My dog killed a cat this afternoon. What now?

[HarrietSchulenberg]

Out with dog this afternoon. Dog off lead in seemingly empty field. Cat jumped up from long grass in front of him and he pounced. Cat didn't really have a chance. It was still alive when I managed to get dog off so wrapped it up and took it to vet who lives locally. Vet just rang to say cat died. Owners on holiday till Tuesday but have been told.

First step is dog is staying on lead at all times. Next step is training classes, will ring when I get home tomorrow eve. What else?

Dog is insured so should be covered for vet costs for cat. Will have bill for him too as he was injured, but still waiting to know how much. Will offer to meet with cat owners, if they want to. Do I need to muzzle him if he's on a lead?

Really shocked at the mo and prob not thinking straight. I've always had cats until recently so I really feel for the owners.

Will be bwck in a while, need to get kids to bed.

[happygardening]

A cat in a field or even a road park wood garden where there are dogs is sadly at risk. My neighbours dog killed my cat, I was absolutely devastated but in my view this is the problem with owning cats once outside of your house they are always in danger traffic neighbours or dogs. My cat was in their garden, and I take the view that many breeds of dogs chase hunt and kill small fluffy animals it's innate to many breeds/types of dogs no training will 100% guarantee a dog won't do this in the same way that no amount of training will guarantee you can walk through a sheep of field with a dog off the lead and it wont chase them. My dog has Avery low prey drive and I could walk through a field of sheep and he wouldn't chase them in a million years but I wouldn't do it because you just never know. Contrary to what some think on here dogs are not computers you programme and then never have an off day they living thinking beings they like us do things that are totally out of character. Attacking and killing cats/sheep doesn't mean your dog will attack a child.
My neighbours were lovely about my cat (as was I) they paid the vet bill and contributed towards another cat. We have purchased a non jumping breed for the simple reason that the next cat could get into their garden and the same accident could happen again, my garden has a wall around it that 5 foot high and our current cat can barely jump onto the kitchen table.
I adore cats but owning them has lots of risks because once outside of your house you have no control at all over what they are doing, and what they are going to meet traffic, dogs, neighbours (a friends cat was poisoned by a neighbour probably deliberately), one of ours was kidnapped taken to CP by a neighbour because it was attacking their cats and they claimed it was a stray. Cats are also fickle buggers one left its home and moved in with us and one of ours left our home and moved in with my neighbour.
Find the owner and apologise profusely, I agree pay for the vet bill/cremation etc perhaps offer to contribute to another cat

[MarcoPoloCX]

To all those who said they'd take legal action against the owner, you can train the dog to leave it for months and years but if something furry runs in front of a dog with high prey drive it will be off.
So are you suggesting that all high prey drive dogs and in fact most dogs to he kept on lead?

[Pringle89]

I’m so sorry that must have been horrible to witness, I’m not sure what more you can do though?

Can I ask how just you train dogs to not want to chase cats (or wild rabbits/squirrels etc - Serious question) I understand that if you have cats and dogs living together you can train the dog to accept the cat, but my dog very rarely sees a cat so how would I train it not to chase, as surely it’s instinct? Apologies if I seem stupid but it’s a genuine question?

[BiteyShark]

Zombie thread

[SpurningSocialDarwinism]

If it was my cat, I would forgo putting groceries in my fridge and buying myself clothes and shoes for the winter so I had money to hire the lawyer that would make permanently, 100% sure the dog never hurt anyone's kitty cat ever again. But that's probably because my cat never would've been out alone in a field where someone's dog running amock would get him.

[gimmeadoughnut123]

This thread is 5 years old.

[raypierre]

It really makes me angry reading posts from people saying that it is no-ones fault or somehow natural for a dog to kill a cat. Dog owners should take responsibility for the training, welfare and behaviour of their animals. If a dog kills a cat, or the owner of an cat thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their cat, the dog is considered s being out of control.

[raypierre]

Wrong.....according to government website...
www.gov.uk/control-dog-public
It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere, such as:
in a public place
in a private place, for example a neighbour’s house or garden
in the owner’s home

[raypierre]

www.gov.uk/control-dog-public

A court could decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if either of the following apply:

it attacks someone’s animal
the owner of an animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal

[Alfie190]

@SakuraS you are talking rubbish. It is not illegal to let your cat out and not have it on a leash.

[Nesssie]

If cat goes into your garden and dog kills it - no fault.
Dog goes into cats garden and kill it - fault.

[SakuraS]

