Help With New Hound & Multiple Cats?

[Guest roweboy]

We're 3 weeks as new greyhound owners and we have 4 cats. We really didn't know much about our dog's reaction to cats when we got him. He'd been briefly fostered (1 week) in a house with a cat and then spent 5 weeks in a prison training program. Everyone talked about the dogs being checked for cat safety, but it wasn't actually done. He came off the race track at the very end of December and by Jan 18th was in the prison program. Not much time in a house before us.

 

We have a ranch style house with a fully finished basement. We have a half door at the top of the basement steps latched with a chain which allows cats through but not a dog. The dog is always crated in our room at night and when we're gone.

 

Since we brought our dog CJ home, we've had the following reactions/interaction between dog and cats:

 

1) Blue, the kitten whom we've raised from 7 weeks and is just now 8 months (small male, mostly white, playful, fearless), seems totally acceptable to the dog & can jump and play around the dog without chase or concern. CJ has shown zero aggression toward the kitten and occasionally snuffles through his fur & wags his tail while the cat lies back and enjoys (I'm always right there for this). Blue can jump up onto a counter right in front of him, walk under the dog, even stand up against the dog's dish while he's eating with no negative response.

2) Our big male cat Pudge tends to be generally skittish but is besties with the kitten. He tentatively comes around CJ and even though the dog got surprised by him and chased the other night, Pudge wasn't particularly fazed by it. Mostly CJ ignores this cat even when both cats are playing and making a ruckus near him.

3) Our oldest cat belonged to my husband for 8 years before I met him. She was never crazy about dogs but has lived with them for the past 5 years. She used to spend her evenings on my husband's lap or nuzzled under his neck.Now she rarely comes up from the basement. We're especially careful with her because she's his baby and is declawed. We thinks she'll eventually become bolder as long as she's ignored by the dog, which he does the few times she's come around. We worried about her staying away because of her attachment to my husband, but she's getting extra attention and is eating etc., albeit in the basement.

3) Here's our biggest problem. They're all tuxedo cats but this last girl, Rosalie, is small & very fluffy. She's also skittish in general and even though she's only 5, had major health problems for 4 years which were just resolved last Fall. Something about this cat makes our dog want to eat her. She doesn't come upstairs at all now, but lies at the top of the basement steps where the dog can see/smell her. We've tried an introduction with the dog muzzled and squirted when he gets excited, but he barks/lunges at this cat and I'm sure she'd be a meal if he could get her. Fortunately, the stress hasn't caused a recurrence of her health issues. Her growling and hissing at the dog just seems to incite him. It has us very discouraged tonight.

 

Are some cats just more attractive or feed a prey drive more than others? Will we ever be able to get this worked out or is he just not a cat-safe dog? Other than this, he is a nearly perfect dog and we've grown very attached to him. Thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Time4ANap]

A fluffy cat probably looks more like a racing lure to your hound.

 

Others who have had this issue will be able to provide some help here, but you should also contact the adoption coordinator at your group and ask for some help as well. The group is there to support you and your hound, and will most likely have a member who can help you work through this.

 

Good luck!

[Guest jetska]

3) Here's our biggest problem. They're all tuxedo cats but this last girl, Rosalie, is small & very fluffy. She's also skittish in general and even though she's only 5, had major health problems for 4 years which were just resolved last Fall. Something about this cat makes our dog want to eat her. She doesn't come upstairs at all now, but lies at the top of the basement steps where the dog can see/smell her. We've tried an introduction with the dog muzzled and squirted when he gets excited, but he barks/lunges at this cat and I'm sure she'd be a meal if he could get her. Fortunately, the stress hasn't caused a recurrence of her health issues. Her growling and hissing at the dog just seems to incite him. It has us very discouraged tonight.

 

Are some cats just more attractive or feed a prey drive more than others? Will we ever be able to get this worked out or is he just not a cat-safe dog? Other than this, he is a nearly perfect dog and we've grown very attached to him. Thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

YES as they don't generalise well, being OK with some cats is not the same as being OK with all cats. It may be her skittish nature, the way she moves and perhaps smells that incite the dog. He seems cat-safe to me for half your cat population.

