Could I get a sighthound if my neighbour has cats?

[Caninelover]

I have been researching the best breed fir our family for months. Having debated at length I think a sighthound would suit us perfectly. Probably w retired greyhound but I also love Lurchers and whippets.
The only thing is our new neighbours have cats. We do have a high fat hedge of about 6 feet tall but the cat still often comes in. Obviously I’m worried that this could be an issue . Most of the dogs I’ve seen are either not cat friendly or not tested.

[SportsterDave]

This is all rubbish we have an ex racing rescue grey hound and we also have 3 cat's and they all live happily together

[GENREPLI]

I have owned whippets for 30+ years, who have lived alongside cats. Would I trust them with a neighbours cat...most definitely not!!!
Cats are wiley creatures and neighbouring cats do not venture into my garden.
What I would say though is that there is a misconception that sighthounds, greyhounds, whippets are lazy, sleepy animals. They are a fine gentle addition to any household, but do require a good run off the lead and lots of exercise as do any dogs. If you've got the time, a perfect addition to the family 😊

[Kbsy]

Have you considered a Galgo? I have a bull lurcher, a whippet and a galgo (Spanish sighthound). We also have 3 cats. All our pets are rescue. I struggled to find a cat trainable sighthound to adopt. However galgos are thought more likely to be okay with cats. I contacted a rescue in Spain. They were really quick to get back to me. Within a week I had been vetted, home visited and matched to a dog. It did mean that we first met when he came off the transport van. I can say that for us it was really successful. They were a reputable rescue organisation so I had telephone backup from an animal behaviourist and they would have stepped in if it didn't work. The key with any adoption is to be honest. Galgo del Sol, the organisation I used, rehome in several countries, they also have dogs of all ages from puppies to oldies.

[glittercreepbodyart]

Our last dog was an ex racing greyhound, super chilled out but would bark at cats like crazy when we first got him, and pull on the lead trying to get to them. We found that although we had neighbour cats come into our garden before he arrived, they never did once he was there. After a couple of years he seemed to stop paying attention to cats on walks - we did no particular training because he didn't pull hard enough that it was uncontrollable - I think he just realised he wasn't going to get at one. We never let him off lead in escapable areas because he would just trot away.

Our current dog we got 6 months ago, he's a very bouncy playful lurcher. When we picked him up from rescue there was a cat wandering around the grounds, and he totally ignored her despite being very close - so I suspect maybe he's lived with cats before. Again, the neighbour cats no longer come into our garden now we have him. He does sometimes bark at things in the garden, but I don't think he could catch anything, the garden isn't large enough for him to get up to full speed. In the park he chases birds sometimes but has no chance of catching one, they spot him before he gets close. I'm not sure if he would actually kill one of he did manage to catch it, his chasing seems like play. Nevertheless we are working on his reactivity towards birds, and it's definitely improving.

Lots of rescue lurcher will have been bred for hunting so you do have to be careful - but I wouldn't let it put me off. Both greyhounds and lurcher are lovely family dogs.

[Caninelover]

Oh dear Aurea that’s just what worries me. I don’t think a cat lover would ever see it from a dogs point of view. Obviously I would not want harm to come to a car either as they are someone’s pet.
Where was the kernel you went to Pugsley?

[Aurea]

There was an incident local to me regarding a greyhound and a cat.

The cat jumped into the greyhound's neighbouring garden and the greyhound dispatched the cat quickly. This caused a lot of bad feeling in our village and the police were called. As the cat was trespassing and the dog was in its own garden (although unmuzzled) there were no charges brought. You couldn't really make this up - just so you are aware......

[Pugsleyaddams]

OP a small Greyhound rescue won't think any such thing! We got ours via a rescue and as it turned out we visited and got her directly from her racing kennel. The kennel was one of the good ones and never retire a dog to rescue kennels. They just used them to advertise, do the home checks and set up the meetings. If now isn't the right time of course wait but for smaller rescues (and even the huge ones like Battersea/ Dog's Trust) waiting if you're ready will just mean a dog being in kennels over Christmas when it could be in a home. On a bed or the sofa. Having it's first proper family Christmas dinner. Being wrapped in tinsel. Helping itself to whatever it wants out of the bin because they're tall enough for it to be like a buffet. I LOVED my Grey's first Christmas.
If you do decide to go ahead start a Greyhound specific thread and look on here for previous ones, I got so much advice and tips, they're very different to any other breed. (Fantastically so, she says after a glass of wine, ignoring the times she's shouted 'send it back!! It's a nightmare!!' 😂)

[Pugsleyaddams]

Queen Greyhounds rarely come as puppies, the vast majority are bred by the racing industry so have been bred, schooled and raced at least a few times to determine their suitability for racing. Some like mine are rehomed fairly young (they can't be trialled until 15mths and then will have trials round the track with just a couple of dogs and the hare to get an idea of their potential and then raced in a meet) and others retire having fulfilled their careers to whatever extent.

[terriblyangryattimes]

I used to have a SalukiXLurcher and he was fine with our 2 cats (he came after and the cats ruled the roost) but saw any other neighbourhood cats as fair game. He was always on a short lead until we got to a field or rec for a good run.

