I am wondering if anyone has experience introducing a kitten to a puppy basenji.
I have been reading some of the posts on B's and cats. Most of them seem to have started with the cat first and then introduced the Basenji.
We are thinking of getting a kitten to play with Zuri. (So she stops picking on our 13yr old dachshund).
Zuri is now 8 months old. She loves to play but our old gal peppermint just can't handle the type of play. I think if Peppermint could sue Zuri, we would be in court forever dealing with harassment and abuse charges (Peppermint would win).
Anyway, good idea or bad idea to get a kitten?
Brenda
I wouldn't trust mine to a kitten. When a baby bunny went into our yard, it was killed immediately.
I don't think a kitten would be a good idea. I have 3 cats-don't get me wrong; But two are outside barn cats and even though the one is very nasty to the B's-she wouldn't stand a chance. I have one indoor one who will come upstairs-but we never EVER leave her unsupervised and she always has a place to hide. Depending on the mood of the B's it could be (excuse the pun) a catastrophie.
I would see about maybe rescuing an young adult to adult cat the is used to dogs if a cat is the way you want to go. But I also suggest finding one that is REALLY used to dogs. Some may tolerate dogs and there are others like my cat that believes she is a dog.
Simpley an adult cat would be bigger and more able to defend itself if need, and also because of the basenji prey drive. Also make sure you have a place the cat can go and get a break, a cat tree IMO is the best for this. Plus there are lots of cats out there that are teeneagers or adults that need good homes.
We are definitely going to invest in a cat tree if we get this cat. Hubby is in love with the kitten and convinced Zuri will be fine with it. It is an older kitten and not too small. I too think she is pretty playful and doesn't have any agression towards any animals so far….she just wants to play. Still looking for suggestions...but as I said...I think hubby is already sold on the idea. If tehy become playmates, it would be great because my old gal won't be around forever.
I do plan to proceed with caution.
Thanks for the imput.
Brenda
It may take a while.. but cats and Basenjis can work… one of my puppy people introduced two cats "hating" Basenjis and while it took months... they finally get along fine.... then when they lost those two cats (and not because of the Basenjis) they got two kittens... the male B thought it was his personal play toy... the bitch adopted one as her baby....
Not normal.. but it can happen
Cats can be tricky…the age and size make a difference. We had one cat when we got our basenji, Manning, and that was never a problem. Our second cat, Darwin, came into the picture when he was about 10 months old and Manning was a little over a year old. Manning and Darwin got along once Darwin put his hair back down. The trickiest has been our latest cat, Merlin. We got him about a month ago at 4 months old. He wasn't super small but Manning picks on him alot more than he did the other two. Right now, they are not friends...Merlin runs and plays like a kitten so Manning thinks he needs to chase. I have to watch those two like a hawk. I would suggest not declawing...in my house a declawed kitty would probably be a dead kitty.
I am not a fan of declawing and since we have a doggie door, there is a chance the cat may get out and if she does she will need her claws. I will keep you posted on the decision and the adjustment. I am already planning escape zones for the kitten if we get her.
You might also want to try a baby gate for one room, although some b's prove to be tricky little climbers. I use it in front of the spare bedroom. That way the cats have their own space that the dogs can't invade. Manning usually repsects the gate. The only time he didn't was when the kitten was new. He jumped over several times, but he stopped once the "newness" wore off I guess it wasn't worth the effort. 
I am not a fan of declawing and since we have a doggie door, there is a chance the cat may get out and if she does she will need her claws. I will keep you posted on the decision and the adjustment. I am already planning escape zones for the kitten if we get her.
I would NOT declaw… a "clawed" kitty has a better chance of gaining a Basenji's respect...IMO
I would NOT declaw… a "clawed" kitty has a better chance of gaining a Basenji's respect...IMO
The decision I am referring to is the one to get the kitten…not to have it declawed. I will not have a cat declawed for that reason among many others.
brenda
So, we did decide to get the kitten and it's been a couple weeks since we brought him home. He is about 6 months old at this point. Zuri loves to chase him and they play quite a bit….sometimes rougher that I would like but when Tony is fed up, he goes in his cat tree out of Zuri's reach....and well, when Zuri is fed up...wait a minute, that never happens. Anyway, so far all is going quite well.
Brenda
