Yorkies and kittens?

[amybeaudine]

Hello everyone,

My name is Amy and I'm new to YorkieTalk forums. I do not have a yorkie as of yet, but I'm in the works of getting a little puppy soon. Right now, I have two adopted kittens that are about 5 months old. I was wondering if any of you have gone through the process of having kittens first and then getting a yorkie puppy. Any suggestions or advice?

Thank you for your time!

[Yorkiemom1]

I have had cats and dogs under the same roof since zi married in'70. My x-husband adored cats, I adored Chihuahuas....I have had my dogs injured by his cats on numerous occasions....first major accident was when his cat came bounding up the starts behind my little dog, and trying to play with the dog, she pushed the Chi thru the rails on the staircase and the pup fellfrom the second floor to the ground below....thank God she didnt hit any furniture on the way down, but she ended up with a nasty compound fracture of her front leg. The other major accident involving cats and my little dogs....cat swung at my babys face and caught her right across the eyes, scratching the cornea severly....never healed and for the next 10 years, twice a day, I instilled eye drops into my baby's eyes. Took the cat IMMEDIATELY and had it declawed...will never have another cat around any of my dogs, unless it has been declawed. Any cats we have ever owned are never allowed outside, strictly indoor cats...so I do not need cats clawing up all my furniture, drapes, carpet, and blinding my dogs, even if they are "only playing"....any cats that live here are declawed! And I have had 3 cats that were declawed, and they never had any traumatic personality flights of fancy disorders.....they adjusted beautifully.....alot better than my unfortunate little dog who was essentially blinded in her left eye from claws.

[yavenay]

I once fostered a kitten who was only a few months old and my yorkie loved her. I think because they were both so playful, that help them to bond. The best part was they kept each other company. Another time I had a full grown cat and a full grown yorkie who was a rescue.....they never bonded and only co existed. They never played together or slept together. They kept their distance from each other. As long as they weren't fighting, I was okay with it.

It all depends on the age and personalities involved. Kittens and puppies tend to bond a little better because all they want to do is play and anybody that is willing to play with them instantly becomes their best friend. Older cats are a little more set in their ways and really don't want to be bother by puppies or kittens as much. That has been my experience.

As already stated, there is a chance cat could accidently scratch the pup.....but accidents do happen in life and your pup could be accidently injured by you. My cat who I had for 15 years never played with her claws out. If she was playing with me or the dog, she kept her claws in. She was an indoor cat but I don't believe in declawing cats as it is their only means of protection plus it's just plain cruel.

[Yorkiemom1]

Fortunately, any cat I have ever had was strictly an indoor cat and did not need to destroy my furniture, curtains, bedspreads that hang over the edge of the bed, etc, in order to be a healthy, well adjusted cat....all my cats were declawed, that has become a big "no-no" along with cropping tails on some breeds of dogs, and often considered by some as "cruel".....done correctly by professionals and not the neighbor with a meat clever, it works just fine. I never had a cat with psychological issues because of declawing, of course, I had great vets that did it correctly, and the cats tolerated it just fine. No adverse effects on personalities, always remained sweet, adorable, loving, affectionate cats....they just did not destroy my furniture and drapes....and before they were declawed, they had scratching posts and rugs and many, MANY other area/items where scratching was encouraged/directed, and they STILL shredded hems on my custom made drapes, snagged and shredded upholstery on antique desk chair, poked holes in my leather furniture, raveled and snagged my Berber carpet, etc.....I certainly do not consider it "cruel", any more than docking tails or removing dew claws on yorkie puppies....done under anesthesia rather than in the back yard or garage, done by a qualified vet, not the neighbor or my gardener......and cat forever protected by remaining indoors, just hanging out, watching birds, snuggling in my sons lap, dozing on the bed or couch rather than dodging cars, running from neighbors that resent cat poop in their gardens, fighting for its life from street wise cats running the roads, etc.....