[Indecisivelurcher]

Check out Evesham greyhound and lurcher rescue 👍

[Indecisivelurcher]

My greyhound cross is no problem at all with my cat. And genuinely lovely.

[Purpleartichoke]

You have an obligation to control your dog off your property, but it’s not your fault if a neighbor’s cat trespasses in your garden.

[QueenOfOversharing]

I'd say it would be difficult if you're taking on a rescue, as best time to get them used to cats (say, in the home) would be as a puppy.

I have a staffy that I rescued at 8 weeks, but there is no training her prey drive out of her! Cats & squirrels. She's caught 2 squirrels.

My beagle would prob be ok with cats, even as a rescue, but he barks so loudly. I'd say sight hounds & terriers wouldn't be easy, as rescues with cats.

[TickleMeEmo]

Depends on the dog, we have a cat and a whippet and the cat definitely rules the roost, my parents rescue lurcher was also cat safe. However I do know someone else with a rescue lurcher that does go for cats. I second looking at sighthound specific rescues x

[Caninelover]

Thanks all. I assume we will wait until the new year now because I’d hate to think a rescue thought we were after a dog fir Christmas.

[adaline]

Most greyhound charities will cat-test their dogs :)

[Scattyhattie]

Most of the people I know owning both cats & greyhounds have dogs that raced.

[Scattyhattie]

I've had 3 greyhounds & a lurcher, 2 very high prey drive and other 2 would take chase as its fun but were more distractable. Most of neighbours surrounding us & on the street had cats and a few would come in the garden.
If garden is secure its fairly easily managed if a bit of a pain, just take dog out on lead into the garden and check its clear of cats before letting dog loose. I realised looking g out window wasn't sufficient when the cat is behind the door
Some cats did get used to the sound of door to make a run for it , but a few will then sit just out of reach to taunt, which then can over arouse hound & practicing the behaviour you don't want.
My greyhounds didn't spend long enough outside (5 min run & back to bed) to keep the cats out of the garden, it was only when mutt hound arrived who liked to be out hours & regularly patrol they gave it more of a wide berth.

Never really had an issue walking in the neighborhood, used to take 3 out together.
When high drive girl was new she'd rear, spin & try to grab the lead to get to a cat casually sat on a drive not giving 2 fucks while I wished it would just move out of sight. Over time it just became an excited dance as realized it was pointless.

Best to make use of a muzzle early on while learning their reactions, you can usually tell by the ears when interest is piqued or spot something before them, they aren't always that observant unless its moving. A muzzle will make you transfer less anxiety along the lead & usually already trained. If associate it with nice things like walks & treats its just like wearing a collar or harness to them, its useful in many occasions so I trained our mutt early on to happily wear one. Mine didn't go off lead in public but were easy to tire out with sniffy walks & are lots of secure fields/indoor schools can hire if need somewhere safe to run. Even when racing they have trot paced walks daily for maintaining condition.

I actually stayed in a b&b for a weekend with the 3, (2 high prey drive girls) that the owner assured me could separate from their cats from so be fine.. Only they didn't bother, luckily only soft boy who discovered a hissing cat & the girls were blissfully unaware of its existence. After that we checked hall was cat free before going out with the muzzled hounds.

[goodwinter]

Oh yes, like other PP, our boy is never off lead. With his prey drive he just cannot be trusted.

[TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead]

My neighbours cats live in my garden, and I still got a lurcher.

The cats terrorise her.

If my lurcher would have gone for the cats, that would also have been possible....

Not my outlook that my neighbours chose to have cats (who live in my garden and kill lots of birds, frogs and catch my goldfish)

I guess you feel more warmly towards your neighbours cats than I do

[stucknoue]

They do vary with cats. My dog is a different breed admittedly but is scared of cats! However never trust fences to contain any of these slightly built dogs, they climb over, mine has gone over 7ft!

[Chocolatemouse84]

We have a retired greyhound, had her for 6 years and got her when she was 4. I always do a cat scan before letting her out in the garden. I honestly don't know what she would do if one came in the garden when she was there but she isn't really left alone outside.

I have noticed she doesn't seem as interested in squirrels as she used to be when out walking. I don't let her off the lead in public area's as personally I could never 100% trust her recall but I do hire a field once a week and take her there, not that she bothers running!

I can't stress enough what an amazing pet she is... Lazy, calm and so loving and gentle. I think my children would like a more playful dog but I think she is perfect for young, family life.

[hairycabbage]

We have a rescue lurcher and she cannot be trusted around cats, squirrels or any other small furries. She's not quite as reactive as she used to be (she's pretty old) but most of the local cats avoid our garden. Thankfully she's never managed to catch anything other than making a hedgehog very disgruntled one evening!
I have a colleague who had a lurcher and cat living in the same house from when dog was a puppy. Everything was fine for several years until one day the cat startled the dog in the garden, dog chased the cat, caught it and it wasn't a good outcome. Just don't assume they can ever be 100% trusted!

[Caninelover]

The dogs up thread are gorgeous just what I want!

[Caninelover]

Oh I hadn’t thought about squirrels we have loads in our garden. We have trees and bushes so I couldn’t guarantee not to miss a cat.
Thanks all a specific greyhound rescue or whippet sounds like a good idea. I want to get this right!