New neighbours have a cat - I have a greyhound. Help??

[acrispyguinness]

As per the title, we have new neighbours. They have a cat which they have now started letting outside. Their cat likes to scale the fences and walk along the tops and over my shed - ordinarily not a problem, I like cats. My senior greyhound however does not. He’s very reactive to them and honestly I’m not sure what he would do if he were presented with the opportunity.

How can I deter their cat from strolling the fences? I’m having to keep my poor boy inside as I can’t supervise 24/7 so he’s no longer able to sunbathe in the garden as I work. He was sunbathing by the back door this morning and their cat appeared at the top of the fence about 2m from him, luckily he didn’t see and I quickly ushered him indoors and shooed the cat but I can’t do this every time it scales the fence. Help!

You can’t train out instinct in a sight hound.

My friends greyhound killed their neighbours cat.

It wasn't their fault because the cat came into their garden, but it was upsetting all round and didn't do much for neighbourly relations.

I would give the cat neighbour a heads up and give them time to sort something out (a couple of weeks maybe), but then I'd go back to letting your dog use it's garden as it wants to. It can't be a prisoner forever because the neighbours don't contain their cat.

I think you actually create more risk keeping your dog in as the cat is learning your garden is “safe” and could be taken (literally) unawares on the first occasion your dog goes for it. Better for the cat to learn there is a dog in the garden, it will keep out of the way.

This.

I rehomed a 5 year old cat from someone who'd not let him out. He was aggressive, frustrated, spent all day, every day going from window to door and back again, trying to get out. He shouted loads, all night too (he was a bengal).
I let him out. Completely chilled, happy cat from that moment forward. All he wanted to do was hang out in the churchyard behind my house, getting the smells, watching the comings and goings. Freedom.

It doesn't suit all cats being kept indoors. Sometimes we need to realise that they are animals, with needs, instincts etc, than a toy. Even places like Cats Protection will list 'need to be allowed to go out' on rehoming cats.

To be fair if it's an ex racer it'll have been muzzle trained.

Get a water pistol and squirt it.

Nope. Greyhounds absolutely can catch them. If they can be arsed.
OP, loads of our neighbours have cats, they sit outside the fence & stare at our boy & he goes nuts, but only seen 1 cat in the garden & it scarpered quick smart when I opened the back door (I hadn’t seen it until it moved)
chances are, cat will smell hound & stay away

Really kind, considerate people.

Very sensible response.

@acrispyguinness Talk to the neighbours.

Interesting. I've never let my cats out and they never had any of these problems.

The vets always praise me for my responsible attitude towards cats because they, believe it or not, are traumatised whenever they deal with cats being run over by cars and distraught owners. Their view is that cats are healthier inside due to environmental dangers, parasites etc.

Maybe it's breed dependent like the inability to train prey drive from a sight hound. I have Persian cats and a domestic, currently.

I have never treated an animal like a 'toy' but, equally, I'm not lazy and expect everyone to be responsible for my animals on my behalf.

And the OP has the right to let her dog outside without it being provoked by next doors cat 🤣

I have a cat and he strolls along the top of the fences making all the dogs bark. It never occurred to me that any of the neighbours might want the cat not to do this, I hope I haven’t been missing something. I think dogs can be trained not to bark, no? I must say it is actually quite difficult, if not impossible to train a cat but if your dog barks at it it might run off?
Otherwise in non-drought times a gentle sprinkling of water at the fence will stop him. Or cat spikes?

Most people have a hose pipe ban at the moment.

Or the neighbours need to keep the cat away from
the OP’s dog.

I’d carry on letting my dog out and what will be will be. The dog is in his own garden, doing nothing wrong.

I wouldn’t have a house left to keep my cat in if he wasn’t allowed out! 😀

Wow I didn’t expect this to blow up quite so much!!

To answer some of the most commonly asked/mentioned things -

He doesn’t bark, so I’m not worried about that. I’m worried he will see it and chase it, and the cat may not be quick enough to escape.

I don’t actually know what he would do if he got close enough, so I’m actively trying to avoid this scenario just in case it turns out to be worst case.

I will of course talk to the neighbours, I want their cat to be able to explore but I want my dog to be able to enjoy his garden without any of them being in danger. I was asking for advice on what I can do/suggest we do as neighbours before I go and chat.

I don’t hate cats, quite the opposite, I just want to ensure its safety whilst also allowing my boy to enjoy his senior years.

I’m hoping I can shoo it off enough times for it to know it isn’t welcome here. Our gardens have fences all round, but I’d only need to protect the immediate adjoining fence from the cat as this is the one I think my dog would have the capability of jumping up if he wanted to - he’s a big lad. I think if the cat was on the other surrounding fences, it would run away before my dog got close enough.

My cats are always indoors only as, to me, letting a cat outside unsupervised is as wise as shoving a toddler out of the front door at 9am and saying, "See you at 5 darling" - in other words, not at all!

To those saying that cats aren't stupid and will keep out of the way of the dog.... Not so, I'm afraid. My neighbour had both her cats killed by next-door's greyhound. A determined sighthound will stop at nothing to get their prey, however old they might be.

As someone with a dog and a cat, I never let my dog out into the garden unsupervised. It is fenced and safe, but delivery people sometimes leave gates open and some of them are frightened of dogs - I wouldn't want to put them, or my dog, in a vulnerable position.

Just spray the cat with a water bottle if I doesn't learn. Let your dog enjoy his garden

In this case suggest addition of trellis to make it higher and less comfy for the cat.
Small thing, big impact

I have been in both positions. Had a potential cat killer dog, and have had cats that needed protection as not very streetwise. As a dog owner all I could do was keep my dog on my property with escape and on the lead in a public place. I warned neighbours.

As a cat owner, I would consider the onus on me to look after my cat. I have pedigree cats - very friendly but quite vulnerable outside. I kept my cats inside for their safety mainly because of busy roads. You can get cat safe fencing to keep the cat within a garden. The cat owners can do this to protect their cat. I would warn them that your dog has been trained to chase and has a naturally high prey drive and you cannot keep him in all the time.

Maybe if they are never let out then it's not an issue. I can't say. I've never let my cats out because, when I was a child, I lost a kitten when a Doberman killed it in a neighbouring garden. This was in another country many years ago. It was upsetting for me and the neighbour.

They really don’t!

The cat will see the greyhound and will jump out of his way.

If you are saying the fence is so low your dog could jump over it, you need to erect a higher fence.