tips for introducing cat to cat-hating dog..?

[Leigh]

i have 2 large cat hater dogs. my dh and i have always wanted a cat but the dogs came first, and we sadly agreed we'd never get to have a cat, until an unexpected opportunity arose in a beautiful little kitty surrendered to our local shelter last week. had to have her. got her.

the problem is shes super friendly, even with the dogs growling she still wants to try to play with them. currently shes being held in our family den (or 'basement') shes very happy there, but we'd like to have her roaming free in the entire house, with everybody else. everytime we try to introduce them, the dogs will aggressively 'poke' her, drool, whine, and shake. is there any hope for them?
when we try to introduce them, its just me standing while holding the cat and letting them get sniffs as long as they are gentle about it. i've heard i should pet the cat, then rub her scent on the dogs...? does that work?
kathleen and rachel, wow, way to pass judgements! unfortunately, i was asking for tips - not hateful comments. we wouldn't have adopted the cat if we didn't already have a safe place for her to live out her years in comfort, ie-my beforehand mentioned family den. this should have been your first clue that the cat is already safe and comfortable. anyway it certainly beats out the 3X2 fleainfested cage she was in at the shelter for 28 more hours before she would have been euthanized.

stogburn thanks for the tips! yeah, our dogs have both already been trained and know who the leaders of this pack are, which is why they don't dare try to attack as long as one of us is holding the kitty. i guess that would explain the poking and shaking. i was thinking maybe in the future when we try to introduce again, we should do it after their exercise when they're most tired and calm? i'll def try the scent thing, everybody else recommends it as well. thanks again best answer!

 

[Rachel Rose Griffin]

Um... You shouldn't have got a kitten while you have cart hater dogs. Thats nice that you got her from a shelter and all, but wouldn't it be better if she was adopted by a family where there wouldn't be a possible death? Think of the cat here, not just yourselves.

 

[lil baby]

first i would take the cat out of the basement and let the dogs sniffthe area for a few minutes. then i woul put the dogs on leeshes(a choker would be best) and let them sniff the cat. if they start acting crazy tug on the leash and say NO. another thing you could do is get one of those gates and put the dogs on one sode and the cat on the other and see what happens. and maybe your dogs will never learn to get along with the cat, and in that case you probably will have ot keep the cat in the basment

 

[stogburn]

We have two tabby cats and a golden retriever. The one thing we tried was to rub our dog's slobber over the cat's body, especially over their heads and faces. Pet the cats while you do this. Do the same with the dogs. Mix and match their scents ex: put the cat's blanket where the dog sleeps, pet the cat then immediately pet the dog etc. This will show that "it's an equal opportunity household" and that "no pet governs the house". We have also held the cats and rubbed their little bodies all over the dogs. It helps if you have a partner to help you and make sure the cats nails are clipped. Don't force the animals just be gentle and have confidence that it will work. It has worked for us and now the pets sleep and roam the house together. The pets have learned to respect each other and no be afraid. Good luck and happy holidays.