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The doghouse

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Original poster

New rescue went for cat

48 replies

DogWorry · 05/05/2021 12:22

We have had a gruelling few days. Our rescue (2 year old male, mixed breed with some kind of sight hound) arrived home last week having previously been in foster care with a resident cat, which he never showed any aggression or prey drive towards.

We did scent swapping of blankets before he arrived, as well as a couple of day trips here over the last month, and they went very well with lots of treats and praise, a bit of bottom sniffing (dog to cat) and no signs of danger.

The first night home was similar - the cat is super chilled out and curious about the dog, and cautiously approached him without issue.

The last two nights have been a different story. One time, the cat approached the dog cautiously (no aggressive body language) and the dog absolutely went for him. Thank god I was sitting right next to him as he lunged at the poor cat, barking, growling, mouth open. I honestly have no doubt he would have killed him had he managed to get to him.

We were very shaken but hoped it was new dog insecurity after a bit of a stressful day (he is very reactive to visitors at the door and had a stressful time when a neighbour came over which took a lot out of him).

The following day was much better and in the evening he was chilled and settled. We were much stricter with access between the two but Cat - brave soul that he is - came back downstairs to hang out and hovered the other side of the pet-gate to the lounge. He wasn't fluffed up or dominant in any way. Dog was curled up in his bed on the other side of the room, but a few seconds after noticing the cat he leapt out at lightning speed to get to him.

We are now petrified the cat will come to harm. Our first priority is to keep him safe - this was his home first and we love him to pieces - and we thought we had struck gold with a dog that was proven to be cat friendly, paired with a very relaxed cat.
We can't help but think the dog is somehow triggered by our cat in a way that he wasn't by the other one and that even if we can get them to go weeks or months without incident, it would only take one bad day for him to randomly turn on him - especially out in the garden since outdoor mode is so much less controlled than indoor. The cat is 11, and much slower than the dog in a straight line, so he could definitely be caught.

We are emotional, exhausted, in all sorts of confusion and uncertainty. I have a constant knot of anxiety that the cat is going to be hurt and that we'll never truly be able to relax with both of them. Yes, we can have the dog on a lead all the time and make sure they don't have free access to the garden together, but what kind of life is it to always be on guard like that?

We came to the decision to return the dog after last night's episode but are now going through all the awful emotions of guilt and self-doubt, not helped by hardly any sleep for over a week coupled with shock at what could have happened.

Sorry this has been so long, and I am not sure what I am hoping for by posting. Maybe support that finding him a cat-free home is the right thing to do?
I know with lots of time and patience dogs can be trained to be less reactive to cats, but they are never truly 100% safe are they? Why would they be? It's in their genes to attack prey exactly the same way that our cat catches mice.

It makes me cry to think how stupid we were not to realise that before we took him in.

OP posts:
mogloveseggs · 05/05/2021 12:25

You did exactly the right thing in returning him to the rescue. It isn't your fault in any way. Flowers

Evenstar · 05/05/2021 12:30

I think anywhere that rehomes sight hound type dogs will have come across this before, you can’t let DCat live in a home where he is not safe. We looked at rehoming a greyhound many years ago, there was only one of many the charity had available that was considered to be cat safe and unfortunately it didn’t like our existing DDog

Please don’t feel bad, you took their advice and it didn’t work out. Returning him is the responsible thing to do at this point.

Original poster
DogWorry · 05/05/2021 12:47

Thank you so much. Predictably crying at the support, god I am such a wreck.

I didn't make it clear in the post - we haven't actually returned him yet as we are questioning our decision and feeling such guilt at it. We are also getting a lot of messages from the previous fosterers (who we did tell) pleading with us not to do it and to give it time. It's painful.

OP posts:
milinhas · 05/05/2021 12:50

It’s not fair on the dog or the cat - if the dog kills or damages the cat (out of stress) he will be a lot harder to rehome. Getting them both out of this situation is the right thing to do.

PollyRoulson · 05/05/2021 12:58

Tbh the only people feeling bad here are you. Your cat is out celebrating and the dog will be chilling in an environment that he can handle.

I am sorry you have had to go through this but you have made the right decision. Hopefully there will be other dogs who are better suited to your home and will love the home and care you can offer them. Flowers

PollyRoulson · 05/05/2021 13:00

Oh just read you have not returned the dog yet - do it for everyones sake. I am pretty sure from what you describe that the prey drive will increase not decrease.

Justilou1 · 05/05/2021 13:01

I suspect rehomes might underestimate how chilled dogs are around other animals, sometimes....

BagORats · 05/05/2021 13:06

I definitely think you're doing the right thing by returning the dog. You have a responsibility to keep your cat safe and happy and you would never be able to relax if you kept the dog. Yes it's a shame for him but the existing animal comes first. Ignore the fosterers laying a guilt trip on you - from what you've written the dog would kill the cat if it could.

romdowa · 05/05/2021 13:08

There should be no guilt about giving the dog back to the rescue. Its obviously not as cat friendly as they thought and it's quite unfair to your cat to leave it in such danger. Not to mention the massive vet Bill's if the dog catches the cat.

tabulahrasa · 05/05/2021 13:08

You can train dogs not to chase cats, I’m working on my rescue currently...

