactions. You can read more details about this process here.
Article source: American Humane
