Dog Breeds that Do Not Get Along with Cats

Good hub. I didn't know there was a difference. Something to think about if you have a cat.

Thanks for the tips. Inteesting hub!

That's very interesting i thought that any dog wouldn't like a cat, period if they were not raised together. thnx for the info!

I didn't know that. I guess my family's been lucky - we've had, over time, 2 border collies and 5 assorted cats (not all at once!) and they've always got on fine. One of the cats plays with the current collie puppy, the rest ignored the dogs mostly, and swatted them if they were out of line.

I thought that terriers in general were not cat-friendly - I know that mine two have zero tolerance but I do agree that if cats and dogs are raised together, they are more compatable - B.

Any dog with proper training and socialization can live happily with a cat. You can't determine what breed will have problems with cats and what won't just by breed alone.

I know many people with dogs on your don't get along with cat list who have that breed and cats with no problems and leave them alone with the cats without problems.

Thanks for this helpful hub. I agree fully about staying away from high prey dogs. Yes, each dog has its own personality, but i do not think it is worth it to adopt a dog with high prey drive and just use a ''wait and see'' way of thinking:( I would rather stick with calmer dogs even though there is no 100% guarantee, but at least the chances of getting along with cats are higher:) Will add this to my favorites, as i may adopt a doggy soon.

Thank you Alexandry for posting this - so many say 'oh you can train a dog to be around any cat' but that is simply not true. Animals are not one-size-fits-all especially dogs, who have been bred for centuries so many different ways.

We were in the 'all dogs are fine' and even in the 'once a dog is cat exposed it's fine' camp - we own a Walker Hound (great dog w/kids and families!), and have owned a German Shepherd, a Dalmatian and a Doberman in the past. All that changed when we brought home a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback mix from a no-kill shelter. He had per his history lived with children and cats. All was well for well over one month - he ignored the cats and was fine with the child...until one day two of our cats got in a tiff. He and our other dog went upstairs to investigate...I heard rustling, went upstairs and found our 15 YO cat in the Rhodesian's mouth. I shouted for him to drop, which he did immediately but it was too late. She died in my arms a moment later.

Please, people, heed these words. Dogs with prey drive are great dogs, they are just not great to mix with cats and the primordal 'switch' can be thrown in their minds in an instant. We very sadly returned our dog to the no-kill shelter, where we made sure he was well cared for until he was placed in a home with no cats or other small furry creatures. It is in his nature, and you cannot expect nature can be trained out.

PS Please add Rhodesian Ridgebacks to your list - we learned later that sudden cat kills are the #1 problem with this breed. They're fabulous dogs for experienced owners (they are highly intelligent) who don't have cats.

Alexandry - no problem. I'm glad you're doing the research on this and gathering the info because so many places just say 'oh, any dog will be fine with cats' and it's all anctedotal stuff. It's simply not true, and people (I was one of them) don't think of the consequences should you 'get it wrong'. As I did.

I adopted a shelter dog. She was perfect - didn't bite, bark much, jump and just loved my children. The only problem was it wanted nothing more than to eat one of my cats! I tried taking it to a trainer, having a trainer come to my home, I kept her on a leash with me for two weeks in the house trying to teach her appropriate behavior around the cat. But, as soon as I thought it would be okay I took her off the leash and she picked the cat up and shook him like a rag doll. A $450 vet bill later we sadly resigned to the fact that Zoe was not and never would be a lover of cats. It's been six months and we have placed a deposit down on a pug. It would not be my first choice for a dog, but my kids fell in love with it and I have heard they are GREAT with cats! I guess it's not to blame for it's odd appearance. Thanks for the post - I printed it and will keep it as a reference. I just wanted to add that if you adopt a shelter dog that is not a puppy you never know what you are going to get so they should be on the list too!

Nice Hub! I totally agree about that. We just got a new kitten and are slowly introducing him to the dogs, you cant be too careful. :)

This is so useful because I have seen dogs and cats hang out as buddies while others just were like oil and water, so now I can see that it is by particular breeds that make the biggest difference.

I have a silky terrier that hates cats. He continues to terrorize them no matter what I do. My husband has taken up with the neighbors cat and Sammy (my dog) acts like he wants to kill him when ever the cat comes around. I don't know any good training methods. Can anyone help me? Is there a person or organization I can call to learn how to train him to be more accepting of cats? He also does not care for other dogs to come into the house although he is somewhat tolerant of them. We have family members that come for holidays and bring their pets. He acts friendly towards them outside but when they come inside he is barely tolerant and it doesn't take much for him to start a fight. I've learned to keep all toys and food put up and this helps but he also gets so possesive (spelling?) of me. He will get close to me and growl if another animal gets close. I need help with him! I know part of the problem is that I have spoiled him. So I guess I need help being trained myself as it appears he has trained me and not the other way around. As a side note, I do have another dog, a beautiful Cocker Spaniel named Patches. He gets along great with Patches but they do have an occasional tiff. Both dogs were adopted from people who could no longer keep them. We got Sammy about 4 years ago from a family because Sammy kept picking vicious fights with their boxer. Sammy weights 10 lbs. and they were scared the bulldog would get tired of Sammy's antics and kill him. After 2 several hundred dollar vet bills they had to get rid of Sammy. He was originally a run-away and we soon found out they he's an incredible escape artist and we have not found a fence that can keep him in. We live on a 4 acre plot of land at the end of a dead end road with only a few neighbors. Our land is not fenced. HELP!!!!!!!!

You hit it right on the head as far as Australian Shepherds and Golden Retrievers go. While my goldens will frustrate the cats by wanting to chase and play like goldens do, my aussies pretty much ignore the cats completely, other than an occasional sniff. I have seen my aussie stud try to mount fluffy, my nuetered male cat, to show him who is the alpha dog. Fluffy could give a rat's ass who is the alpha dog, but he tolerates it with only an occasional slap at Sambo, who never takes it personally. Aren't animals fun to watch? My dogs and cats grew up together, and don't discriminate. LOL. V

I have a jack russel terrier and he makes a game with the cats(we live on a small farm)when he goes outside he likes to chase the cats but if they dont run he gets upset and goes to find something else else to chase. Its more of a game to him, and we have one cat that gets to go into the house and they in up sleeping together. I got "Jack" his name from the local shelter his around ten years give or take. The only thing he does kill is snakes he comes across in the pasture, and tries to get the mice in the barn.

I agree that its in certain breeds of dogs to kill but not all breeds and it does take a little time to integrate an older dog around other animals but one can do it if they take the time to work with them.

I have to say that my adult boxer is good with my three cats in the house, they sleep together, eat together and generally hang out together. But if they are outside and one of the cats scoots off, there goes Blade in full chase. I don't let them out together unsupervised.

I just wanted to mention that some of the breed rescue organizations that foster pets before adoption usually know if a dog is cat friendly or not.

Very interesting hub. Some dogs like cocker and springer spaniels, while not having a 'prey drive', are just a bit too playful, especially when young. They love to play, run and chase around ... cats don't appreciate that sort of behavior. They generally like to be left alone.

Interesting to know which breeds aren't cat tolerant. We have 5 dogs & 4 cats. The dogs were here first - all the cats came to our home as little kittens. They really do get along pretty well - sometimes they even nap, side by side. The most important part with the animals is to give them attention and affection. Our cats behave more like dogs - they are very social & don't run and hide when people come over; and they're accustomed to the dogs.

