Will my dog with false pregnancies and prey drive adopt a kitten?

Bringing a kitten into a home with a dog that has high prey drive, especially if that dog has a history of killing small animals like squirrels, etc. can be very dangerous - because of this, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person and help you do this as safely as possible. You will likely need to keep your dog on-leash at all times around the kitten for quite a while, so that you can prevent any chasing and reward calm behavior with treats and praise. The kitten and dog should never be loose together when you aren't home, or when you aren't able to supervise. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist who can help you in person here: www.dacvb.org

The best way to begin introducing a large dog to a cat is with a basket muzzle, on a leash, with extremely careful supervision. This is particularly true if you already know that Loki has a high prey drive. If Loki is a Border Collie, his intelligence may work for you or against you depending on his temperament. It is all about positive reinforcement in this sort of situation, and taking things slowly and carefully. I would not throw the kitten and dog together in the same room freely right away. Keep one of them in a crate and the other outside of it so they can see and sniff each other but not have any direct contact. After a couple of days, I would try the above thing I mentioned ( you will obviously require your mom's help with this ), making sure to have plenty of treats available on hand to reward any sort of positive response. If there is any negative response or act of aggression, do not punish Loki. Simply end the interaction and walk away for a few minutes, return, and try again. Punishment is ineffective in this instance and in most in my opinion. Once you are convinced after several sessions that Loki is not acting in an aggressive manner, try the same exercise but without the basket muzzle. Continue to do this until you are comfortable enough that they are buddies instead of foes. Hope this helps.

Yes, you got it right. They often can't distinguish between kittens and other small preys and will attack and kill the kittens as well. The same can apply to small children, that in their eyes can be considered something not human as they are not fully grown up, make funny sounds and have different smells. This does not apply got every dog, but does apply to dogs like yours that feel the instinct to attack. I would advise against rescuing a kitten or it might end up in a tragedy ! Best wishes

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fiona may be having a hormonal imbalance triggered by the kitten coming in to the house called a false pregnancy . I would check her mammary glands by trying to express them to see if milk comes out. There may not be any milk there but the kitten may nurse on them anyway. If there is milk Fiona and the kitten need to be separated until the milk is gone and the kitten needs to be prevented from nursing off her. If there is no milk in her glands I see no harm in it. I wish you the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Be sure that Liona is actually producing milk before putting the kittens with her. If she isn't making milk then you need to bottle feed the kittens every 2-3 hours with kitten milk replacer. Once she gives birth you can try to put the kittens on her. Just be sure they aren't pushing her kittens off. Track the weights of her kittens to be sure they are getting enough. I wish you the best!

Nursing can take a lot of energy, so making sure your pregnant cat is receiving enough nutrition for herself, the growing kittens and the kitten she is nursing is key. Be sure to provide her with a high-quality kitten food that will offer extra protein and fat to provide enough for everyone. Many cats will adopt kittens from other litters, and some cats have even been known to adopt babies from other species! If this is her first litter, she may want to push away or attack the kitten when her own litter comes, so be sure to have supplemental milk ready if it is needed or if the kittens own mother is not nursing it already. If your pregnant cat does become aggressive, be sure to keep the kitten separated so both mom and kitten can be stress-free. Otherwise, as long as mom and kitten are both happy, she should be fine nursing one more!

Your older dog is probably just curious about the new kitten. As long as he is not doing anything to harm or frighten the cat I would let them continue to get to know each other. Female kittens can go in to heat as early as 5 months of age. However, even if she is in heat it should not affect your dog or make him more interested in the cat.