Kitten aggression towards my poor shihtzu!

Question

I originally had a 1 1/2 year old shihtzu. We then adopted a kitten into our family and they got along like heaven. My dog is extremely loving, so he took to the kitten like they were siblings. This is where the problem comes in!

The kitten is now about 6 months old. She will be moving out with one of my roommates in a couple of days, so we found new kittens to adopt. We got 2 - they were taken off the street, so they're very young, just weaned. One is a boy and one is a girl.

When we brought them home, we made a mistake of letting them loose around the apartment without giving them a chance to adapt slowly. My poor shihtzu just wants to be friends, but the kittens (especially the boy) are totally aggressive! They hiss at my dog every chance they get and become really tense. I know it's because they probably have not seen a dog before and they're protecting themselves, but how do I get them to get along? My dog is a pansy, so he's already scared of the kittens, though he still makes an effort to get to know them (only to retreat after failing). We need some peace in our apartment!

Answer 1

Hi there... it would be helpful to isolate the kittens in a room of their own with the litter box(s), food dishes, toys and beds apart from your dog until they become more settled within the home.  The re-introductions can still be done gradually so that the kittens and your shih-tzu will feel less stressed.  

It does require patience and time so that all pets trust one another.  

The following websites will help guide you on the re-introductions:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pe...

http://www.ccasnj.org/resources/resource...