My shih-tzu, Boudreaux, does love to antagonize (he wants her to play chase, I think) our alpha kitty, Pixie. She will bop him on the head - he learns pretty quickly to leave her alone if she's not in the mood to play. Kind of like your average human relationship!!

At any rate, in my experience, bringing kittens into a home with dogs (no matter the age of the dog - but assuming the dog isn't a cat-hater), they will most likely do well. Just remember to give the cats as much attention as you would the dogs. The more they're socialized, the more social they'll be...

We have a border collie and two cats. One of the cats doesn't particulary care for the dog, she was there first, so the dog stays away from her. The other cat can't decide if she's a very small border collie or if the dog is a very big cat. They love each other, play with each other, bat each other around, and sleep together. She (the cat) will actually lay on her back and scoot under his nose to get him to play with her. I don't think you can generalize about what breeds are more "prey" driven or not. It depends a LOT on the way they are brought up.

Interesting article... I have a rescued Greyhound (on your high prey drive list) who lives perfectly happily with two cats, the youngest even shares a bed with him sometimes. The cats were there first and he has been fine with them ever since we brought him home.

Very interesting article! I enjoyed reading it!

Very interesting article - our Lab cross and cocker spaniel love the stray cats in our garden - I didn't realise that the breed had a lot to do with it!

Yes, I agree - owning 2 malamutes - the way to get them to move the fastest is if they see a cat! Or a squirrel - I believe it has to do with the "small prey" syndrome. I have also seen them react to toy breeds, which is not good. Lots of training....it appears to be a "natural" instinct though very unsettling when it is your neighbor's cat!

Good hub. You're certainly right about Akitas - ours hated cats!

Good article. Beautiful Rottweiler -- I love them!

My mom lives about 300 miles from here. I went to visit her and I took my miniature schnauzer, Meadow. Mom feeds a gray cat that comes around, but he is not tame. The cat has learned to come up, but only at night, to eat the food she leaves out on the front porch. Well, when Meadow saw the cat, she chased him.

But I did notice, that while my dog was there, mom's cat would start coming around at 9:00 AM! I think for him it was just a game, and he knew he could outwit my dog -- especially since my mom's place is out in the country and he has plenty of places to run and climb.

Miniature schnauzers generally are not safe around small birds. I found new, better homes for my cockatiels a few months after I got Meadow.

thankhyouuuuuuuuuuuuuu:)

I would add German Shorthaired Pointer and Pit Bull (perhaps even Staffordshire Terrier) to the list of prey driven dogs that will attack small animals. Even when raised among cats, they often have a tendency to chase and play, resulting in the death of cat. I have seen it time and time again. Thanks for the disclaimer that not all dogs fit the mold, and that each animal is an individual and will do what it wants, when it wants.

I see that you have boxers on the "More Tolerant Dog Breeds" list and you are correct. I raised boxers or at least 3 families of puppies and I had a few that was cat killers because the boxers were kept in a fence yard together. Once I only had one boxer I never had any more problems and my last two boxers sleep with our cat and if we don't let the cat in the house at night our boxer will tell us quickly that she wants the cat inside. Oh and yes they share food together!:) Good hub!

My pitbull nibbler loves cats, evenplays and sleeps with my two cats. I have even seen her protect both cats from another dog. and no she didn't hurt the other dog. she tends to just shoulder slam dogs till they give up.

its neat to watch her play with smaller dogs and cats, she plays in slow mo. being careful not to hurt them.

I was surprised to see beagles on the list. becuase My beagle happens to like my cats. guess I have an odd beagle LOL.

Well, I was seriously considering the norwegian elkhound, and am really fond of this breed, but I love my 2 cats enough not to take such risks. It's a bit disappointing, but very informative and useful. Thanks for the article.

How about German Shepherds? I didn't see them on either of the 2 lists. I got a lot of posetive feedback when I asked some owners, said that hey were even good with little kittens if you get it as a puppy and scialize it well with other animals no matter how little.

Can you and/or anyone here with experience in this matter confirm about the breed (excluding what had already been discussed about each dog of he same breed's different individual personality issues/trainnng)?

Do German shephards have an instinctive tendancy to kill cats such as mentioned with Norwegian elkhounds?

Nice hub.

You may also want to list Siberian Huskies under "Dog Breeds With High Prey Drive". I have a few Siberians of my own, and we show our dogs with conformation in the AKC. They are great dogs to be around, however they have a much higher prey dive than most, as they are more closely decended from the Wolf than many breeds.

Need advice. My husband's ex looks after their two dogs, one of which is a German wired hair pointer. He has now killed three cats and the ex said she will have him put down if my husband and I don't take him. I'm not a big dog fan, but we don't have any cats- I'm worried his kill/ attack instinct may lead to something more worrying like attacking a human. Is this possible? Should I insist we don't take him? I couldn't live with myself if he attacked someone or killed another cat under our 'watch'.

I have a pit bull named sophia when i got her she was never see a cat in her life.so she was mostly scared of him.as soon as my cat came in the room she would run and hide.But after a while her and smokie became best friends.and then one day smokie past away.and she seen me take smokie out side.and he didn't come back with me. she ran to window to window each day. then a couple of weeks later.we a new dog,cause sophia stopped eating.and she was just as happy before.So i think cats and dogs,can sometimes have natural bonds.

I think that Schnauzers should be added to the list of dogs that don't get along with cats.

Based on my experience, you're right about Russells and Whippets. The Russell will torment the cat and the Whippet will chase it (it loves to chase horses too).

Hi there. My five dogs that got along well with my cats were, Roti's Pits and Chow/German Shepard mix had passed away from old age . I have adopted a few cats prior to their passing and never had a problem. before my boy. A Pit/Bull mix recently passed away I am sure my cats miss him. In the house is female Pit/mix for 3 years only gets along with one but not the rest (3 cats) , I recently adopted a Blue Pit Male who was getting along fine. This is the bad part if the cats come down stairs the dogs chase after them .He already had the one cat that the other gets along well with in his mouth which dropped her when I comanded him to. (By the way he doesn't have a voice box the former owners had damaged his voice box,he was rescued from a Drug Dealer's home. I do not want to bring this dog back to the shelter or have my other dog given away. So I am going to find new homes with the rescue agencies for my four cats .For now I have to separate the two species.

I am a grandmother and the dogs get along well with my grandchildren.

Good report. People need to understand cats and dogs can get along fine. When people expect animals to act in a certain way, the animal is more likely to respond in kind.

Anyone who doesn't recognize that Australian Shepherds have high prey drive is not an expert. I agree that many breeds tend to be worse with cats than others, but puppies that are introduced to cats early have a better chance at getting along with household cats, even if they chase non-household cats. And, what would a cat really have to fear from a 4 pound Yorkie? My Yorkie grew up with cats, large breed dogs, birds and ferrets and did fine. So, this is more about taking breed predispositions into account, but really doing much early socialization and training during a pup's critical socialization period between age 8-12 weeks. If adopting an adult dog, the breed predispositions can be more important to consider, as can the *individual* pup's prey drive.

interesting. i have a jack russel and i introduced a kitten to her when she was two, shes 3 now. they've gotten along since meeting. when my cat had kittens my dog litterally stole them from her and slept with them. this surprises me because she normally goes after cats. but great hub!

I had a Norw. Elkhound for many years.Male. He actually let or kittens "nurse" on him. Slept near the cats/kittens.He died of old age so my recollection of this breed is kindness. He did kill our hen though.

