[wmbekking]

He's a German Shepard mix rescue about 8 years old. We've had him about 6 years. In the past, he's killed a baby raccoon, a squirrel and the neighbors cat. All strayed into the backyard. He seems very territorial.

Anyway, my daughter now wants a cat.

So, can this dog live with a cat? He's otherwise a good dog. He listens and is well trained.

Thanks

 

[traciek88]

No, absolutely not. Your dog not only has a high prey drive, but has a record of cat killing. I doubt this has to do with territory and more with the fact that these are prey animals to a large dog. Save your daughter the trauma of seeing her new kitty torn to shreds and don't get a cat!

Your dog is a senior, and it's clearly in his personality to attack small, furry creatures. Being "well trained" might not extend to his hunting. I imagine you probably tried to stop him from killing the other animals when it happened, and that he didn't listen. That situation would likely be the same with a cat you bring home. Even if you went through serious behavior modification (that would be expensive, take forever, and take up a lot of time) I still would never trust a dog like this around cats. It might be a disappointment to your daughter but she cannot get a cat while this dog is still living in the house. Maybe she can volunteer at a local shelter to play with the cats there. Otherwise you can reassure her (if she's young and will be at home for 3-6 more years) that when this dog passes away the next pet can be a cat.

 

[harleyboysmom]

No, please don't do it. Your dog has a track record of killing small animals. I have a German Shepherd that has a record of killing rabbits, and I'm sure if a cat should be in his sight, inside or out, the cat would be in jeopardy.
Please try to explain that it would not be safe for the kitten or cat to your child.
Just think of the trauma your child would experience should your dog kill the cat.

Please let us know what you decide.

 

[Aurora]

Just my two cents, it really depends. I know for sure that my dog will kill small animals and possibly cats that he sees out and about that will run from him (although I have never given him the opportunity, so I don't know for sure about the cats). However, he loves my cat and has never shown any other interest in her besides wanting to play. The difference is that my cat won't run from him and will tell him off if he gets too rambunctious.

IMO, some dogs with high prey drive (pretty much most dogs?) can still live with cats if it's the right cat and the introduction is done right an carefully. I don't see any reason why you couldn't bring an adult (very important) cat who is already accustomed to dogs (won't run away and trigger chase) and see how the dog (restrained) reacts to seeing a cat. Of course, it would all be done very safely (maybe the dog in a crate? or leashed with a muzzle?) just to see what kind of response you get from the dog.

I've actually never met a dog that won't kill small animals, but I've met lots and lots of dogs that get along with cats.

 

[Dawnben]

He's a German Shepard mix rescue about 8 years old. We've had him about 6 years. In the past, he's killed a baby raccoon, a squirrel and the neighbors cat. All strayed into the backyard. He seems very territorial.

Anyway, my daughter now wants a cat.

So, can this dog live with a cat? He's otherwise a good dog. He listens and is well trained.

Thanks

I would not recommend it unless you want to be on guard at all times to protect the cat. Your daughters relationship with the dog will be ruined in the event the dog kills the cat which is entirely possible.

 

[Dia]

My dog was raised with cats till he was 5 months old. Admittedly, he hates the neighborhood cats and would at least bite very hard if he could catch one and killing one certainly is within the realm of possibility. He also really, really, really wants to chase rabbits but can control himself if I ask him to. If I wanted to bring a cat into the house, I think he'd be ok with it, if I made it clear that the cat wasn't to be bothered, but I would have to be pretty careful for the first while till he understood that the cat was part of the family.

I don't think a dog's prey drive precludes getting a cat, but a lot depends on the dog's overall experience and personality. Caution with a dog that has already killed a cat would certainly be called for.

 

[Ems]

I personally would not risk it as he is an older dog and you are risking an animals life, so even a 95% chance of safety is not enough
However I think a lot would depend on the cat, a cat that runs is prey, and a cat that doesn't isn't
My dog has met cats who do not run away and interacted with them just fine, our vet has a cat who wanders around occasionally will approach a dog, and we go to a friends house who has a cat, these cats do not run, and she doesn't chase them or attack in any way, she actually has learned the paw batting play moves from them that she uses on cats and smaller dogs.
However the neighborhood strays, squirrels, the *&(^*&(^ groundhog that eats all my vegetables, she chases to the point where I cannot call her back, she hasn't caught anything yet, but I think it would not end happily for the animal. I am secretly hoping she catches the groundhog!

 

[DobisHoundis]

No, definitely not. I rescued an older dog with a very high prey drive (the rescue claimed she was fine with cats, she was shut down). She is aggressive towards our cat and it's not fun managing and keeping them separate all the time. It's a lot of work and stressful at times. I would not do this again if I had the choice.

 

[glm777]

My rescue dogs do fine with my cats but they also have killed squirrels and baby bunnies and birds. I keep my cats upstairs with a gate at the bottom of the stairs when I am not home just to be on the safe side and we open the gate when we are home so the cats can come and go as they please. This way the cats are safe when there is no supervision. But again, my dogs, an Aussie/Border collie mix and lab/husky mix might try to play with the cat but have never tried to hurt them and they have been together for 4 years now. Not something to take likely but it can be done.

 

[Chriskey2015]

for me its yes...

 

[JudyG]

Absolutely not! the reason @DobisHoundis gave is very true, yes it can be managed, but so stressful to do so, you would be forever watching them, keeping them separate. My rescue dogs have all been cat friendly, thankfully I've had no problems. However, before we adopted Betsy we tried to adopt what we were told to be a cat friendly dog, we brought him home & discovered he most certainly was not!! It wasn't just a case of him chasing, he wanted blood! I was not prepared to risk the lives of my much loved (already in residence) cats & I want them to have the run of the house. I certainly didn't want the stress of keeping them separate. So he went back to foster.

 

[dibbythedog]

I really wouldn't risk it . You would never forgive yourself if it hurt the cat.
I know someone who's german shepherd was fine with a new cat indoors but chased and grab it when it was let out into the garden .
It is possible to have cats and birds and dogs and guinea pigs and rabbits together , it does very much depend on the individual animals . Also it helps if the cat is confident and doesn't run away but again, with a large dog that has already killed a cat, its not worth the risk .

JudyG

It wasn't just a case of him chasing, he wanted blood!

Yes, Exactly. I've been in that position too. I've had several rescue JRT types over the years and a mulit pet household and you learn to know the difference between the dogs you can work with and the ones you can't .