Cats and Jack Russells?

[clare48]

Hi,

We're looking to get a puppy - we're first time dog owners - and wondering if anyone has any first hand experience of keeping Jack Russell terriers or Cairn Terriers with cats (we have two, aged 7 and 17)?

There's a load of mixed advice on the internet about whether this can work; some saying it never will, some saying it's all about training etc and introducing the dog when it is a puppy..

Welcome any advice/thoughts from anyone with first hand experience of mixed cat/terrrier households :-)

clare

Not a JRT or Cairn but a Border so another working hunting breed of terrier.

The cat as my mums but the dog spends minimum two days a week there when I work. The cat was elderly and has passed now but she firmly ruled the roost and kept the dog in his place...she used to leap of the sofa just to stop him walking through doors for fun and frequently took his food off him!

I think day one is important but so is the cats behaviour. We kept the puppy onlead and did intros as early as we could so 8 weeks. Whenever the cat came close we treated and clicked with a clicker if the pup was calm. If he got giddy or tried to go to the cat we whipped straight away in the opposite direction, clicking and treating as soon as calm restored. He only needed to be on lead for the first 2 meeting and then he was fine off lead.

But I also think the cats temprement was the key too. She stood her ground. I think the instinct to chase kicks in if the cat runs. They were never best buddies but they rubbed along okay and even shared sofas when the cat deigned it allowed. He loved her but it was not returned!

My mum has a Ragdoll indoor cat and 2 JRT x border ,the cat is 12 the dogs are 11 ,they cannot be in a shared space at all . The cat thinks its in charge but the reality is the dogs would rip him to bits so they have a system of who is allowed where at what times of the day ( it's very organised) and fortunately they have a big enough house to keep everyone happy. I have a Patterdale terrierX and he is completely cat intolerant ( has tried to eat the neighbours cat) . I have friends with Westies and cats that rub along quite nicely together.

If the dog grows up with cats, it will probably be fine. Ours regards every cat in the world as prey - except for our cat, who was already here when he arrived as a puppy. They have mutual love-ins, huge dog sucking up to normal-sized cat.

I think if the puppy learns early about the cats, and the cats get the upper hand when the dog is a puppy, it should be okay. JRTs do have a very high prey drive, but I have known them live perfectly well with cats.

PS JRTs can be bloody hard work: you get an awful lot of dog per pound of bodyweight and they do best with plenty of exercise. Ask the breeder if the parents or grandparents work and if they do, perhaps think again unless you are certain you can cope with a working-bred dog.

Not wanting to rain on your parade, but not wanting you to end up with a dog that is a poor fit for you, either.

Had a JRT x border terrier until recently (PTS in Feb aged 18). She was fine with the kittens/cats that we owned after her arrival.

We got a JRT 6 months after getting the kitten. The kitten/cat stood up to puppy and the puppy was made aware (by us) that messing with the cat would not be tolerated. They both grew old together and reached 17 years, dying within 6 weeks of each other.

FYI, anything else in the garden/house would not be tolerated by the JRT....other dogs, no matter what breed/size, mice/rats, hedgehogs, pheasants, etc. It was his territory and only our cat was allowed.