I don't think it's a reliable method.
Some dogs may hate cats and answer to their sounds, but many dogs will not do anything with sound/smell while not being cat-friendly.. It does not take into account that often the problem is that the cat looks like a prey, small and fast, and dogs go into "prey mode" (and in this case obviously the problem's not the sound or the smell, it's the cat moving), that many dogs can recognize the difference between a recorder and a real sound, that other will recognize the cat... but also know that if it's not in the room there's not much they can do, and other probably never heard a cat mewl...
I know that my first dog hated cats, he couldn't stand them... but he never reacted (like, at all) to sounds or cat's urine (and using urine was probably a mistake, it's not the cat's urine that dogs usually smell) or cat dolls (that... really? How's a dog supposed to mistake a realistic doll for a living cat?), and I know he's not an exception.
It could work, I suppose, with some dogs, but in the end the only way to see if a dog's cat-friendly is to see how he reacts to a live and moving cat.

 

Sure it's not the be all and end all of testing but if it adds another simple criteria for testing then it could significantly increase the accuracy of placing dogs in the right home.

Putting a cat in the same room as an unknown dog to test cat-friendliness is unethical.

 

It might weed out a dog with a long strong history of cat chasing/prey drive, maybe, but it also might give folks a false sense of security, which is scary.

So many people just think you can drop a dog into a home with cats and let them work out, and when it does, fantastic, when it doesn't, dead cat, traumatized cat, ptsd cat, cat hides in the closet cat, cat pees all over the house and gets put to sleep cat, or possibly one-eyed dog.

It would be better to educate people in how to introduce dogs to cats, how to keep everyone safe, how to train a dog that displays prey drive to cats, and give them a dignified out if the dog turns out to be completely unsuitable to a home with cats (yes, take the dog back without penalties).

Sorry, but I LOVE cats, and I make sure they do well with my dog, and I also LOVE dogs with a decent amount of prey drive (=fun dog, albeit challenging).

A better caution is to be careful with placement of high drive and energetic dogs. Nothing better than experienced owner or a dedicated learner.

 

@Artdog I absolutely agree this is no substitute for careful management and introduction of two pets, dogs don't have to like each other either. I like the solutions you've mentioned too.

The noises could help work out what triggers the prey drive and influence management strategies though. I recently helped out a neighbor with dog after cat issues and taking away the cat door just did the trick. No racing inside = no prey drive trigger. Both dog and cat are much happier and can now be in the same room. I think this dog would have reacted to the recording of a cat running.

The test seemed like a good addition to current evaluation techniques and with the accuracy data behind it make an informed designation. It's not a replacement for current techniques but it might help get a clearer picture. I do not expect this test to be the only test used to decide if a dog is good/bad with cats. It certainly doesn't mean that management isn't required for introduction.

 

I suppose it's better than nothing, I'm just more okay with what my local humane society does: without a history on the dog to say otherwise, the answer is 'we don't know'. Then the owners are on notice to be careful (I would hope).
I've just heard too many folks who are disappointed (or worse) when their 'good with cats' dog turns out to be not so good. Dogs with a high prey drive paired with cats that skittish, flighty, fast, need to be watched even if they seem perfect.
So if the test is used to weed out the dogs you would absolutely not place with cats, aka the ones that get the 'no cats' designation, that's fine.
But people need to be told that the other dogs could be an equal problem...you just don't know until you put 'that dog' into 'that situation' with 'that cat' at 'that moment in time'.