My border collie loved my cats. He annoyed them because of his strong herding instint, but he loved them. I have found herding breeds to have good instincts toward cats. Terriers as a group generally don't do well with cats, they were bred to flush out small game and Rhodesian Ridgebacks were bred to hunt lions. I think you have to look at the purpose of the breed when you consider cat compatiability.

I have a retriever/sighthound mix dog and she does like to chase, but she's also a big softy. The neighbourhood cats know this and like her, one even comes up meowing to greet her when out on a walk. I have a cat at home as well and she is excellent with him. She's kind and gentle with him. She would also immediately back down if a cat turned on her.

"For the escaping perhaps you can get an electronic fence installed?"

I know this is an old comment, but I just wanted to say that electric fences are NOT a good option, especially with bigger breeds. Many large breeds will rush an electric fence and break though when excited, and then don't have the energy to do the same once they tire and try to come back to the yard. This results in a loose dog that can't get back in to his yard... which can be disaster if the owner isn't paying attention/isn't home.

Kennels are the best option for outside dogs, especially ones with a cement bottom and enclosed tops. Chain-link or wooden fences at least 5-feet high are another good option, coupled with a dog run. And NO dog should be outside unsupervised and unleashed if they aren't in a kennel or behind a fence and tied... it's asking for trouble.

As for breeds.... just wanted to add that my Chihuahua/Pom mix is AWESOME with our cats (all NINE of them). He sometimes will chase one, but just for a second, and never with the intent to harm. I don't think he's ever laid a paw on one of them, and we leave them home alone together for hours. He does bark at them sometimes if they get into tiffs, though. ;] I think he's telling them to shut up.

Great Hub and so very true. I have two Alaskan Malamutes and although they do not eat my cat (the cat was here first and they were raised with him), they would however eat any cat that happens to get in our yard I'm sure given the chance. It's funny how they can think of a cat they ve been brought up around as part of their pack but others are pretty much just another fuzzy creature with blood. lol. Very good hub....I don't think a lot of people really give this much thought when they really need to!

I have two Weimarener and four cats they get along perfectly

I'm looking into getting a puppy and trying to find one that won't eat my 'free-range' bunny who has the run of the house!

However, my parents have a husky-lab cross and she and the bunny get along perfectly! I can even leave them alone (when I'm in the house) and they just lie on the floor of the guest room together! I definitely think it's a mixture of breed history and individual personality.

You are so right. Corky our Pomeranian does well with our cats. They sometimes have a word or two because they want to eat his food which is now cat food because he has no teeth. He is older but he is a perfect little creature and they sleep together. They are wonderful...

Hi, we have picked up a dog from the pound he is a ridgeback crosssed with a rotweiler and is very big, he is 12 years old ( we wanted to give him a good reitirement home instead of being put down in a pound) we also have another small dog , he seeems fine with the small dog she growls him sometimes but apart from that they get along fine. But im more concerned about our cat shes 1 year old and has always gotten along with the little dog, but is weary with our new big dog, and i dont no if our big dogs wants to kill her and im not sure how to go about sorting this out. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Great information. Never really thought about which breeds are more tolerant of cats and why but it makes common sense.

The article was great and I've read all the comments and understand that nothing is "black and white". Therefore, here is my question, I have 4 cats, Seven (female 8 yrs old, alpha), Scamper (female 3 years old), Noodle (male, 8 yrs old, extremely mellow), Sasha (female 9 months old). I want to get a dog, not a puppy, at least 1 or 2 yrs old, small or medium size and now I'm really concerned about getting one. I would get one from a humane society or shelter, it would probably be a mixed breed. Should I think about getting a puppy instead? So it could get used to the cats and vice versa? Years ago, I once had 2 cats and then got a miniature dachshund and they all got along very well.

We have a shiba inu puppy and two young adult cats.. Luckily our puppy was with cats since birth just not our two. He is interested in them.. but if they dont like it... they let him know and its done... they dont exactly like him being around yet but they tolerate him for the most part. we dont leave them alone together yet but they sleep in the same room at night with us and we haven't had any problems yet. Just for anyone thinking about the breed, we have loved having him around so far we just got lucky our breeder also had many cats. I saw many ads that said "raised with cats" might make it a bit easier if you look for that in a breeders ad

I just rescued a dog from a shelter. I read that usually siberian huskies are good with cats, then that malamutes were not. My dog is a mix of a husky, she has blue eyes and possibly a shephard. She is chasing them and trying to eat them. I wish I knew what to do. I too like another poster have kept her on a leash and tried to train her. But even as I hold my little smores in my hands, the dog jerks uncontrollably with an instinctivness that only comes from deep within. I know she will never stop chasing them....I don't know what we will do.

rachelle it will fade if you work at getting the dog used to seeing the cat as part of the pack. at least thats been my experience. I have seven dogs at my house. not all mine. and two cats.

one pit bull, an otterhound, a springer spaniel, a beagle, and the rest are mixes of pit and otter hound. all seven of the dogs sleep with the cats, play with them etc. a few I had to work with. but now they all get along well.

you can try keeping the dog on the leash, tied off then hold the cat just close enough that the dog can sniff it. but not so close it can lunge.

let the cat roll around on the dogs bed, blanket or pillow so it starts associating the scent of the cat with safety and home.

and be dominant towards the dog. the pack leader sets the limits. if you tolerate the cat, the dog may pick up the trait from you.

it may not always be possible but if you love the dog, give it a shot just be careful and punish the dogs bad behaviour.

Good luck. for both of you.

Awesome! :)

Wow, lots of great advice here. We have two cats and they came to our house when our Sheltie was about 3 years old. She never chased them. They got along fine and there was never any trouble when we left them home alone. Then we rescued a bunny. Our Shetland Sheepdog again never bothered the bunny except to "kiss" her. She became best friends with our male cat. When she passed away, we waited awhile and then adopted a terrier/lab cross 9month old puppy from a local shelter. She chased the bunny when she was out of her hutch, but she stopped when we pulled her away. The puppy backed off when the cats hissed at her and smacked her. Mostly she just liked to play outdoors and snuggle with the humans, but she would growl at people sometimes, but never show her teeth or lunge at anyone.

She made my husband nervous and worried that she would eat the cats and bunny, so sadly we had to return her to the shelter after only a week. I think she would have been fine after awhile-everyone else in my house knew to keep a leash on her indoors and we were crate training her. Has anyone ever had an experience like this?

My question is since, were getting a Shih tzu we want to know if our 11 in 12 pound 6 year old cat will attack or eat him. Also, is "Billy Bob" a good name for a Shih tzu

Regardless of the breed, it's important to remember that any dog's prey drive can come out, domesticated as they may be, they are still dogs. I adopted a Rescue Golden Retriever a little over a year ago who is about 6-7 and was a stray. I introduced him to my SPCA special Garfield tabby Jax. At first sight he chased the cat to the point where I thought he would kill him. I seperated them and reintroduced them very slowly over the next week and then like magic they were the best of friends. Koda (my Golden) has been fine with my parents cat and leaves him alone and they can share the house perfectly when I bring him over. Recently we've been encountering a VERY friendly cat on our walks that a neighbor keeps outdoors during most hours, and when I saw friendly, I mean friendly, this cat tried to follow us home. Koda is always very excited to see this cat, sniffs the butt like they do, but seems way to curious for my liking ... today when we passed by the cat, it came out to greet us and walked over to Koda, bumped him head into the dogs chest and walked around him with no fear and Koda lunged and before I knew it he had the whole cats head in his mouth. I have never seen anything like it. Thank God he listens and when I yelled "NO" he let go, thankfully the cat was perfectly ok, a little stunned maybe since I don't think Koda had time to really bite down, but it was a warning to never never never underestimate the primal instincts of an animal!

