Best Way to Introduce a New Kitten
Upon arriving at home, place the kitten in a small, quiet area with food and a cat litter box. If the kitten is very tiny, a small litter box with low sides will be necessary at first.
Kitten Proofing the Home
Set up a safe and secure area where you can leave your kitten when you are not available for supervision. This location should have a food bowl, water bowl, litter box, play toys, a scratching post, and a resting area; be sure the space is big enough to accommodate all of these things.
Kittens are natural explorers and will use their claws to climb up onto anything possible. In the first few weeks, slow access to the home will allow for exploration as well as the ability for you to monitor the kitten's behavior.
The kitten should be given a safe and secure area that provides for all of its needs (as described above), and introductions with the existing family pets should be carefully supervised. At the first introduction, there may be no immediate problems, and reinforcement of desirable responses may be all that is required.
Introducing the New Kitten to Your Dog
If your dog has some mild anxiety, the introductions will need to be controlled, gradual, supervised, and always positive. Using a leash to control your dog, use favored rewards and training commands to encourage your dog to sit or stay calmly in the cat's presence. Dogs that are not well trained to settle on order may need their training reviewed and improved upon before introduction to any new pet. Alternatively, a dog leash and head halter may be used for more immediate control and safety. The calm investigation should then be encouraged and reinforced. Any initial anxiety on the part of the dog or kitten should soon decrease.
If the dog is prevented from rough play and chasing, the kitten should quickly learn its limits with the dog, including how to avoid confrontation by climbing or hiding. Initially, it would be best to keep a dog and a kitten separated unless supervised. If there is still the possibility of aggression or injury after the cautious initial introductions, then a behavior consultation would be advisable.
