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Original poster

If my greyhound eats the neighbours kitten...?

41 replies

purpleduck · 22/09/2009 21:47

Ok, our neighbors have just gotten a very sweet kitten, and have been allowing it to go out.The cat has been going into our back garden. In the warmer weather, the dogs do go out in the garden to laze around. They don't excercise there as it is very small, and we take them out -so it won't be a problem in the winter.

Thing is, last night they forgot that the cat was out, did not leave a window open for it, and it came around and jiggled at our front door or something. I thought someone was trying to break in - the dogs were going mad. Dh came down and checked it out -he opened the door, and thats when we discovered that it was the cat. The greyhound dashed out, thinking that it was christmas, and DH had to prise the cat out of the dogs mouth. He went over to the neighbours to get them to let the cat in, and they didn't seem bothered

I really, really love cats...I know cats will be cats etc. I don't want my dog to hurt her -but its just so daft of them to get a cat, and let it wander when there is a greyhound next door. The dogs have to go in the front, as that is where their toilet is.

It just P*sses me off that it seems to be my problem - they don't seem to care..grrrrr!

OP posts:
fudgethenudge · 23/09/2009 00:35

Hi I have 2 adopted greys who I totally adored. Unfortunately last week when out walking them (they were on their leads as per usual) a cat popped its head out from a bush at the exact moment my male grey was going for a pee. In a spilt second he had the cat in his mouth and the other grey had grabbed its back end. I managed to get them off the cat after what seemend like an enternity and some help from a kind passer by and got the dogs home. I went back to check on the cat which at that time was thankfully still alive and managed to find out who the owner was. Several hours later the cat had to be put down so I went round to the ladies house as I felt so bad about what had happened and paid her vet bills for her as I thought it was the least I could do. My dogs are now muzzled every time I take them out as I could not go through that again and the lady in question still gives them a fuss because as she said at the time that is what they are trained to do.

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 23/09/2009 11:21

I'm guessing they did weigh it up and decided to take the risk.

My dog doesn't chase my cat though I've been warned that she would probably chase strange cats. Next door have 3 cats and I have never seen them in my garden apart from on the shed roof. I think that other posters are right and that this cat will soon learn to keep out your garden.

callaird · 23/09/2009 11:53

I used to have a 6 foot python who had a glass tank but would roam freely around the house when we were home. One day the next door neighbours were in the back garden showing off their 6 week old beautiful white kitten to the neighbours at the back of our houses, the kitten jumped off her shoulder, into our back garden, in through the back door (we were in the garden and 'Oscar' didn't like the brush type draught excluder that ran along the bottom door frame so never came out) and under the sofa, I screamed that Oscar was out and went running in, my partner lifted the sofa and I dragged the snake out, but it was too late. The neighbour came in through the back door with a meat cleaver in her hands to 'open him up'!!!

We had to move because of the abuse she and her family threw at us, even though the police (whom she called) said that it was her fault for letting the kitten tresspass on our property and that we were in no way oblidged to kill our pet to rescue hers. I was absolutely heartbroken for the poor kitten (none the less so for being able to here it mewl whilst inside a python!) but I loved that snake!

The things is, in the natural order of the world, some animals are preditors and some are pray, there is no changing that. You cannot make an not be a preditor no matter how much you want to.

As they say, that's life. So not you fault and even if your dog gets a cat on public property, how can you tell it no? It is instinct and you cannot change that.

Original poster
purpleduck · 23/09/2009 16:25

callaird and nudge
How awful - esp being able to hear the cat mew from inside the python
Can't believe your neighbor was wanting to do a cat-ectomy

OP posts:
PartOfTheHumphreysGroup · 23/09/2009 16:34

ooh that's good to know it's not criminal if it's in your own garden - our greyhounds dispatched a cat a while ago too.
We always have muzzles on them now when they are out in the garden.

Cats do not seem to learn though, there is one in particular that is in the garden many times a day, and I often 'release the hounds' (with muzzles and when i can see the cat has plenty of chance to get away) but the bloody thing still comes back.

Weegle · 23/09/2009 16:49

I can see where you're coming from - but just to present a different view. I am a cat owner and I had no IDEA that there was a breed of dogs that would kill a cat like that - chase them up a tree, yes, but not maul them! It's obvious now from reading this thread that it stands to reason with Greyhounds but I am 31 and it never crossed my mind before - so if these are young girls perhaps they simply don't realise the damage that your dogs could do? And I am a responsible owner - wouldn't have cats in a home near a main road etc... just never realised this before. Thought any neighbourhood dogs would chase the cat off their territory/up a tree but not actually kill them like that.

gagamama · 23/09/2009 16:58

Oh my God, callaird, that's horrendous! I don't know what disturbs me the most, the fact that you could hear the kitten from inside the snake or the fact that your neighbour dashed round with a meat cleaver to butcher the snake!

As for the greyhound and kitten, you've warned the neighbours that your dogs want to maim their car, and it's your property, so YANBU. Would still be heartbreaking to witness though, and it's an unnecessary worry for you (if not for the neighbours).

gagamama · 23/09/2009 16:59

...maim the CAT, not the car.

PartOfTheHumphreysGroup · 23/09/2009 17:00

That's a good point - I had no idea til we got them either. And as someone else has said they are the softest of animals in general and great with kids (although I will never dress dd in a rabbit outfit). But a glimpse of something fluffy and mobile and they go crazy.

PartOfTheHumphreysGroup · 23/09/2009 17:01

(that was about weegle's point. slow typing)

Original poster
purpleduck · 23/09/2009 17:36

hmmm weegle -I hadn't thought of that... I think I am going to have Another Word

OP posts:
yorkyporky · 23/09/2009 21:51

Personally I would muzzle the greyhound before letting it out in the garden. I'd find it very hard to live with it if my dog killed a cat.

valhala · 23/09/2009 22:07

Weegle, Greys have a strong prey instinct - it's "what they do", but ALL breeds have the potential to do more than just chase. It's not the breed, its the personality of the individual although some breeds do have certain tendencies.

For example - a Labrador is a lovely cuddly family dog and a large GSD is something to be a bit wary of around your children, right? And all Greys will kill cats, yes?

Or at least thats the frequently found perception to my experience. However, my huge GSD would lick you to death but my Lab, well I wouldn't leave him unattended near your DC, whilst my pals Grey runs a mile FROM my cats!

Its this common perception that ome breeds are bad which can lead to a false sense of security and which has brought us the Dangerous Dogs Act, one of the biggest cods of a law for centuries. I'm not having a go at you, just warning you that to make assumptions based on breeds can be very dangerous for both you and what could be a perfectly harmless dog whose breed has a bad reputation.

Morosky · 23/09/2009 22:14

Do they know that the dog would kill the kittens, we have a dog and cats but it would not enter my head that a dog would kill a cat.

We have a spinger who will kill rabbits but used to carry our kittens around in his mouth, allow them to suckle from his willy and cuddle up with him at night. I have to admit though when we first got the kittens we would not leave them alone with the dog

paisleyleaf · 23/09/2009 22:20

Your neighbours need warning. Like Morosky says, it might not have occurred to them.

(ewww about the mewing kitten in the snake.......... and the meat cleaver)

Original poster
purpleduck · 23/09/2009 22:23

I am not totally sure that my dog would kill it - I wouldn't want to take that chance though.

Yorky - I wouldn't muzzle her - the cat was in their toilet area last night, so muzzling her all 42x she goes out forn a wee would drive me bonkers not be the answer

OP posts:
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