But, I wouldn’t with what you’re describing, mine chases my cat because he treats her like she’s a small dog and is trying to engage her in play - that’s very very different from reacting how yours has.

You could spend month training to be in exactly the same position you are now, or worse.

Gregisadreamboat · 05/05/2021 13:13

I think you are doing exactly the right thing by returning the dog (and I say this a cat and dog owner).

The cat was there first, the dog has not yet settled and to be honest, from what you are describing, I would be very concerned too.

It is absolutely heartbreaking and a difficult decision but what if the dog manages to escape and gets to the cat/the cat wanders into the dog's space unexpectedly and the worst happens?

I think the previous fosters (I have been a foster for cats) are being irresponsible by pleading for you to give him more time. this is not just a bump in the road. A dog that has suddenly turned so quickly on a cat is a risk and I would never trust him alone with the cat again.

JuicyMcJuiceFace · 05/05/2021 13:14

You must return the dog. Your poor cat doesn't deserve this

Gregisadreamboat · 05/05/2021 13:19

I agree with @tabulahrasa.

My dog chases the cat as part of a game (the cat doesn't think so and reminds him of this) but there is absolutely not malice involved and Dog backs off immediately when Cat so much as gives him the stink eye...

Even if you spend time trying to train it out, you will never be able to be 100% sure because the dog was fine on day one and then suddenly (and violently) he wasn't.

Mybigbed · 05/05/2021 13:23

You’re doing the right thing.
Daft to make everyone miserable by keeping him when he will find a nice cat free home and you and your cat can relax.
You don’t owe the fosterers anything.

minsmum · 05/05/2021 13:27

I wonder if you could get a behavourist to do a visit and confirm that returning the dog is best ,just for your peace of mind. When we got our rescue they brought him round to check how he was with the cats first. I was worried as he wasn't really friendly with them however they explained that the reaction they were looking for was indifference to the cats

Clymene · 05/05/2021 13:28

My dog doesn't chase the cat because the cat was here first. They're quite pally. All other cats get chased though. I'm not sure what he'd do if he caught one but I wouldn't want to find out.

Clymene · 05/05/2021 13:29

Sorry, my point was that being ok with one cat does not mean ok with other cats.

It doesn't sound fair on your cat to keep him

Suzi888 · 05/05/2021 13:30

Dog needs a cat free home, it’s sad he’s had to go but you honestly had no choice.

Just re read- he must definitely go. I’d be keeping them in separate rooms until the dog can be relocated. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

DiscoJanet · 05/05/2021 13:33

@JuicyMcJuiceFace

You must return the dog. Your poor cat doesn't deserve this
Absolutely agree. The dog should be in a cat-free home. Your poor cat. You weren't to know, and have done nothing wrong. I actually think it's pretty irresponsible of the rescue to rehome to you, despite there being no apparent problems with cats before. You owe nothing to the fosterers, don't let them make you feel guilty. You'd feel a lot worse if the dog ever actually got hold of your cat Sad
MrMeSeeks · 05/05/2021 13:38

You did the right thing ( i’m not a rehome person normally).
Your cat is your priority.
You could not have kept him safe.
This is not the right fit for the dog, there will be another home Flowers

WaltzingToWalsingham · 05/05/2021 13:42

I also think that the right thing to do is to return the dog to the rescue. I have a cat and a dog. My dog (puppy) does sometimes chase the cat (we're working on stopping this), but she just wants to play, and is actually too scared of the cat to get within swiping distance. She's never shown any aggression to the cat, only exuberance.

It sounds as though your new dog intends harm to your cat. After all, he's a sight hound - it's in his nature to chase and kill small furries. Don't risk your brave and friendly cat's life! Return the dog to the rescue, explain that he's not cat safe, and they can find him a more suitable home. You can get a dog that is genuinely cat-friendly and everyone can relax.

Original poster
DogWorry · 05/05/2021 13:45

Yes, we would be devastated if the cat got injured in any way, let alone anything worse. I'm not sure I'd ever get over it to be honest.

minsmum indifferent is pretty much exactly how he was on the home visits and the first couple of days, which is why we were confident.
Then he turned on him - after an admittedly difficult day for the dog - and then tried to get at him the following night after an easy day.
He seems indifferent again today - no reaction to him when the cat was a few feet away from the dog on his lead in the garden (I would rather not have him anywhere near, but the cat is back to being relaxed and interested in him - he was slow blinking at him just now!).

Anyway, thank you everybody for the support. We know in our hearts what we need to do, we just needed some unbiased voices to confirm it after going round and round in our own circle of distress 🥴

OP posts:
mrscatmad31 · 05/05/2021 13:49

A few years ago I took in a lovely staffy rescue, lovely dog, had lived with 5 cats previously, introduced him to one of our cats who was extremely laid back with dogs, luckily he was In a cat carrier otherwise he would have been ripped to shreds. We had to re-home him ('rescue' wouldn't take him back!) and he lived happily as a single pet until he died. It was awful and years later we still haven't braved getting a dog again although just starting to discuss it. You would be doing the right thing returning him before something bad happens

thesunwillout · 05/05/2021 13:59

It's very disappointing and difficult but you've tried.

Your cat could end up running away, so there's that to think of.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 05/05/2021 15:33

I know a lot of people say they own cats and sighthounds together but personally it's not a risk I would EVER take with my cats.

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