Some very good information. As many of the comments suggest, each dog is different but there is certainly a substantial risk with some breeds. I've been owned by three Siberian Huskies over the last twenty years. The first one was a stray and an expert hunter as well as extremely aggressive towards other dogs. Overall, he was pretty good with our cats though. Sibe number two was the sweetest dog with people and other dogs, but was hell on squirrels and would immediately go into attack mode on seeing a cat. Number three hasn't seen a cat yet, and we're going to keep it that way.

I have raised American Pitbull Terriers for years and have had good luck raising around cats. But, recently my dog killed a very loved cat of ours. My cat had gotten out of the house and even though raised around my dogs for years the drive to kill small animals is still in them. I took pride in raising my Pitbulls around cats,but i did eat those words! Just take caution people because no matter how sweet your dog is. It can still happen i hope this helps some of you take even more caution!

I have a Maltese and you are correct. She loves cats, dogs, all living things. She is the sweetest thing that ever lived. Loves everyone and everyone loves her.

Four years ago I rescued a German Shepherd. He was about two years old, and I had no info on his "previous life" with respect to cat-related behavior. Shortly after, I met my hubby. When we got married, he came with two cats. It took about two hours of "boot camp" (where I held the dog on a leash and took turns feeding him and the cats some delicious chicken from the same bowl) for him not to want to lounge after the cats. Long story short - four years later, we have four cats (one of them a recently rescued kitten), and five stray cats outside who have taken a liking to our porch and the fact we put a bowl of catfood out every day :). Cyrus (the German Shepherd) is not only amazingly gentle with our indoors (they basically kick him off his bed to their liking), but also with the strays, one of whom actually likes to rub his nose/back/tail against Cyrus every time he sees him, which is truly an amazing thing to see :). Now, Cyrus might well be an exception, but he is one amazing "pup" and we could not have hoped for a better dog :).

To all please be careful. We had three dogs and three cats. Once several years ago all three dogs attacked one of our cats outside but he got away and survived. All my animals got along in our house but if the cats would run outside our dogs would chase them. Two of our dogs passed away, then two of our cats as well and we got another dog. Now both dogs would chase the same cat for some reason that almost got killed several years ago. I tried to be careful and make sure our cat was inside when the dogs were outside. However one day our cat was out and our dogs got him. He was 14 years old and was born and raised at our house. I feel it is my fault but then our cat was an out door cat who loved to hunt. I think as long as I let him outdoors our dogs would chase him and try to catch him. Some dogs will get along with a cat indoors but the prey instict kicks in when the cat is outside. I feel we were really lucky our cat lived as long as he did considering this. Still I wish I would have been more careful with my cat. I never thought they would actually catch him and kill him. My fault.

I disagree with the listing of greyhounds as a breed that is not suitable to be around cats.

Yes, if you own a greyhound and a cat happens to cross your lawn they will chase it.

BUT if you already have a cat they can get on well together.

We adopted a retired greyhound two years ago and already had a cat. Our grey was put through a couple of foster homes, including one with cats, and wa absolutely fine. Her and the cat get on very well, usually she licks his ears clean for him.

Nice post. Very useful info

HI We have a six year old Ocicat who is bossy and fiesty but also very friendly and social. We are wondering what dog breed would get along with him best. We are considering a male puppy either a Norwich or Cairn terrier or a chocolate labrador. Any advise appreciated

well im getting a cairn terrier and i hope he gets along with my cat missy cos she us really jumpy

Wow, I was really surprised by some of the dogs on either of the lists! Definitely some unexpected ones. :) Thanks, this is good to know!

Siberians aren't all bad. They can just be prone to volatility. I have two. One thinks she is a mother to the kitten we acquired. The other would like to see the kitten dead. Luckily motherly sibe is the dominant one and has been putting the volatile sibe in his place. Just bottom line, don't trust high prey drive animals, to treat anything that would be food in the wild.. as anything but just that. Training and patience do wonders, but id never leave a cat and a canary in a cage unattended. So not my dogs and kitten either.

We have a siberian husky and she plays with our cats and other cats we've had in the past. She doesn't try to hurt them whatsoever. We raised "storm" from a puppy and she's been around cats her entire life, mostly. She'll eat with them, sleep with them, etc. However! She did venture down the road one night since she mischievously jumped off the high back deck and killed someone's rabbit. So, I guess part of what someone posted was correct. Very loving and gentle with cats... other small animals...not so much. :)

I have always lived with a mix of border collies and cats. Any dog with a high prey drive will turn to destructive behaviour if not given enough exercise. My most recent border collie was adopted at 15 months old into my home with 4 cats (never having lived with them previously) and was trained very quickly to respect them and behave accordingly. Any over enthusiam and the cats give a good swipe on the dogs nose anyway!

These breeds are more likely to be overlooked in animal shelters becuase of misconceptions such as their inability to mix with cats or small breeds.

We also have a golden retriever - the rule "any dog is as good as its training" is applicable to all breeds.

I have breed Chihuahuas for years and they are indifferent to cats. If the cats run they give a half hearted chase but otherwise could care less. Never had a cat killed by one. Now my boxers are obbsessed with cats and have now inadvertently killed two of my poor kitties.

I have a puggat named brownie (pug/rat terrior mix) and let me tell you this is a MEAN dog!! It's OBSESSED with food! It won't let any other animal eat food when she's around, she chases the cats and bites them and makes terrible mean monsterous noises. this dog is SMALL but the most VICIOUS dog ever and would fight a bear with no hesitation but is afraid of gates for some reason. She's good with people unless you annoy her. She's really sweet, will lay in between your legs when your layin down or sittin on the couch/ Loves her belly and back rubbed. She can be playful but she gets rough. LOL and she humps my mom's leg and my puppy max sometimes. and I also noticed ever since we got our puppy max who humps stuff all the time she copied his behavior cuz she never did this before. She is just mean and nice at the same time lol

My cat was already an adult when we got the lab puppy. Now they tolerate eachother. I wouldn't say they are great buddies. The cat is definitely the boss.

I want to put in a plug for English bulldogs. We have 2 cats and an EB. The cats were here first and we got the EB 2 years ago as a puppy. He has been known to chase them and for the first year, I never let him out unsupervised. I got very nervous seeing the way he would shake his toys when he was a puppy, thinking he would do that to the cats.

At age 2, he has learned proper respect for the cats. His aggression towards them takes comical forms, like head-butting and swatting. I've noticed he is brattier to the cats when we're around - it's an attention getting device. My female cat is not one bit afraid of him and sometimes they sleep together. I don't hesitate to leave them alone unsupervised.

The dog is actually our son's dog and now our son has his own place so we get the dog just for babysitting. We miss having a full-time dog but want to get a dog that will be good with the cats. My husband doesn't like small dogs, so we'll probably be looking for another EB. In theory, I'd love to get a shelter dog but I feel like you just don't know what you're getting. So many of them seem to be pit or terrier mixes - can't risk that with the cats.

