Whippet and cats

[nicecupofteaandaliedown]

We are very keen, nay desperate, to welcome a whippet puppy into our household.

However, a friend has told me they are not cat friendly. In fact, her uncle had one which killed the neighbours cat. Bummer! We have a three year old moggy and would all be very sad if this was her fate.

Online guidance is mixed with some saying never mix cats and whippets, others more positive.

I see there have been whippet threads so would really welcome advice!

[Catsdontcare]

Ooh I've been wondering this too. Am dog broody at the mo and all you buggers on the dog house threads have got me wanting a whippet but also have cats (although one is part cat part velociraptor)

[hazeldog]

I know a couple of whippets and whippet crosses that have killed cats but not the owners own cat. If you raise the puppy with the cat in the house it will be fine. Whippets are sight hounds and will chase and kill anything that moves quickly without thinking but if it knows the cat is a family member it wont see it as prey. Also puppies learn fast that cats have claws and will leave well alone once they get a bloody nose for their trouble

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Depends on the cat/dog.

Contact Scruples Whippet Rescue and ask if they have any cat friendlies in.

Getting a pup is risky. Some Whippets or any breed of dog live happily with cats as young puppies but then their prey drive kicks in and the cat becomes lunch. You'd be best off with a cat tested older Whippet, whose prey drive is known.

My whippet x cross snuggles up with my cat. My lurcher ignores him, he's not worth playing with because the cat won't chase him and doesn't play by the rules, he jumps and climbs places the lurcher cannot reach. Neither of them would harm any cat.

My Dad's Whippet would kill a cat given half the chance, so would his two lurchers.

My terrier is aware that my cat is not on the menu, however in his eyes the rest of the feline world is edible.

[MagratGarlik]

Second what Dooin has said. Our whippet is probably what would be described as 'cat trainable' as in when a cat has been brave enough to encounter him at close quartets he was more bewildered than trying to kill it.

Our lurcher OTOH would kill a cat without hesitation.

I remember reading once that about 20% of greyhounds are cat friendly. I'd imagine it is similar for whippets.

[VivaLeBeaver]

My greyhound is cat friendly and most aren't.

I think if you have a puppy then the chances are even better of it been cat friendly as it grows up seeing a cat. My cats sleep on my dogs bed.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Just seen what dooinmecleanin says about puppies so ignore my advice! What she says makes sense.

[pollyontheshore]

Sitting on the sofa here with whippet and cat curled up together. We have had the whippet from a puppy though and the cat was well established and soon showed her who was boss. We were very careful in the first year to supervise contact and to make sure that the cat never ran away.

We've had stay kittens and cats visiting since and never had any problems but do keep a close eye on the dog - she will chase strange cats outside if they run. Although recently she did let the neighbour's cat saunter past her into our kitchen.

Our poor cat does though have to put up with the whippet's nose stuck up her bottom at least once a day. She does pinch the dog's bed though.

[pollyontheshore]

stray not stay dammit!

[TheGOLDCunnyFunt]

I have a friend with a greyhound, a whippet and a cat, they get along like a house on fire :)

It's definitely possible to get a whippet and have a cat/s. Yy to what D0oin said.

And if you want advice on whippets, pop over to the greyhound, whippet and lurcher cushion, a few whippy owners on there who will be happy to help :)

[nicecupofteaandaliedown]

Will check out Scruples and whippet cushion. Thank you. I think we are going to have one very put out cat. But sounds as if she'll probably survive!

Dooin comments reminded me of a walk in the park last Autumn where we saw a lurcher kill three squirrels in quick succession. My friend was horrified. I just thought 'prey drive'. But then I'm squirrel ambivalent...

[D0oinMeCleanin]

My lurcher would chase a squirrel, he'd chase a cat too, and once he caught it he'd run around in circles barking at it and then run off again in the hope that it would chase him.

[TheGOLDCunnyFunt]

D0oin that Lurcher of yours sounds like an absolute lunatic :o

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Yup. He's learnt how to open doors now and has found himself a new bed. We have been doing lots and lots of positive training with him. Even DH is on board now, he was just too much.

He is catching on to most things quickly. He no longer mauls me in order to remind me he is inside the house when he really should be outside running zoomies and chasing dust bunnies. He lays quietly on his bed now and does not try and nick the food off of your plate while you are eating. He's learnt all that in just two days. By Christmas he will be the model of good behaviour. Unless he deems you as chasable

[TheGOLDCunnyFunt]

Blimey! He almost sounds ever so slightly well behaved!

[happygardening]

Many years ago we had a whippet and a cat the cat came first then the puppy whippet. She'd always been keen on cats she'd met outside but shown no interest in the cat she lived with. They'd lived together for about 3 years I came home one day to find she'd killed it. The cat was a very placid and laid back with not an aggressive bone in her body. My children were small at the time and it was absolutely awful. Whippets are not only very fast but also very agile from the mess in the house it looked like she'd chased the cat up onto quite a high shelf.

[paddythepooch]

Our new lurcher seems scared of the cat. The cat has flounced off upstairs. I wouldn't trust them alone together ever though. so you need to think through the practicalities of keeping them apart when you are not around eg crate, dog gates etc

[bochead]

We used a crate to cat train. Cat & dog are now best buddies and often share a bowl of sardines or curl up together for a snooze. Our cat came to us from a feral litter at 6 weeks old and although neutered isn't a softy iykwim. Cat and dog have even worked together to catch a mouse for me. The dog used to get a scratched nose occasionally in the first year.

My whippet is ok with strange cats outside the home too with one very worrying caveat. If a strange cat runs she WILL hunt it! I have to watch carefully for cats streaking across the park on walks as I really don't want her to kill someone's pet. It's not just a fun chase - she's aiming to hunt & kill.

Our whippy was a yearling when we got her - old enough to reasonably assess temperment.

[nicecupofteaandaliedown]

Oh dear happy gardening. Your experience sounds awful. A lot of people have said the dog will get used to our own cat and won't attack it. My fear is our cat is so feeble she'll spend her life in the loft and will only be a very prey like blur to the dog as she runs to the cat flap. Am checking rescue sites and they are very clear about which dogs are/are not cat friendly. Will ponder on.

[Merrylegs]

I would second what bochead said. It's the speed of the cat.

You may find the cat and whippet live together in perfect harmony, until one day when cat may dash past whippet and whippet will forget himself and give chase.

I would be v careful - even with a cat friendly rescue.

My whippet is very uninterested in the guinea pigs for eg as we've always had them.

Uninterested that is until they move quickly, and then he is very ready to give chase.

Also, when he was a puppy, he was chased and attacked by a rescue greyhound who was allegedly cat friendly.

Maybe.

But she certainly wasn't puppy friendly.

My whippet dashed past her unexpectedly and she just went for him, again on instinct.

Lovely lovely dogs - if you are a person. Not if you are a small fluffy creature.