 

I have a skittish cat and a confident/aggressive cat. They all get along with the confident cat pretty quickly as she makes sure her boundaries are known by a swat to the face, sometimes with claws. The skittish cat gets chased more and sometimes stared at/barked at more.

 

I would contact your group and let them know about the issue. They may have advice, and if you decide he's not right for your household at least they have been forewarned that he may be coming back to them.

[GeorgeofNE]

I don't think fluffiness has anything to do with it.

 

If you've actually seen a racing lure, they look very little like any living creature, and in fact lure coursing is done, I believe, using a plastic bag as a lure. Prey drive and racing really don't have much to do with each other either. My dog has seemingly zero prey drive, and was a pretty good racer who had a lengthy career. He has lived with up to three cats at a time. One of them he growled at all the time even though it never really came near him. Another one he lets sleep on him (honestly, right on top of him).

 

It's something about the cat's behavior, not its appearance.

[kikibean]

I'd talk to your group for sure. And maybe see if they have a behavioralist or trainer that they would recommend that you try working with.

 

Some dogs are just not cat safe with all cats. They might be fine with cats that ignore them or stand up to them, but will chase a cat who will run or who they can tell is afraid. Some dogs also seem to be more interested in certain colored cats than others. We have someone who does most of our cat testing of dogs straight off the track or farm, and she will tell you there can be a difference in the dog's reaction based on color of cat.

 

If he can't be redirected from the cat, I think you need to talk to your group and see about working with someone who is experienced with greyhound / cat interactions. Advice on a message board can be very helpful but in this situation, for your cat's safety, I really think you need an experienced person to actually see the interaction between them and advise you on the best course of action.

[a_daerr]

Advice on a message board can be very helpful but in this situation, for your cat's safety, I really think you need an experienced person to actually see the interaction between them and advise you on the best course of action.

 

I agree 100%. I lost a cat in a similar situation to what you're describing. One of my fosters could care less about two of my cats, but ended up killing another. I wasn't as diligent as I should've been about muzzling, and it resulted in a very tragic ending.

[Guest grey_dreams]

Agree with Kelly (kikibean) and Alica 100%. Please have someone from the group come to the house to work with you. In the meantime, I would keep the dog on leash at all times when out of the crate. I always do this with new dogs who come into my home. The dog should never have an opportunity to chase the cats. When the dog is attached to you by leash, you can redirect if the dog gets interested in the cat, and you can prevent chasing. The fact that the dog is not safe with the seemingly weakest/most shy cat would worry me. Although her health problems have not resurfaced (yet), this kind of continuous stress is likely not good for her, or the separation from the calming evenings spent with your husband.

 

Edited to add: As Kelly said, there are dogs who are safe with all cats, and there are dogs who are safe with some cats and not others. I once had to return a dog after three months because she just couldn't get used to living with my cat. It's a very difficult, stressful situation and decision, but safety of all members of the family is most important. She went on to find a good home as an only dog, and we went on to adopt other dogs who tolerate small animals.

Edited March 17, 2014 by grey_dreams

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

My first idea would be that there is still something medically wrong with your cat. I had 3 hounds and two cats. When the cats were close to the end with either renal failure or cancer, my hounds suddenly changed their interest in the cats. Never anything as serious as hunting or lunging and such, but they definitely followed the cat around, sniffed, pushed with their nose. Very strange behavior since they lived with the cats for years. I would suggest a vet visit for the cat.

 

Additionally, you can search via my screen name for my postings to find very detailed steps to introducing cats to hounds. It takes about 4-6 weeks total for the routine, but I have used it time and time again with multiple fosters and multiple cats.

[Guest HoHounds]

Are some cats just more attractive or feed a prey drive more than others? Will we ever be able to get this worked out or is he just not a cat-safe dog? Other than this, he is a nearly perfect dog and we've grown very attached to him. Thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Yes, I do think the cats who are skittish and runs away would feed a prey dirve more than ones that hold their grounds. I have a confident cat, Elroy, a skittish cat, Kira, and a newly adopted greyhound, Boomer. Boomer is our 4^th greyhound (all previous 3 are now at the Rainbow Bridge). Boomer was very curious about the cats at the beginning, but he learned quickly not to mess with Elroy. He is still curious about Kira when she comes out of her hiding places.

