Since you have until May, you have time to read one or both of these great books! Living with Kids and Dogs without Loosing Your Mind, by Colleen Pelar Child Proofing your Dog by Brian Kilcommins Integrating a baby into a household with dogs is very doable, but you need to practice prevention first, and continue to provide lots of exercise and attention for your dogs. Congrats on the new baby, everything should be workable with some planning and an abundance of caution and you are obviously a good planner :) Baby gates will be really useful for you to keep things safe.

Hi workinprogress, I am sorry you are going through this. This is going to be a challenge but Miles can and will learn to feel safe in his new home. Your dogs should also be allowed to feel safe too. They are probably spooked by the changes. They sound wonderful, peaceful and laid back large dogs. Sweet. My guess is that Miles believes the dogs are the same species. His aggressive behavior is probably fear based. Do you know his history? Was he tortured by dogs, chased, hunted, pesterd? Cats act aggressively out of fear. If a cat feels the need to protect itself, it will go on the defensive in order to ward off the perceived threat. Perhaps Miles lived with mostly other dogs and learned the Pack mentality. This is hard for a cat to learn and especially hard to change. Miles sees the dogs as a threat or a potential threat. He feels an automatic response to control and take a dominate position. Miles needs to learn that when he sees the dogs that the new response will be safety, love, happiness, comfort, security... A animal behaviorist might be helpful. But until then you need to get through the day. You may need to put Miles on a leash or harness. He will hate this but he will learn that he is safe. And you can protect the other animals around him. Cats are predatory animals. It is easy to forget this with the domestic breed because we see them as pets and vulnerable. But the are truly hunters and defenders. Miles has had to defend himself and his reaction is that of a cat who was hurt badly by dogs. Or had to learn his place among dogs. There are some homeopathy or natural kinds of treatments but I would ask the vet. Sometimes a short term use of Prescribed (Dare I say it Valium) or other medications can help relax your cat so he learns that his new home is safe. He discovers his new dog brothers and sisters are safe caring companions who he can always feel safe with. An old fashioned remedy my grandma used to do to her more aggressive cats. (These cats were just wild toward the older cats) was to put a bell on them. Everyone always knew where little Leroy was. They older cats and old dog could hear him before he leaped. I think you are a truly honorable person for caring so much for Miles that he has found his forever home. Don't give up. It will be a long road but you can do this. A fellow amimal friend, ~boxerpups some links that might be helpful http://www.thecattherapist.com/behavior_problems/aggressive_cat.htm http://www.catchannel.com/behavior/dogcat/article_2261.aspx http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/felineaggression/index.shtml http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_sheets/aggression_between_family_cats.html

Hi Renee, You're a kind person, and KC is one lucky cat! About her snarling and growling at your cats - KC is a newcomer in your house right now, and as time passes by and she gets to know your cats better, she'll befriend them. For now, like you did before, let them see each other thru a crack in the door, or if possible, keep them separated by a glass door or a pet gate or something; this way they can see and smell each other, but can't really get near to cause injury. Everyday, let your other cats into the room where KC is kept, while she explores the other areas of the house; this will ensure that KC doesn't come to regard her current room as 'her' territory, and your other cats will get familiar with her smell. When the hissing and growling fits have stopped/reduced, and you decide to introduce her to the others, make sure you keep only one cat at a time in the same room as her, and watch them carefully. If there's hissing and growling, it's fine, but stop it before it escalates into scratching and a full-blown catfight (throw a pillow or something between them). We were lucky our three cats got along well with each other within a day or so, but it could take weeks or even months. If nothing works, you could try Felifriend, a cat pheromone spray (apply it on all the cats before letting them meet each other). You could get her spayed right away; in any case after the procedure, you'd have to keep her away from the others to recuperate (maybe 3-4 days), so why not do it now? Spaying might also reduce her aggression. I have a similar situation in my house right now, with Pumpkin (abandoned pregnant cat we took in) and her seven kittens in one room and our three cats. Our cats aren't allowed in Pumpkin's room because her kittens are less than two weeks old. Pumpkin hissed and growled at our cats when we brought her home (she was preggy then), but within a day, she got used to Max, and now when we bring her out of her room, she ignores him :) I'm worried about Simba's reaction to her, though; he still hisses at her. She doesn't seem fazed by any of our cats now, and I'll be getting her spayed next month, after checking with the vet (Pumpkin needs to put on weight, and the seven kittens aren't making it easy!). I'm sure, with time and patience KC and your cats will be friends. Keep us updated on your progress. Pranjal

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will wait a while to introduce them anyway, but to get a head start on info is good. And the condition that goes with adopting a kitten is that it be neutered before leaving my home or within 2 weeks and I want proof, I work for an animal rescue group that is doing this for free but I will ask each new kitten owner to make a minimal donation to help cover those costs for the rescue. This will also ensure that the people really want the kittens as pets, not to abuse. I see too many "free kittens" that are used for horrible purposes, so if the new owners are willing to make a donation I know they probably have good intentions. I actually took Amy to get spayed a week before her delivery, it was breaking my heart to do it knowing she was pregnant. After I dropped her off in her carrier, I sat in the parking lot and pondered my decision. Then two cars pull up to the MASH unit (a mobile surgical hospital that does spay/neutering as well as all necessary shots for those with low income) and out of the first one comes a pug that looked just like the dog my sister just had put to sleep a few months ago. The second car out jumps a white collie mix that looks like the dog my dad hit on their farm when she ran in front of his truck. I burst into tears, knowing Jade and Francie (the dogs) were telling me something. I ran out of the car, banged on the door and told them I didn't want to do it. They just tested her for FIV and other diseases, if she was infected I would have just put her down but she came up free and clear and healthy. I can't believe I almost did that now that the kittens are here. I am a FIRM believer in spaying, I have three full-blooded Ragdolls but had them all spayed because, as cute as they are too, the line has to be drawn, and I like this MASH unit because it benefits low income areas like mine to prevent any more "accidents". Thank you all. We have a screen door that might fit in the bedroom door frame, I will try that, but will wait. Laurief, the room is a spare, so it has a bed which she had her kittens under and room enough for them to explore and get their legs build strength, although the berber carpet is a challenge with those tiny claws! She can live there as long as she likes. My second question is this; once the kittens are weaned, is it not a good idea to let them out of the room since Amy will be not be with them? I want to raise them "underfoot" where they have the run of the house until they are ready to go to new homes. Last question: how old do the kittens need to be to get them neutered and how long for Amy? I have great knowledge of cats, but I know nothing of raising kittens!!!