Kitten!

[Rafferty]

My friend has a kitten (shes about 8 months old now) who is coming to stay with me for two week whilst she's going on holiday. I've got a couple of questions. Firstly, i have a yorkshire terrier, which could be a problem if they dont get along, but hes very dosile and has never lashed out at another animal. He normally cowers when he's approached by another animal so I'm hoping there won't be a problem with them. Also, my friend is going to come and stay at my house with the kitten for a night, to see how she gets along with my dog.Obviously if there are any major problems then we'll have to give up ont the idea of her coming to stay.However, does anyone have any ideas as to how I could get them to get along a bit better? Even a good way to introduce them would be helpful!

Secondly, i would just like any tips at all on how i can make her feel better whilst she's here. She'll obviously be a bit wary at first. But just any tips! Also, how do i show her where her litter tray is? If i just take her to it and show her it, will that do? I've never had a cat before, apart from when i was young, so i dont really know what im doing!

Sorry for such a long winded question. But any help will be great.
:)

[wolf63]

If they don't get on the problem won't be the dog attacking the innocent little kitten. The kitten will probably beat up the dog.
Most adult dogs will tolerate a kitten or puppy joining the household.

I looked after my pal's kitten once - for a week. It was a total shock as I had previously only had a big dog. Kittens never stop moving, they climb anything and you can never work out what they are going to get up to next.

You are just going to see how it goes. After an initial snarling and hissing match they might just settle down.

If she is litter trained already you will probably have no problems - they are pretty smart little animals.

[Kimmiebear]

Hiya
I would recommend keeping them seperate especially when you are not around. I would also recommend confining the kitten to one or 2 rooms because if she is going to be wary and hide it is less stressful for her to have a small area than a large area. If you place her litterbox in the room that you want her to stay in she will find it. It might be wise to show her where it is just so that there is no confusion. Make sure that you give them both lots of attention and love.
Cheers
Kim

[maggie01]

Can the kitten not stay in her own home and perhaps you could go and feed it and spend a bit of time with it there. I always find they are better off in their own home.

[Rafferty]

Thank you all for your advice.
Wolf- i didnt even contemplate that the kitten (Lily) would be the problem! I just hope they're OK together.
Kimmiebear- I had planned to keep them apart as much as possible - the dog has a kennel outside so he can go in there if needs be.I also hadn't thought about the fact that limiting her to a few rooms may help her, so thank you.
and finally...
maggie- I think she would probably be better staying here. Shes a very sociable little thing, and so needs attention a lot. She's used to being spoilt at home, so Im not sure how she would cope being on her own. Also, there is no cat flap at her home, so leaving her there would only cause mess!

Thank you all for your advice, any more will be greatly appreciated
xx

[WendyS]

If your friend's kitten has its own sleeping bed, tell her to bring it with her as having a familiar place to sleep will help her feel comfortable, as well as possibly having a separate room in which to sleep and have her litter tray. Put her on the litter tray a couple of times. She will probably get the message quite quickly, but if she's nervous in her surroundings, she may go elsewhere. Make sure you have some carpet shampoo ready so that any little nervous accidents can be quickly cleaned before the smell penetrates. Also make sure you know which brands of cat food the kitten likes. They can be be fussy about food and if you suddenly start feeding a different variety, she may not eat it.