[CouversMom]

I have two cats and two yorkies. All interactions have been positive... up until recently. My male (Couver) attacked my 5 month old Persian kitten Winston over food. We had my mom's dog over for a week and he was guarding her food and Winston got too close. Luckily for Winston, he was able to fight back (with his claws) and both pets survived. I fear that without his claws, he would have been killed.

I do not believe in declawing either, but I understand that there are people with differing beliefs out there. Personally, I will never declaw a cat. I've had cats with claws for 8 years now and have had 0 items in my home destroyed or even scratched. I give my cats an interesting life and therefore they are not bored and do not destroy things. They have windows to look out, toys to play with, cat posts to scratch, an enclosed 'catio' where they can go dig in the dirt safely, beds to sleep on and many other things that keep them active and happy.

I definitely think that yorkies and kitties do well with each other, they just have to respect each other.

[yavenay]

Originally Posted by CouversMom

I have two cats and two yorkies. All interactions have been positive... up until recently. My male (Couver) attacked my 5 month old Persian kitten Winston over food. We had my mom's dog over for a week and he was guarding her food and Winston got too close. Luckily for Winston, he was able to fight back (with his claws) and both pets survived. I fear that without his claws, he would have been killed.

I do not believe in declawing either, but I understand that there are people with differing beliefs out there. Personally, I will never declaw a cat. I've had cats with claws for 8 years now and have had 0 items in my home destroyed or even scratched. I give my cats an interesting life and therefore they are not bored and do not destroy things. They have windows to look out, toys to play with, cat posts to scratch, an enclosed 'catio' where they can go dig in the dirt safely, beds to sleep on and many other things that keep them active and happy.


I definitely think that yorkies and kitties do well with each other, they just have to respect each other.

Looking at these pics makes me want to get another kitten. Duchess loves kittens and I think she thinks they are her pets. I love those pics. I miss my Zoey, my cat who passed away at 15 years old in 2014.

My cat was also not declawed but she destroyed this one chair which I still have. It's in my home office and the most comfortable chair in the house. Thankfully she didn't destroy anything else. I kept the chair to keep her from turning her sights on other pieces of furniture.

[KairaPup]

I have two cats who are now 16 years old. They've been around my dogs and have no issues.

Please do not declaw your kittens. It can cause serious health issues down the line and lifelong pain.

[gemy]

I think cats and Yorkies can get along just fine. I had my Karma when Razzman came into our life. Karma schooled my first big boy Magic then Razzle and Zoey. Karma the cat was da boss. But he was a gentle giant of a cat boss.

He was not de clawed but never used his claws in schooling our dogs. It does really depend upon the personalities of your cats n dogs - how well they will get on together.

In terms of declawing for me just like docking n cropping I believe it should be breeders and or owners choice. Just like spay and neuter is.

[CouversMom]

Originally Posted by yavenay

Looking at these pics makes me want to get another kitten. Duchess loves kittens and I think she thinks they are her pets. I love those pics. I miss my Zoey, my cat who passed away at 15 years old in 2014.

My cat was also not declawed but she destroyed this one chair which I still have. It's in my home office and the most comfortable chair in the house. Thankfully she didn't destroy anything else. I kept the chair to keep her from turning her sights on other pieces of furniture.

I love my kitties! They do have their issues though... a lot of shedding! I love long haired cats, so they make the biggest mess.

[Verbena]

I had four cats when I got Galen. Just make sure you have some high places for your kitties to get alway from the puppy but in the same room . . It all worked out here. .

[Magnus]

Originally Posted by Verbena

I had four cats when I got Galen. Just make sure you have some high places for your kitties to get alway from the puppy but in the same room . . It all worked out here. .

I don't have any kittens/cats but from all the shows I've seen (My cat from hell), I think having them a place to get away is a big key.

And who knows? Maybe they'll become best of friends! My nephew adopted a sweet pit bull and then later, a cute kitten. The cat grew up thinking he's a dog. LOL They're a "pack" and very protective of each other.