[nutto]

hello does anyone know what my dog is trying to do with my kitten she gets very excited when she sees her and keeps trying to smell and lick her i have no idea whether shes trying to be friendly with her or does she want to eat her... she even tried to grab the kitten in her mouth

 

[kate]

Maybe she thinks it's a new toy...I wouldn't let her get too close until the cat can defend it's self. The dog might surprise you and go after the kitten otherwise. Your dog probably wants to play.

 

[Ioana]

Hi Nutto,
The dapple dachsund here does the same to my kitty...I guess Idella thinks she is Frosty's mommy stimulating him. I never let them play unsupervized though. Idella is a small doggie but Frosty is only 11 ounces
Your dog must be very loving -

 

[lexxie109]

My dog, Isaac use to do that all the time to the tiny kittens we fostered that had no mother. We were told it's a mothering thing but what I didn't understand is that Isaac is a male dog. He would lick them and nibble gently. The kittens loved him and would follow him like he was their mother. I wouldn't be too worried but if I were you I'd still keep a close on eye them just to be on the safe side. Just in case your dog gets too rough.

 

[Jeanie]

nutto, under normal circumstances, I agree with the other posts. But please read this also:

http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=670

 

[Jessica]

A co-worker of mine has a dog who loves kittens and enjoys cleaning them. She also will mouth them in a very gentle manner.

A dog though can easily hurt a kitten if it gets too excited by accident so it's best if the dog gets too excited to separate the two until they calm down.

 

[Chris]

I also wouldn't worry too much but suggest to always watch them.

 

[Ioana]

That was a touching story, Jeanie.
I am glad that as more experienced cat owners and veterans of this site you and the others don't forget to bring to our attention, the newcomers like me, stories like this posted before our arrival. (it is easy to imagine that it is hard to cover all the material there is on the forum)

 

[Jeanie]

Ioana, I am a veteran cat owner, and have quite a bit of experience with forums about cats, but I'm a newcomer to Cat Forum! I just post a lot. I'm used to it. (and I'm a gabber!) You will learn a lot by being a member here.