New Kitten Hissing At Dog?
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I adopted a new kitten today and it’s only 8 weeks old. He’s already making himself comfortable in the home and is loving everyone. ![]()
However, he loves everyone except for the dogs. My dogs are both 10 years old and have always been together. And they’re both very patient with the new kitten, knowing to keep their distance too.
The kitten hisses and growls, and tries to swipe at the dogs. How can I train the cat to become calm with them? I read that I can rub the dog’s body scent on a cloth and allow that as the kitten’s blanket.
Both dogs are usually always outdoor and the kitten obviously stays inside in “Safe ground.” Help please?

Read Pamela Johnson-Bennett’s book Think Like a Cat. She is a cat behaviorist who gives excellent advice.
She’ll get used to the dogs all on her own, it’ll just take some time.
Time will tell . You can not force one animal to like another. Once the cat gets used to the dogs they may get along just fine.
No need to worry. The kitten is proboably just frightened and doesn’t know what to make of the dogs. With time, the kitten will begin to tolerate the dogs so long as they keep their distance and don’t make any sudden moves towards him/her. Letting the kitten get used to their scent is a good idea. That’s what I did when I brought home a new kitten. Granted I wasn’t dealing with dogs, but another much older cat. They did the exact same things–they hissed at each other and kept their distance from one another. And if the kitten would come to close, our older cat might try swiping at her (thankfully, we keep their claws clipped and my older cat has been losing some teeth due to age). But think about it…tiny kitten plus big ol dog creature they’ve never encountered before…they’re bound to be a little frightened. Your cat might warm up to them, it might not. And even if it doesn’t, since it’s a kitten it will at least develop a mutual relationship with the dogs. Just keep an eye on your pets to make sure nothing goes wrong.