So I just got a springer spaniel from this family and was told that they weren't sure how he would do with a cat since they kept him and another male springer as outdoor dogs on 5 acres. She said as a puppy he didn't pay attention to the neighbors cat, etc... so we brought him home last night and he's such a great dog, really I can't think of anything bad, even lets the little kids mess with his chew bone and doesn't bat an eye. They did say they saw the neighbor kids hurting him once but they didn't tell me how, this is a really great family but he def wants to be an indoor dog now and won't even go outside to potty if he doesn't see me for fear he can't get back in, however, when my cat surfaced today he at first paid no attention, then all of a sudden noticed her, she's black, and I was holding his collar and he started shaking and getting really eager and whining, but his tail was wagging like crazy, so I don't know if he wants to hurt her or investigate, I know if I had let go he would have gone for her, but don't know the intention, after she took off he went over and sniffed the area. Not sure what to think, anyone help me? oh, my cat is 6 yrs old and the dog is 2.

I had a Yorkie (that I had to PTS after 15yrs of love) & she got along great with my two cats. They did not grow up together in fact Brandy, the Yorkie was around 11 when the cats were introduced. More recently, I have a Husky (1 of 3 dogs) and she does not bother my 7 cats at all. Again they did not grow up together and the husky was about 10 when the cats were introduced. She was very curious as to what they were when they first came into the picture and we watched her closely, but after a couple of months felt completely comfortable with them together and at least half the cats will just walk right by all our dogs.

I do agree certain breeds can have tendencies for conflicts over others, but I also think training and the way your animals are raised has a lot to do with interactions. (It also helps to have more laid back, but confident kitties, lol).

I have owned three dogs: Lab/Dob, Lab, and now I have a Lab/Husky mix. The 1st one was not raised with cats but tolerated the neighbors cat outside and inside our house (the cat liked to visit our home). The 2nd was introduced to a kitten around 6 yrs. of age and they became best friends. I now have two cats (10 & 6 yrs.) and adopted the Lab/Husky 9 months ago, when she was 6 months old. All of my dogs played with stuffed animals and shook them violently. All of them also liked to de-stuff the toys with equal enthusiasm-it looked like they were disemboweling the toys. NONE of my dogs has ever harmed a cat. The Lab liked to drag a stray around the yard by his scruff. I have no idea why the stray liked this but he came back everyday--it was a strange relationship but she never hurt him. My current dog, lab/husky likes to chase the cats and bows and pounces but, the cats sleep with her and sometimes play back. My point is, just because a dog shakes a stuffed animal, it does't mean that they will shake a real animal. Oh, I also have had guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rabbits and birds (my daughter loved animals growing up)around the 2nd dog--Lab--who drag the stray--and she never harmed any of them:)

I know some Border Collies might have a problem but mine doesn't, she is the sweetest girl in the world and you can read about how we all go on a walk together every evening at: http://www.squidoo.com/the-story-of-buttons-lily-p...

i am so surprised about the Samoyed, they are the dearest and most good natured dogs!!!!!!!!! mabye they bark at the cats but as i know a bit about them i know they would never harm them.

I have a rottweiler hates cat, but loves children and dogs. My rottweiler never grew up with any cat while puppy time, so can't blame her. But she is a lovely dog and get along very well with other stranger dog and all mankind.

I have had two Australian Cattle dogs and both live happily with their feline friends. Like anything, get them socialized early and they can be buddies

im interested in a beagle mix at a no kill shelter, but she looks like shes a terrier and a lab mix, she doesn't look like a beagle at all. the lady said she loves to chase rabbits, but she doesn't know if she likes cats or not. i have three cats and two rabbits but the rabbits are in a fenced yard on the side of my house, and the fence is around five feet tall. What should i do?

NEEDING ANY ADVICE:

I came home this evening and our neighbor met me in our driveway. She said her dogs had found a dead animal in our side yard. She wasn't sure if it was a small dog, cat or raccoon.

Imagine my shock when I saw it was our daughter's beloved 3-yr old cat. Our daughter, who is currently working in another country, entrusted her “kitty” to our care.

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NOTE: The next paragraph is detailed with respect to our cat’s appearance when I saw him – a modified post-mortem. I have A.S. & B.S. degrees in Veterinary Science, but I haven’t worked in this field for years. My comments are not meant to offend anyone; I am merely desperate to determine what may have happened. I am looking for anyone’s input and knowledge. Those who are sensitive may want to skip the next paragraph.

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This was a 3 yr old, healthy cat, large in statue, very muscular and slim, weighing almost 13 lbs. When I came upon his body, the appearance was not what one would expect to see after a cat or small dog has been “shaken” and its neck broken. The skin at the back of the head was gone, as if it has been peeled back. I initially thought he had been decapitated, however, there appears to be a small portion of the lower jaw being held by the skin under the neck. The muscles are exposed from the top of neck to the “shoulders”. The remainder of his body is intact. His body was “stretched out” per se, which is a reflex which can occur when the spinal cord is “pinched”. In humans, NFL fans can relate to this reflex when a player sustains a hard hit at his neck and his arms and legs are extended and appear to be paralyzed.

------- END OF COMMENTS WITH GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION------

It was dusk, so I couldn’t see more detail; I was concentrating more on retrieving his body to keep another daughter from seeing it. I have no doubt an animal did this, rather than some disturbed human who tortures animals.

I am trying to be a good neighbor and be objective, but:

This is the 2nd cat to be found dead in our yard within the last 6 months. The other cat, found in the same area cat was 12 years old and had some health problems; however, she had no obvious signs of injury when our gardener found her. Read on:

Our neighbors have two boxers - we have lived next door to each other for almost 15 years. These dogs are approx 8-10 years old. One was raised from a puppy; the other was rescued from an abusive owner. These dogs have been in/out of our home many times; there was curiosity but no aggression. Their interest was more in the cat food rather than the cats.

What I’ve seen today is more reminiscent of what one would see on National Geographic, not in a neighborhood teeming with young children.

If anyone can offer any knowledge or experience with this type of behavior with “pet” boxers killing and eating cats, I would be grateful. I understand instinct, but this sudden aggression is alarming. We live within the city limits in an area where our older homes & tree lined streets are in high demand. We have good leash laws, and these dogs normally stay within the boundary of their yard. No history of feral dogs, coyotes, hawks, raccoons, etc. The only “dogs of interest” are these dogs.

My thanks to anyone who can offer any theories or experiences.

NEED ADVICE

i have a small house cat with a sweet temperment, if a bit skittish and prone to bouts of energetic running around.

i'm considering getting a Lhasa apso (or a shitztu as a second choice). i love my cat and so i'm wondering if the possible risks (as there are with any dog) are worth it.

in short, would bringing a lhasa apso puppy into the home jepodise my cat to such a degree that it isn't worth it.

please respond, i'd love a dog but dont know if this is the right thing to do.

We have had many terrier breeds of dogs and never had probems with them and cats. Labs that is a different story. They are not always friendly with cats.

Our Springer loves our cats.

My sister's Pitbulls kills every cat that comes in their yard.

I think another problem is one dog will not do what two dogs will do!!! If their in a pack they will act different then alone.

Devastated-Owner sorry to hear about your cat.

I have had a cat for about three years, and about a year and a half ago we got a rescue puppy--if she is alert she looks like a Dobie, or maybe a Rottweiler. They have always gotten along (my first cat would have sliced and diced the dog), but occasionally the dog has gone too far and the cat bopped her a few times and reminded her to play nice. But a couple of weeks ago the dog chased the cat down and pinned her barking, snarling and what have you. I pulled her off, and punished her. The dog instantly acted like nothing had happened. It happened again a week or so ago, but I found a couple of nuggets of cat food. I am wondering if this is over food. The dog loves cat food--I don't put the cats food where the dog can get it. The cat has plenty of hiding places as long as she isn't pinned. I do not leave the cat and dog unsupervised any longer. Any thoughts?

