Indoor/outdoor cat?

[SMOJ]

One more question...this is probably the issue that is going to make adoption a no go again...  We have an outdoor cat.  He lives in a shed and sneaks into the house once in a while but is promptly tossed back out except the coldest days of winter when we let him stay in the basement overnight.  I don't even like this cat--he's not really nice to me, either, but I still don't want him harmed.  And the kids love him, of course.  He's a real mean cat and has no problem hissing and swiping at dogs.   We live on acreage but have no fence so if we adopted a dog he'd be walked on leash unless we went to a fenced in area.  My other dog is free to play in the yard and walk the driveway without a leash and is scared to pieces of the cat.  The cat is an avid hunter.  He is mostly off hunting for chipmunks in the woods but hangs out near the doors and windows meowing incessantly when he's through with that and he wants to be fed a canned meal.  We have no plans to put up a fence so the greyhound would be walked every time he needed to go out.  But accidents happen.  Every pet I've ever had has managed to sneak in or out to where they don't belong.  Is there no way to get a lower prey drive hound that can get used to the comings and goings of a particular cat if we're very careful in introductions?  Or, are they safe with indoor only cats only?  

[Bizeebee]

11 hours ago, SMOJ said:

Is there no way to get a lower prey drive hound that can get used to the comings and goings of a particular cat if we're very careful in introductions?  Or, are they safe with indoor only cats only?  

There are definitely completely cat safe/cat indifferent hounds out there, but they are going to be tougher to find when you're talking about 1)a mean cat 2)who mostly lives outdoors. A lot of cat safe dogs are only ok when the cat is inside. You're also going to need to make a tough decision about which animal takes priority. If you don't want the cat and hound to interact with each other, you'll need to stop feeding a mean cat at your doorstep and letting it in the house.

 

11 hours ago, SMOJ said:

Every pet I've ever had has managed to sneak in or out to where they don't belong.

Honestly, this is the bigger concern. Or at least it would be for my adoption group and a lot of groups in the US. Especially out in the country (I'm assuming since you have acreage), and especially with critters outside (cat, chipmunks, etc), you absolutely cannot allow any opportunity for a greyhound to escape your house. Even a cat safe one can slip out and take off after some other critter so fast that you might not even see where it went by the time you notice it is gone. A lost greyhound is no joke, especially out in the country.
 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Bizeebee

[greysmom]

Seconding everything Bizeebee said above.  You really need to consider whether a greyhound is the right breed for you given your physical home's set up and your life style.

[SMOJ]

Thank you for your reply.  Yes, all good info.  The "mean" cat I should probably be calling a "tough" cat.  We adopted him, he's not feral.  He's a barn cat and he can handle his own.  He's wants to be near us when we're outside.  And sneaks in because he wants to be an indoor cat, but we have allergies and we've made him a penthouse out of the shed.  He is fed in there and sleeps there at night.  He has his own kitty door in and out and cozy sleeping spots and toys that my kids made for him.  We adopted him, he's ours.  I may not love his personality, but he's ours   

6 years ago when I got our pup, I was talked out of getting a greyhound on greytalk because we had younger kids.  Then when my kids begged for cats, I checked to see if greys could live harmoniously with them and not understanding the difference between getting along with indoor and getting along with outdoor cats, assumed they could.  Last year, I was talked out of getting a grey due to our two barn cats and got an Italian greyhound mix that loved our outdoor cat (one cat has since run away).  Tragically, our second pup died just 9 months later and we are heartbroken.  But after seeing how well it worked out with our IG mix and the cat, I thought maybe this was finally our time.  Sigh.  I'm so sad.  I've wanted a greyhound for maybe 20 years.    

Thanks for everyone's honesty.

 

[greysmom]

There are plenty of greyhounds that live well with outdoor animals of all sorts - chickens, cats, squirrels, small dogs, and assorted small animals - but it takes time and training to desensitize even a small animal safe dog to accept those conditions and those animals as part of his pack.  This isn't a behavior trait that you can guarantee either, even with a small animal tolerant dog.  So if you do decide to go ahead with adopting a greyhound you definitely need to have a back up plan in case s/he can't be safe.

That can be something like:

>creating a smaller fenced-in turnout area close to your door where the dog can do his business and get some exercise off lead, that the cat can get out of but the dog can't 

>figuring out a way to confine the cat for periods of time.

>making the cat a true indoor cat - which will not be easy for anyone, I know, but so much healthier for the cat

>realizing that the safest thing for both dog and cat may be to return the dog if s/he turns out to be unworkable in your situation

The other thing to do is be entirely honest with the adoption group you are working with to make sure they can get a proper match for you.  You need to be able to state unequivocally that you are committed to getting the dog the exercise s/he needs, and committed to working with the cat tolerant dog they place with you to ensure your cat's safety.

Anoother limiting factor you will be dealing with is that there is a nationwide shortage of greyhounds going into adoption right now.  Many times, groups won't know what kinds of dogs they are getting until they actually have them in hand to test and assess, so you may end up waiting a while for the proper personality and behavior traits you need, since your needs are pretty specific. 

Lastly, I will just say that you shouldn't take the opinions of people on the internet so much to heart.  If you want a greyhound, most everything *can* be accomplished with the right commitment.  Talk with your group, go to greyhound events, and talk with people who have greyhounds in your area who have similar issues.  See if there's a certified animal behaviorist, or a good positive reinforcement only trainer your group recommends, to discuss *exactly* what you need to do in terms of training and desensitization.   And once you have your greyhound, always keep in mind their safety and well being.

[SMOJ]

Greysmom--thank you!  I've read and re-read this and I appreciate your take very much.  Thank you for the ideas and time to craft your response. 

I've added rough collie to my short list of breeds that may work for us but I'm not giving up on a greyhound yet!  

[greysmom]

There was a poster a few days ago on the Facebook Greytalk (no relationship to this forum)  who was talking about exactly this situation.  Her FB user name is "Jessica Ann" and she has an Instagram page called  @jessandherfuzzies.  You might want to look her up and get some advice from her on how she manages her greyhound with multiple other animals.