I know this is a zombie thread but I created this account to post here, so I'm going to. As someone who owns a dog, it is infuriating when I have to battle my 70 pound dog back inside from my front gate when someone has let their cat outside to roam around. I'd be the bad guy because of irresponsible cat owners. The laws here are all animals need to be on a leash in public, cat owners think they are exempt of this. Dogs have prey drives, they chase small animals, they kill small animals. Last week my dog killed a ground hog which could have easily been a cat. She dropped it when I told her to but it was too late. How many times I've had a cat on top of my fence and a barking exited dog trying to jump the fence to get it. If my dog killed your cat that was in my garden and the cat hurt my dog, not only would I be at your door with the remains of your cat I would be collecting vet fees too. If you let your cat out and it goes into the wrong garden majority of dogs will go for the cat, it is your responsibility to take care of your animals. Cats pee, spray and poo everywhere they also kill rabbits birds and other animals. A cat is no more likely to kill a small child as a dog with a prey drive is, those responses are idiotic. No you don't need to muzzle your dog, yes you need to have it on a leash. Today a cat walked right up my front steps tonight and hissed alerting my dog who shoved herself through the metal gate bars, Her hips do not fit through them so she can't get through it. I had to pull her back by her tail so she didn't get the cat, I was so fed up of this damn cat tormenting my dog I nearly just let her go. It is absolutely infuriating that cat owners think they are above the laws and assume everyone will take care of their animals. People don't want your cats poo in their garden or having to deal with their dog because your cats being annoying in their back yard. You keep your cat on a leash and out of my garden and I'll do the same. You did far more than I would have, but your dog was off a leash so I would have had more sympathy at that point. I have no sympathy to owners who let their animals out without supervision/leash and they get hurt. I feel bad that the cat didn't have a competent owner.

[beeetyj]

My darling cat was killed by a neighbours dog on Wednesday. It was slightly different in that the dog in question escaped from the neighbours garden through a large hole in the fence which the neighbour knew about but hadn't bothered to fix. We are devastated and on our knees with grief. The dog owner didn't apologise or offer to pay any vet bills. He said, and I quote 'what do you want me to do about it?'. If he had been apologetic and even bought a card round it would have made all the difference. Because he didn't, we are now taking legal action. I don't blame the dog in the slightest and I am fully aware that animals are predatory. However my cat was asleep in the sun in my own garden when the dog came in. My cat didn't have a chance. It was the most horrific ordeal I have ever been through in my life and I am still bowled over with grief.

[NoahVale]

zombie thread

[Lightening2013]

My dog killed a cat yesterday whilst I had him on a lead. He just dragged me and pounced on the cat. I am definitely getting a muzzle for him. No legal action can be taken but it has scared me for life!

[WildIridescence]

My post did not make much sense. All I meant to say is that you have behaved impeccably, your ddog behaved like a dog, there are risks involved in letting a cat roam that the owners should be aware of, the cat owners were thankfully intelligent people.

[WildIridescence]

Oh and to add: if I were not prepared to accept this eventuality I'd make my cat an indoor cat.

[WildIridescence]

HS thanks for the update and glad of the outcome. I am shocked but not surprised at the reaction of some people in here but nevermind.
I have two cats and a dog. The old cat was known in his glory days for sitting on the front gate wall and attack dogs, he has attacked the two we have adopted since. Now he just stands his ground.
The kittend is a scaredy cat.
The dog is at the bottom of the pecking order and a softy. He can be left on his own with hens and will not touch them. But as he chases squirrels I would not be 100 sure he would not chase something else.

My point is this: i love cats more than dogs. I adore my two and would be devastated if this had happened to one of mine. I would however put it down as "one if those things" especially if the owner behaved as you do. But my view wiuld be nit so understanding if the owner had trained the dog this way or had failed to train at all or if the dog had done that in my house.

[unobtanium]

Well done Harriet, you handled this very well and of course it was terribly upsetting for everyone concerned.

I should think the cat's owners got a lot of comfort out of that conversation you had with them. I know I would have really appreciated your offer of the rosebush (and would have taken you up on it too!)

[cindydog]

Perhaps the cat was sick /posioned/hit by a car and was weak to start with.

[Methe]

Some cats are may be happy to live inside, mine wouldn't have been and it was a huge effort to keep her inside from about 4 months untill she was speyed - she was desperate to get out and about. I put 2 bells on her so she doesn't kill wildlife but if she does we just have to accept it as instinct.

If you have a pet you have to accept that bad things might happen to them. I ran over and killed my neighbours cat a couple of years ago - just one of those things - despite how awful I felt about it at the time.

Op I'm glad the cats owners were sensible people :)

[Sallystyle]

It really makes me laugh reading posts from people saying how angry they would be if their cat got killed by a dog.

If you feel that way why do you allow your cat outside and run the massively high risk of it getting killed and ran over? It is possible to have very happy indoor cats; I have two of them who have never been out and are very happy.

I would love to know how people would react if their cat killed a neighbours rabbit and how they feel every time their cat kills or destroys a nest of baby birds.

Cats outside kill all the time, but apparently it's ok for cats to kill because I guess those poor birds just aren't important.

Hypocritical bollocks.

[Sallystyle]

Another reason why I do not allow my cats to go outside.

As awful as it is, when you let a cat go out you run this risk of it being knocked over or killed. I didn't want to take that risk so I don't.

I feel awful for the cat but it is something that sadly happens when you allow a cat outside.

Just like cats will kill birds etc which to me is just as bad as a dog killing a cat. Not many will agree but I find it just as sad when a cat kills wildlife and birds.

The dog was acting on prey instinct just like all animals do.

[tobiasfunke]

Common sense all round. Pity it's not like that on here sometimes.

[OnlyLovers]

Thanks for updating, OP. I've been thinking about you and this thread.

The owners DO sound lovely and I'm sure they appreciated your offer of a rose bush (I love that they were honest enough to say no and tell you why )

I think you've achieved the best possible outcome from a horrid event.

Hugs to you and your 'gloriously thick' dog.