cat help anyone???

[exotica]

I have a high prey drive dog a german shep acts more like a guard/defensive protection type but she has a lot of prey drive


Shes always been good with my cat i got a bunch of young cats i found on the street and brought them in

they are 3 months old? small


I just started to let them out of their room so they can explore they are kept upstairs where my dog is not allowed

I put a baby gate in case


THey hop down the stairs and see my dog and then FLIP OUT and run back up stairs so fast all you see is a blur


THis is not good like they are acting like prey my dog does not bark or anything she walks up to go see them and they just go insane

any cat experts ? will this stop? or should i find more laid back kittens to keep?

 

[MicksMom]

They just need time to get used to your dog. If I read your post correctly, your dog is just walking up to them non-aggressively. As long as they have a place to go where your dog can't get to them, they'll be fine. They will eventually learn she won't hurt them. Our cat did the same thing when we brought our Lab home, and she had been raised with the Lab we had prior to this one.

 

[exotica]

thanks are some cats really fearless from the start? they usually purbreds that never experienced danger?

 

[MicksMom]

I think it is more of an individual thing. But in your case, remember, your kittens came from the street. More likely than not, they were chased by dogs, people and other cats. They need time to learn to trust again.

 

[Snark]

Some cats are fairly fearless, it's more a matter of personality and age than breed. We've had a few cats who would take on just about anything (one purebred Siamese, the others were strays we took in) but they also knew to run like h*ll if they were overmatched.

Young kittens, especially ferals, KNOW most things are dangerous to them and it's better to run/hide than stay and maybe get eaten. If your dog does not react, does not chase them, they will eventually recognize her as no threat. You might want to put her in a down/stay if you see the kittens starting to explore so she's not such a large, scary object.

It just takes time, all of our house cats were ferals once. Most are friendly and pretty relaxed around us, but if you or some other stranger were to visit, you MIGHT see one cat (we have five).

 

[gapeach]

This helped us.Even though we went against her advice and kept Zoey (but they get along) http://drnelsonsveterinaryblog.com/2009/08/31/introducing-kittens-to-dogs.aspx

 

[AmberD]

thanks are some cats really fearless from the start? they usually purbreds that never experienced danger?

I think maybe if they're around dogs from day one (not 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, whatever), then they may not be as afraid of them, although new dogs/dogs that do not resemble the dog(s) they're used to may make them cautious, at the very least. I think any kitten (purebred or otherwise) who has been aware of its surroundings and NOT been introduced to dogs is going to freak out at the sight of one. Every kitten I've taken in off the street has been freaked out by my dogs initially. Perhaps because they had a bad experience, but also just due to pure instinct. One kitten had such a bad URI that its eyes were swollen/stuck shut for the first couple days until the medicine kicked in. My one dog would sniff it and lick it, and the kitten loved it. The first time the dog went to do that and the kitten SAW her, it flipped out, spitting and hissing. Imagine poor Josie's confusion LOL

It sounds like your dog is not reacting to them like they're prey, so that's great. The kittens will get used to the dog in their own time... some easier than others, maybe.