 

You might just need to work with CJ when he sees Rosalie deligently a little longer than with other cats. The cats will learn not to run too.

 

By the way, did you adopt CJ from Friends of Retired Greyhounds? I notice that you are from Denver and mentioned of the prison progam. Boomer is from FORG and he's been with us about 3 weeks too

[Guest roweboy]

 

Yes, I do think the cats who are skittish and runs away would feed a prey dirve more than ones that hold their grounds. I have a confident cat, Elroy, a skittish cat, Kira, and a newly adopted greyhound, Boomer. Boomer is our 4^th greyhound (all previous 3 are now at the Rainbow Bridge). Boomer was very curious about the cats at the beginning, but he learned quickly not to mess with Elroy. He is still curious about Kira when she comes out of her hiding places.

 

You might just need to work with CJ when he sees Rosalie deligently a little longer than with other cats. The cats will learn not to run too.

 

By the way, did you adopt CJ from Friends of Retired Greyhounds? I notice that you are from Denver and mentioned of the prison progam. Boomer is from FORG and he's been with us about 3 weeks too

Yes, we did adopt him from FORG! So nice to see another local on here What was your dog's name before you got him? CJ was on the site as "Dickie" (!?)

[Guest HoHounds]

Yay! Welcome to FORG family Boomer was Boomer (O Ya Boomerang). We kept the name because we like it! I remember Dickie. I volunteered when they hauled in 17 dogs in January. We picked Boomer then and I remember all of his class mates (so to speak).

 

Don't hesitate to contact FORG if you have any questions on how to handle the cats & CJ situation. They are there to help you through adjusting period. They are wonderful group of dedicated volunteers. Good luck!

[Guest budsmom]

I'm guessing that it has more to do with the cat than the dog, also. The cat may be acting in a certain way that sets the dog off because she is afraid of him, she could still be sick, or it could just be that the dog senses she is the "weakest" in the pack and is having the natural urge to get rid of the weak link. Definitely talk to your group about this, they are right there and can give you suggestions and support about how to work on this. Might not hurt to also have kitty checked out at the vet again, just to be sure she is healthy, and the vet may have some suggestions about how to deal with this as well.

[krissn333]

I'd also ask someone from your group that is experienced with things like this to come over and observe this interaction in order to give you some suggestions.

 

Very often if the cat ACTS LIKE PREY it will be viewed as prey by the dog. Cats who stand their ground and will swat the dog earn the respect of the dog.

 

I have two cats, Rose and Violet. Rose is small (about 8 lbs) and she rules the roost here. She will stand her ground with any dog that she has determined will not eat her on the spot. She has a sense about dogs and we've often used her to cat-test adoptable dogs.

 

Violet is larger but starts out running away from everyone. If she would just turn around and swat them, they wouldn't follow her. She finally stood her ground with Clarice and now Clarice is afraid of her But Violet continues to run from one of my iggies, so, he chases her. (He would never hurt her - she is bigger than he is! ). He finds this exciting and it is now a game for him.

 

Your situation is likely workable but will take some time, patience, and diligence for safety. Be vigilant and careful, and have someone experienced come observe and offer suggestions.

 

Good luck

[Guest ayimera]

As others have mentioned, I have a feeling it is the fearful way that she acts and moves. We have 2 cats and one of them is like your Blue... fearless, will weave in and out of our hound's legs, the dog will lick her head, etc. Our other cat is more timid and skittish, but not completely afraid. He tends to avoid the dog in general, but will accept being in the same room with her when food/attention is involved. Still, I can see a marked difference in the way Jinn watches Cat A vs. Cat B. Not enough to worry me, but when the skittish one slinks away or moves like he's scared, Jinn seems more interested in following after to see what's going on.

 

Just my personal experience. Good luck!