Cowgirl0216 Whilst you are correct on the high prey drive thing, it is not because they were descended from wolves. Genetically Huskies are no closer to wolves than a yorkshire terrier. It is in fact linked to the fact that because Inuits were unable to afford to feed their dogs in the warmer months when they didn't need them to pull sleds, they would let them fend for themselves locally, so Huskies (and other spitz breeds) needed to keep their prey drive if they were to survive -natural selection.

Huskies and other spitz breeds to have a very high prey drive but I have seen many live in harmony with cats. I have 3 sibes and 2 (Aeris and Nanuq) are fine with our 2 cats -they have had a LOT of training! The third, Eska is still young and immature so he has less control over his predatory instincts. That said, I would never leave them in a room unsupervised, because instinct rules all else, it only takes for a cat to dash in front of them and the reaction can be so lightning quick they have no time to think about it. Our cats and dogs have their own areas of the house (upstairs for cats, downstairs for dogs) so that they have areas which they feel they 'own'. Our living room in neutral ground where all 5 animals can settle peacefully -but only with our close supervision.

I have a jindo, she thinks the cats are her puppies, so she carries them around by their scruff, it's really cute.

I just wanted to mention that there are a few standard poodle lines that continue to be bred for their original purpose as hunting and retriever dogs. I think mine must be from one of those lines because I've never seen prey drive like his before. Despite his obedience training, even after a month of having the cat in the house, his teeth chatter when he is in the same room as the cat. He can barely contain himself. There is no way I would leave them alone together.

we recently purchased an 8 month old english bull terrier. she is so well behaved for a puppy. no messes in the house, somewhat excited especially for walks. but she will outgrow this, but she has this thing about cats. the people that had her before us had cats and separated them because of her behavior. she absolutely fixates on them and is perfectly poised and doesn't move when they are around. on a walk the other night my husband had to pull her away from the area where a cat was loose. i mean she was like a statue, never moved. it was kind of scary to think what she would do is she were loose. she was in a house with 5 small children, so we know she is good with kids. no other problems at all except she thinks she a lap dog and is clingy right now. does anyone know what we should do or have you had this kind of behavior and what did you do. we don't have cats, never wanted one, really don't care for them because they go to the bathroom all over our yard, but i certainly don't want a cat-killer on my hands and the cats do tend to get in our fenced in back yard. any advise?? should i warn neighbors to keep their cats at home and what happens if she gets one?? i mean she is in her yard and they are considered "wild animals". any advise would be appreciated

Wow, do beagles and huskies get along. If so then, how do huskies go with cats? Good or Bad?

My Ridgeback/Boxer Crossbreed has in the last month had two incidences with our cats but she was raised with them and she attacked both of our cats, we were in the kitchen at the time when all of a sudden she started mauling one of the cats and a few days later she did it to the other cat, she's never had issues with them before.

Please advise me how I can channel her aggression and possibly prevent this from occurring again.

We adopted a papillon mix from the shelter about two years ago. He looks just like a papillon but he's oversized, and I've been trying to figure out what other breed he's mixed with. The shelter said terrier, and based on this hub I think they're right.

We've got two cats that never socialized properly with the dog from the beginning, so now they have to live separately from the dog. It works OK because the master suite is large and has basically two bedrooms and a bathroom and hallway (it's just the way the addition was put on this house) so the cats basically live in an "apartment" and the dog gets the rest of the house and the outside.

The dog gets very excited to see the cats, and rushes into the bedroom whenever he gets a chance. It seems like at first he wanted to play with them, but they would have nothing of it so he got "offended" and started barking at them. Now it's just a pattern: he rushes into the bedroom and flushes the cats wherever they are, they run under the bed, he can't get a good foothold on the floor (ha ha) so he can never actually get to them before they get under the bed, but then he sits and barks at them while they growl and hiss at him.

While annoying, I never thought it was dangerous, as the cats are about 11 lbs and the dog is 20. But more recently, I've noticed that if the dog does get his nose near the cat, I find a clump of fur on the ground. The cat never yowls, never swipes (I wish she would!) so I don't think she's ever hurt, but I've become worried that the dog is biting at her rather than trying to play with her. He does chase squirrels in the yard so I know he's got the instinct to chase small animals.

But two days ago the dog was outside and there were a bunch of sparrows on the ground. All of them flew away but one, and the dog immediately grabbed at the sparrow and started mouthing it. He wouldn't let go and ran away with it and tried to take it into the house. It was his first "kill", I think, and it upset me a whole lot, and now I'm afraid he may actually harm the cats.

Don't quite know what to do. I respect natural instinct and if he does have terrier in him, that would explain everything. But I love the dog and feel an obligation to all the animals I've adopted to keep them for life. So ... is the separation technique working, and will it work for the lifetime of the pets? Or can I somehow train the dog to get along with the cats?

I really wish the cats would beat the dog up one day instead of run away. He needs to feel a little afraid of them.

So Akitas don't get on with cats? Someone had better tell my Akita.......

I rest my case......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd-oDutimUs

i have had a toy poodle for about 4 years. recently, my dad got a cat and the first time ever my dog saw him, he instantly went for the attack. we are now having them live together and it's extremely tense. if they get to close to each other, hissing, scratching, and barking ensues. just goes to show even more that generalizations cannot be made.

This is definitely an interesting article. I was a bit surprised to read that terriers tend to not get along with cats though! At my house, we have a wire-haired Jack Russell terrier, a Poodle Shihtzu mix, and a cat. The shihtzu mix seems to play with and tease the cat while the Jack Russell ignores him completely! And at a relative's house, she has a Cairn terrier that also plays with and sleeps with the cat. I guess when it comes down to it, it is just the individual personality of the dog.

Our Australian Shepherd thinks each new kitty is her baby ... washes, plays with and cuddles them to sleep, then releases them to grow up, with everyone living in harmony under one roof (including the sharing of food). My cousins black setter/retriever actually nursed a siamese kitten, the rejected offspring of another family other cat, and they played together, hysterically, for the rest of their lives.

i have a shiba inu and its best friend is my cat, but he likes to chase my other cats

Like the person who wrote the article said, every dog is an individual. I live with a Basenji/sheperd/dobie mix and a 5lb elderly chihuahua and three cats. Annie our Basenji/sheperd/dobie is the most gentle creature you could find.She is loving and gentle with the cats and our grouchy old( toothless) chihuahua Bo.

We adopted her from a shelter

at 4 months of age and we socialized her with all creatures big and small, and she is a wonderful girl who adores everyone big and small.

Growing up my Father took in every stray cat,dog,bird.I over the years have fostered many cats and dogs and have been very blessed with no horrible incidents.

I even fostered an adult chow who fell abjectly in love with my house rabbit.

You just never know, and its very good to be cautious,but just don't want anyone to reject a dog based on breed alone. There are so many wonderful dogs out there that need a home.

Of course anything can go wrong, but that is the chance we take.

I have a 16 week old kitten and we're getting a Weimaraner puppy in 3 weeks time who is currently just over 8 weeks old. Do you think it would make any difference whether we get the puppy now or in 3 weeks to how they accept each other? A friend said that the puppy would accept the kitten better at 8 weeks than at 11 weeks.

My Bichon and Traditional Siamese absolutely adore each other. They walk around the house together, hunt in the garden for mice together and even share their food! I am blessed to have such loving animals.

