How to introduce my new puppy to my two cats?

I have just bought a 10 week old bichon frise puppy. I already have an 11 year old and a 3 year old cat. I tried to introduce them this evening, but it didn't go that well, the puppy is very friendly but the two cats are acting scared and aggressive. Has anyone got any suggestions to help them get along?Thanks for your helpCharlotte

i would say to introduce them wen the cats are happiest.....feeding time maybe

Here is few two good links that you could check out regarding your question: http://leerburg.com/dog-cat.htm and http://www.ehow.com/how_2532_introduce-dogs-cats.html

cats are alot easer to intoduce then dogs. the cats do not know what the puppy is, so right now they want nothing to do with it. the 11 year old cat will probly just always keep its distance from the puppy. but the 3 year old cat will probly becaome curious soon and start coming up to it, sniffing it, but the puppy with think its playing and try to play and freak it out, this will probly make you laugh, it always did me. with in a week thecats wont care. just make sure to keep giving them love and affection. cats can be very... vengful, my old cat, we got my grandmas dog when she died, and he chased her, she started peeing everywhere. like i said, give love, and time. everything will be fine

Preparation steps - Important!Get to know your dog and cat well. Be able to interpret their body language and sense their moods.Your dog should be well-trained, and respond to commands to come, stay, and sit.You should also know how to blend mild discipline and positive redirection to gently influence your cat's behavior.Do not proceed with the introduction until you have completed the steps in this section.The IntroductionBeforehand, exercise your dog and feed him a nice meal; put him in a relaxed mood. Put your dog on a short leash or in his crate.Put your cat in her carrier if she's a scaredy-cat by nature; otherwise let her walk around. Be armed with lots of treats for good behavior.Let dog and cat check each other out at a distance. Pet and talk to your dog soothingly. It's not time for dog to approach cat just yet. Give your dog and cat some treats and praise as rewards.If your dog bolts toward your cat, correct him with the leash. If he shows any signs of excessive excitability, calm him. If this doesn't do the trick, cut the visit short and try again later.Repeat these short visits several times a day, gradually giving your dog more leash as appropriate.Do not move to the next phase until you have several consecutive days of incident-free visits in which both animals demonstrate to your satisfaction that they are comfortable with each other.Proceed with CautionOnce your dog and cat consistently get along during leashed visits, you're ready for the next step. Take your dog off the leash, and supervise the two closely. If you see problems, and they don't abate with a few simple voice commands, back up to the previous phase for a few days. Gradually make the no-leash sessions longer. Do not leave the cat and dog alone until you're sure they're both fully comfortable with each other and there will be no trouble. Make sure your cat has places she can jump to for safety. Make some private space in your home for each animal. Use cat doors or baby gates if practical, as well as gentle discipline and rewards to enforce the rules. Keep kitty's litter box and food bowl out of your dog's reach.Now relax and give these guys some hugs.When it Doesn't Work OutSometimes, despite your best efforts, it wasn't meant to be. Some dogs are simply too dangerous to be around cats (occasionally the reverse is true). If your gut is telling you that this isn't working out, respect that message. The humane thing to do in this case is contact the shelter or breeder so that you can find a good cat-free home for the dog. In the interim, keep dog and cat separated and give them both lots of love.Dogs and cats can usually live together peacefully, although creating a harmonious "blended family" requires some planning, patience, and careful guidance on your part. In some cases your dog and cat will become best friends. Some dogs unfortunately will be too dangerous for your cat, and one of the most important points of this article is that you need to recognize when this is the case. This sheet specifically is about introducing a new dog to a resident cat; a separate (though similar) article will talk about introducing a new cat to a family dog

hehee , one of my rabbits is called Charlotte sorry, thought i would share that. i would have a spray bottle with water in it and put the puppy down and if the cats start anything or about to spray the water on it .The cats will quickly learn not to go near the puppy and the cats mite become more scared of the puppy than the puppy is of them .#Hope all goes well and good luck

It is probably best to leave, the cats especially, to their own manner of getting to know your new family.However always supervise the puppy in case he gets too rough with your young cat( which I suspect to be the only cat friend he may make). Unfortunately the only control you can expect to have in this situation is over the puppy's behavior. Never let the puppy chase your cats as this is a sure hate signal for the cats.