I have a 5 yr old Pomapoo and recently got a 2-3 month old kitten. They were getting along pretty well for the first few days, but now the kitten has become increasingly aggressive with the dog. From what I've read, this is normal play-fighting--- sneaking up on him and pouncing, hanging onto one of his legs and biting him... but it makes me uneasy. I worry that the kitten will hurt the dog. The dog is very calm for the most part, chasing the kitten on occasion but never hurting him or biting at him. Most of the time he is content to just lay down and watch the kitten play, or sniff him and walk away.

When the kitten bites him and hangs on, the dog just tries to shake him off or runs away, or looks up at me as though I should do something to help him. Last night the kitten bit onto a tuft of hair on the dogs face- the dog stiffened up, and circled around while the kitten swung from his face.

I don't like them playing this way, and it doesn't seem the dog enjoys it much either. What can I do to discourage this type of behavior in the kitten? Will it just automatically stop as he gets older and once he is neutered, or is there something I must do now to nip this in the bud and prevent it from becoming a worse problem? Never had a cat before, so I'm really kind of clueless on this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

If you're worried about it you could keep them separate. You could try squirting the cat with a little water and telling him no when they're acting up.The dog should let the cat know when it's being too rough, nip at the cat or growl.

Well, I let them play together when I'm there to supervise- if I can't watch them either the dog is in his cage or the kitten is in the bathroom.

My concern is that the dog Doesn't seem to stop the kitten from biting him, clawing him, swinging off his face- he just looks scared and looks at me, or tries to shake him off. My dog is very sweet natured, and wouldn't nip at the cat and I don't think I've ever heard him growl angrily since we got him 2 yrs ago.

Do most kittens calm down as they get older? I just don't want my dog to be miserable forever, but if there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I could probably stick it out till then.

The kitten is frightened as hell. That is why it s doing this. And your poor dog doesn't defend himself because he knows he's just a little kitten. What you should do first is trim the kittens nail to lessen the damage. You should keep them separated at first for at least 2 weeks in different rooms. They should each have their own space and/or safe haven to go to (like a box.. etc). Some dogs and cats get along very well. You should see if they get used to each other.

I had a similar problem with my kitten. He would leave scratches on my dog and everything. I'd only let them play under supervision too. It did get better with time. The cat doesn't hurt the dog anymore. The cat is now about 9 months old. It did get a lot better once we had him fixed at 6 months.

Well, I don't think the kitten is frightened at all. He treats the dog like one of his toys- sneaks up on him, pounces on him... but at other times he rubs up against him and purrs, or cuddles up with him in his bed- it's just when they're playing that he tends to get rough.

Or the dog will be eating his own food and the kitten comes running into the room, pushes him out of the way and chows down- and the dog just backs up, stands there and stares all confused and then comes and gets me to show me what the kitten is doing---- I honestly think the dog is more afraid of the kitten than the kitten is of the dog!

Sounds to me like the cat is just doing what it knows it can get away with.

Hi, I was wondering what the situation is now with the kitten and the dog as I have exactly the same problem. I have a 4 year old Doberman who is used to cats having just lost my old cat to illness, got a kitten. The kitten does exactly the same as you describe and at my dog reacts exactly as your dog does i.e. pulls away and looks scared and looks towards me. In fact the dog doesn't seem comfortable and relaxed when the kitten is bounding around. The kitten is now around 15 weeks.
Has your kitten eased up on the dog at all with age and have you had him Neutered yet. I am going to have my kitten done in a couple of weeks time in the hopes this may make him not try and dominate my dog. I am amazed she hasn't bitten him, she has in fact played with him on occasion but he gets too much for her. My Doberman has a bad spondylosis of the spine and at times in pain although she is on meds, but still she doesn't attack the kitten but gently pulls her legs away. Have had cats and dogs all my life but this little boy seems more pushy with a dog than my others I have had.