We recently rescued a year old Rhodesian Ridgeback/Samoyed cross and she's great with cats. She asolutely loves our little kitty Luna... sadly our year old cat is a little less tolerant of the dog. We just got the dog and Luna is not sure why this big tan thing is in the house cuddling up to HER masters haha. I think it's all in how you raise and train the dog. Dog's with high prey drive's just need to be taught not to view the cat as prey but as a companion and member of the family. When we introduced our dog Brandi to Luna we made sure it was in a very controlled setting and gave both animals treats and praises to make the experience a positive one and Luna is slowly but surely coming around. I know eventually they'll be best furry gal pals.

Saying some dogs are this or some dogs are that is generalizing an individual animal on the basis of the over arching concept of breed. Like Pitbulls for example, people have this misconception that they are inheritedly vicious dogs but they aren't, most are sweet gentle dogs that carry the negative connotation of a select few. Any undesirable behaviors really boil down to the owners and how they treat their dogs. Dogs, cats, children - they are all products of their environment, the great thing about dogs is with love, attention and training you can perfect their doggy manners and ensure a harmonious family unit with human, canine and feline alike.

My 8 year old miniature schnauzer seems to get along with girl animals but not males

I have four cats and a dog it was tough at first but my mean cat gave the dog a few beating along the way and in the winter you can catch them sleeping in front of the wood stove to stay warm.

What about Shetland Sheepdog (sheltie)?

We have been reading up on dogs for almost a year but after I found our lovable cat 6mo ago everything has changed in what to look for. He will be 9mo by the time we get a dog, does anyone know if that is considered "growing up" with a puppy? I'd love it if they could get along.

I have had 3 rhodesian ridgebacks, all have been dominate. My first one, Livingston, was in a family of 5 kids, a bird(which it feared), fish in a pond and a cat "nemesis" named Tess . Tess was a 9 near old Calico I had forever. Tess and Livingston would fight during the day at all times and everywhere they encountered each other, it would be a chase with hisses and barks. I was very worried....when I was around fights were constant.....but when I wasn't looking, they slept together own the same bed. Ha. It Maas. Then that I discovered that sometimes your pets do what you expect! Learn

Learn to expect wonderful harmony.

I have a English cocker spaniel and they are apparently the BEST dogs with cats but my puppy still chases after my cat

I just adopted a yorkie mix puppy from a shelter about a week ago. The puppy is around 4 months old. I have a 10-year-old cat, also from a shelter, who is very skittish. I wasn't aware that yorkies could be a danger to cats. So far, the puppy has never been loose around the cat. She is either in her crate or on a leash when the cat is around. She barked at my cat when I first brought her home, but hasn't done it since. There have been quite a few times when my cat ran out of the room upon seeing the puppy. So far, the puppy has not tried to chase him. Right now, the puppy is only allowed loose in one room of the house, and she is never unsupervised, nor is the cat in the room when she is loose. My plan is to slowly introduce her to the rest of the house using a pet gate. What else can I do to try to prevent incident between the two?

This article is very interesting and perfectly true. My brother had a pitbull whom loved all his wife's cats and looked after all their kittens and defended them from the other dogs he had. My husband had a friend whom had a greyhound with her pet rabbits and cats and never harmed them. On the other side of the coin - my neighbour told me that her golden retriever had gone after several cats and some being fatally injured. One of the vets that I took my cats too told me of some cocker spaniels that had attack a cat with fatal results. I think you have to use common sense and weight up your dog or dogs personality and the cat/s too.

Well bitbull and lab mix do not like cats cause they constantly chase cats and does anyone know of a no kill shelter in Louisiana?

I have a beautiful 4 year old Bernese Mountain Dog. She has little or no prey drive. She is wonderful with cats and other dogs of all sizes. and people of all sizes. she barks at my cats through the window, but I can tell her bark is a play bark. Years ago, I had an Alaskan Malamute that was wonderful with our cats. She exhibited her prey drive towards pigeons and other birds.

i have a 4 year old 13 pound yorkie. (hes not fat but a very big yorkie!!!) i was thinking of getting a cat but i dont know if he would kill the cat or just sniff it and maybe bark and thats it. how do i know if i can have one with my dog? PLEASE HELP ME!!!

I have an 12 year old Australian Cattle Dog named Jim and he LOVES my 6 month old Manx kitten Binky. I was surprised that he liked her that much, but she didn't like him very much because she ATTACKED him! i thought he would hurt her because he had blood all over his face, but he put her in his mouth and sat and waited for me to come and get her. when i got her out of his mouth, i checked her and she didn't look hurt, but Jim did. i thought she wouldn't mind him because she was born in a house with a HHUUGGEE Pitbull(the pitbull is very nice). but she did and now they are both okay and happy to be living with each other.

Aw, Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes are my favorite dogs, and I love cats. Looks like I'll have to choose now.

The neighbors Lab has killed 4 kittens so far and attacked another this morning. Becomes and actually snatches them off my porch. I've had to buy a gate.

Leave it to luck, we have a Cairn. We had a Shihtzu, the cats and the Tzu loved one another. We lost our Tzu and got a cairn. Cairns are hunters bread to look for prey in "cairns" or rocky outcroppings. Don't do it. Our cats now have one part of the house, and the dog the other. I wish we would have known.

ohhhh the malmute el eat the cat, I just saved the last one left. And it was from the female, the male was the one that consumed the 2 other cats

I beg to differ! You have listed Malamute and Siberian as hey prey driven AND while they ARE high prey driven both breeds get along perfectly well with cats - I have had both huskies and cats for almost 30 years now and have not had any issues. And I'm not just talking about one husky and one cat. I currently have three huskies - a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a one year old and I have three cats - 2 less than 2 years old and one that is 8 years old. And I've always had both dogs and cats together. In fact, my huskies are protective of my cats. What evidence is your article based on exactly? Opinion or research by a professional body?

Again, I want to know what research or evidence-based study supports your argument .... just point me in that direction.

I have a dalmatian/boxer mix and she hates cats. Go figure. Haha.

It's pretty funny how some dog behave with cats, I have a 12 year old mastiff x ridgeback and a 1 year old mastiff x ridgeback (both most likely have many other breeds in them). The older one never liked cats when we were out walking, always getting very panicky when we passed one, and it was always difficult to settle her down, but two years ago I got a little kitten. To my surprise it only took about a week for the dog to be okay with the cat, from then on they were very well behaved... Then comes the puppy! She is meant to be the same breed as the older dog except she cannot help herself when it comes to the cat she has to chase it! Even when we manage to get her under control, you can see it in her body language how bad she wants the cat! The funny thing is the puppy has had the cat around its whole life, so far... Except she behaves like she has never seen a kitten before! But the old girl who has only had the cat in her life for two years get along with the cat like they are old mates from way back! It puts a bit of a twist on the whole dogs are okay with cats if they grow up with them theory! Aswell as the breed theory!

When we bought our cat at 10 weeks old, 3 years ago, we already had a 5 year old Jack Russell dog, with a naturally high prey drive, and a 4 year old Flatcoat retriever bitch, who is soppy but inquisitive. The kitten had been raised in a house with dogs and was totally unfazed when he met ours. The Jack Russell definitely wanted to have a go, in what I would call a semi playful way which could have turned nasty. The retriever wanted to make friends and play.

I introduced the Jack Russell under complete control, holding him so that he could not attack the cat - he calmed down extremely quickly. Within 24 hours there was no problem at all and the three animals were completely relaxed in each other's company. The kitten started to suckle the retriever (no milk of course) and the retriever was completely cool about this, though we discouraged it by gently detaching the kitten, so that it stopped after a week or so. Several years later and they all run in the garden together and the cat sometimes follows us down the lane for a walk. Hate each other? Happily, in this household they seem to be pretty fond of one another. We have never had a single dog vs. cat incident and there are regular and hilarious mock fights between the cat and the retriever. The Jack Russell is more aloof and only plays with the other dog!

We're a cat family that recently adopted a very small shelter dog, part terrier part shih tzu. I really don't know if that what she is, but she is certainly a terrier mix of some type.

Didn't even realize prey drive existed until after we got the dog and I found this article. Our dog will not leave the cat alone.

The dog is 8 pounds, and the cat, a very strong tabby, is 19 pounds at least. It's just that every time the dog sees the cat it's like it's the first time. Every single time it's like this, and she refuses to leave him alone. And she doesn't stop when she starts rushing him if we command her to stop. (part of the training she has already had)

Now, the cat could easily take care of the dog, but he has chosen not to for whatever reason. He is however, getting more and more fed up, and can bite very hard. But we don't want either of them to get hurt.

We have already had training for our dog for separation anxiety, and she starts obedience training in January. So we will do anything and everything to try and work through this.

We love them both, we want them to learn to get along, just wondered if anyone had any hints that may help. We really should have researched a lot more before we made such a decision, but we're in it for the long haul now.

Any suggestions appreciated..

My Whippet and cat get along fine. Here's an adorable video of them that proves it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNJl6w53STk

i have a scottish terrier (8yrs) and a calico cat (1 yrs) and they hate each other....any tips?

Hi there I have a malumute (sorry for spelling lol) we had our cat for a year or so before we rescued our malumute from the pound he was 3 and I took great care when introducing them my dog max went up to the cat (niko) who swipped him on the nose and that was all it took for niko to show max who was boss and they have been best of friends ever since they play and share food fine unless the cat doesn't want max there then he growls at max which I find amusing as I'm sure it should be the other way around lol although I will make sure niko is high up when my parents dogs come around they are a jack Russel and a jack Russel cross beagle they like to chase him I don't think they would hurt him but I wouldn't take the risk as I've saved my cat from being chased by them once when they first came over and I didn't realise he was in x hope this helps xx

We just recently rescued a three or four year old Alaskan Malamute. This dog is very calm, never makes a noise, loves to chew on her bone...she isn't very interested in the balls or other toys we have bought her but loves to carry around my daughters dolls and stuffed animals. She is very calm around the kids....she seems to ignore us a lot but seems to be very well trained and heels and does tricks and understands what we want from her, but like I said, she seems to ignore us when we call her (also a new name to get used to I am sure). My cat has been in hiding since she got here. She has seen her a couple times and runs after her as if to chase her. She has been camped out by my bed for two days because the cat is hiding underneath it. Now I am worried she is going to eat my cat! She is wonderful otherwise....how can I prevent this from happening?

woww! i want a yorkie, do they get along with cats??

We have a Jack Russell and she is an absolute terror to our poor cat! She's such a loveable cuddly little girl, but she does take great pleasure in jumping on and play fighting with the cat who has no desire to play.

we brought a yorkie that will be 2 in may she has all of a sudden started to attack my cats and im not sure what to do as now the cats cant come in the front room she got into my bedroom today and if it wasn't for my husband i dread to think what she would have done to the cat im now not sure if i should keep her

I have a rat terrier/min pin mix I got from a shelter and he's great with my cat. She rolls over on her back and waits for him to "attack" and they wrestle and chase each other. She's a rather dog-like cat though and is the only one of the two that plays fetch. She's 3 years old and once she adjusted to the puppy's play style they work, and if he gets too rough she swats him on the nose and he backs off. :-)

Newfoundlands do very well with cats. Out of all dog breeds they have a very gentle temperament and are great with small animals and children. You do, however, have to want a giant, dribbly bear around the house! Our newfie loves our three cats.

It's a good thing that boxers are good with cats because I have a boxer puppy, and i'm planning ti get a kitty.

I had a one year old Rhodesian Ridgeback, and an four year old samoyed, when I brought my eight week old kitten home,Tony, Tony was a little scared by my samoyed because she came rushing in, to see me and didn't pay him any attention, when I brought my rhodesian ridgeback in, she was very interested with tony and kept an eye on him but didn't go near him, then within the week all of them where getting along find, Miska my samoyed liked sleeping and didn't want to play and stayed to herself, But Jess my ridgeback loved Tony, and Tony loved Jess, Tony and Jess use to play all day and everyday, Tony use to play with jessies tail and jess would play back, of course jess was being gentle and never hurt tony..but tony being what he is use to jump out of nowhere and playfully attack jess,and til this day, five years later they are still bestfriends!

And here's a picture! http://www.dailycute.net/view/Other/7650

I have a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and they do not get along with cats, even on their website it is recommended not to have a cat in the house with them.

Ive owned so many dogs I had a rat terrier named skipper for 17 years I loved that little dog he died last year broke my heart.

Have an Aussie Blue Heeler/and Beagle/Dacshund mix...they live in a large fenced yard with deck/dog houses..rescue dogs....I feed feral cats

all the time and get them fixed when I can catch them..the dogs have killed raccoons, possums, and 2 armadillos who invaded their yard. But, when an 8 week old kitten came through the fence, they pounced it and shook and killed it instantly..is this normal for the breeds...they are not mean to humans/children at all/but, protective of us, especially the Blue Heeler...we love cats and are distressed about the kitten and other kittens in the woods I feed...

Our basset/husky is not a fan of cats. She chases our cat constantly but, thank goodness, has never hurt him. She preys on small animals outside. Not a good mix with cats.

i have a shih tzu i have a problem with him going crasy every time he see's my catsi have brought him back in the house & crate him every time.i am hopeing that will work in the futcher

this is ridiculous. I have a golden retriever who gets along very well with my himalayan.

Otterhounds are also terrible with cats

hi, desperate advice please. my tarrier who has just turned a year has always been ok wuth my 7 cats. chased them but thats about it. we think henis jack crossed with maybe a cairn or something similar. just let him out for his morning wee and he picked up my white oriental cross and shook her like a ragdoll. I was horrified and ran to her rescue. she appears to be deaf so is vulnerable and he has started to tease my more vulnerable cats? what do I do please, its really scared me!

thank you for all of this information.it rly helped.

It's funny how my poodle was the one to kill our 4 kittens and my jack Russell loved them...

I really appreciate your lists and information here. I am amazed at how people argue with you and your lists, :( especially as you have repeatedly tried to express that your list isn't a black and white statement. Our family has two older cats whom we love and then we recently had a stray dog show up at our home. I thought he was a pit bull mix but our vet said probably basenji and Akita mix. Anyways our kids loved him and he seemed very sweet. Still I was really nervous what he might do to our indoor cats who slip out sometimes, especially with three young children running in and out. We finally decided to take the seemingly sweet doggie to the no-kill shelter where he could find a better home. It's been days since we took him and I'm still so sad that we couldn't keep him. But after reading this list and some posts by other readers, I feel better as it confirms that something bad really could've happened to our kitties (and even far worse, our 2 yo little girl). We had no idea of the dog's past and it just isn't worth the risk. The right person will adopt him one day soon hopefully, and we will find a better dog fit for our family. We're considering an Australian Shepherd puppy so thank you again for your help. God bless!