New rescue went for cat

[DogWorry]

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.

I no longer have a cat but when I did there is no way on earth I would have brought in an adult dog.

It’s a rare dog that doesn’t chase cats, as you said they are predators.

I might have brought in a puppy when I had my cat but I’d have only considered a small breed, certainly nothing stereotypically ‘high prey drive’ like a terrier or hound.

It isn’t worth the risk.

If its been only one week, so he won't be too settled/bonded, I agree with others to return him. You can't guarantee the cats safety, and its not fair for the cat to be at risk constantly. You have done everything right here, and I wouldn't let it put you off rescuing another dog.

I do have an adopted mixed breed with some sight hound, and he actually is great with cats, but you never can tell until they've relaxed into their new surroundings properly.

I'm sorry for you, I'd be devastated too. I'd love to get another rescue dog, but quite worried what would happen after the transition if they don't end up getting on

Ah, I’m sorry OP. I agree with a PP that the fosterers should know much better than to put pressure on and say this is all OK. He’ll have a happier life with a pet-free household and that’s best all round. You’ve made the right decision.

Our adult rescue was cat-tested, and proved to be totally fine with the cats - but she will look a bit jealous sometimes if she perceives them to be taking up something that’s rightfully hers - usually fuss and attention from me, or food. But that’s the extent of her issue - just looking a bit jealous, maybe a nudge of the cat off the lap (for which she usually gets a swiped paw back!) or a whine if they’re getting food that she wants.

Even if your rescue could be the same, and it’s a bit of jealousy and resource guarding through being unsettled or over stimulated, if that’s coming out as full-on aggression it wouldn’t be fair on any members of the house to persist. You won’t relax, and that will make the dog more anxious and so on.

Can he wear a muzzle until you reach a decision-might still turn around, tho I admit it’s unlikely. I’m so sorry-I’ve had two Lurcher’s who were fine with cat and one who chased in fun rather than malice, so you were right to try.

Return the dog. This is an tragedy waiting to happen. It's helpful for the rescue to know now that he definitely needs a cat-free home.

There are dogs that are cat safe, but obviously not this dog.

I think returning the dog is the right decision.
Your cat is in danger otherwise.
It's really not your fault. It's just not a good match

This dog is not the right match for your home. This is very sad, and is noone's fault. Not the dog's, not the rescue's and certainly not yours. It it what it is.

The right thing is to return the dog.

Return him and don’t be guilted into trying to make it work by the fosterer , it’s not her cat that is going to end up either injured or feeling obliged to move out .

You did the right thing x

Sorry thought you had already made the decision to return him. It's a no brainer. Not fair on any one to keep him. You looked into his behaviour towards cats beforehand and no one could have predicted this.

I would return the dog, and feel sad, but not guilty.

It seems you're not the right home for him, and he needs a cat free home. That's not your fault, it's just life, sadly.

The fosterers are really out of order trying to guilt you like that. It is incredibly unusual for a sighthound to be OK with cats, they are incredibly lucky the dog was OK for a while with their cat, and they need to accept that and allow you to move on.

It could be trigger stacking - if he's come from a home into foster into your home, but that's a reason why rather than reason to stay. My dog trigger stacks with other dogs, but he doesn't live with one - and never could.

And it's not just your cat, is it? It's the cat next door, the cat down the road... you'll never be able to trust him. It's a huge, huge massive shame but you're doing the right thing.

Priority = Puss x

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to reply and reassure. I honestly can't tell you how much of a help it has been in such a difficult time.

The dog went back last night and it was 100% the right call - even if one of his fosterers is no longer speaking to us!
I can understand their feelings; they care deeply about the dog and in their eyes he is cat safe, so they think we are giving up too easily instead of putting in the hard yards to make it work.

This is of course what we were struggling with, but it's absolutely not the case for all of the reasons already mentioned in this thread. Honestly, once you experience seeing your cat launched on like that you can't un-see it. It was a terrifying 'what-if' experience.

What a rollercoaster... I don't think we'll be revisiting getting a dog for a very long time after this!

You have done the right thing. I opted for a puppy rather than an adult dog when I wanted to bring a dog in alongside my resident cats - that worked well as he was smaller than them to begin with and took his cue from them; if anything at first I had to be careful the cats didn't go for him. I would be wary of taking on an adult dog. Perhaps (when we are out of Covid madness) a pup of a breed that doesn't typically have a strong chase instinct might be an option for you.

The dog went back last night and it was 100% the right call - even if one of his fosterers is no longer speaking to us!
My god, I am so sorry they are being such utter cunts to you.
No need for it at all.

You definitely did the right thing for both the dog and the cat.

The fosterer is being well out of order by not speaking to you and insisting the dog is cat safe - he's not safe with YOUR cat so cannot live with your cat. The fosterer should understand this and want the dog to go to a more suitable home instead.

Sometimes the dogs are still “shut down” in a foster environment, even though they appear relaxed. Their natural personalities and instincts only emerge in a true home environment. Irrespective of whether he can tolerate cats in one particular environment, he wasn’t a good fit with YOUR household.
Well done for having the guts to advocate for your cat. It’s not easy.

Btw my adopted cat was adopted by another family first as it was thought he got on ok with other cats. But he didn't get on with their cat so they returned him to the rescue. Which was absolutely the right thing to do - the rescue found him a new cat- free home (ours) and now he's living his best life free from the stress of living with another cat.

This is exactly what will happen with the dog- he'll have a lovely life with his new (cat free) family!

Well done for being your cats voice. You potentially have saved his life

It’s sad, but your first responsibility is to the cat. The fosterer can fuck off. What would the response would’ve been if he’d killed your cat?

Agree with what everyone has said about the fosterer. The really scary thing is that this means there's a good chance they will ignore you and rehome again to a home with a cat. Bad for that cat, and bad for the dog, who will likely bounce again.

You've done the right thing. I'm sorry they can't see that.

Well done. You did absolutely the right thing. I cannot believe the fosterers! I know I said before that they were being hugely irresponsible by putting pressure on you to keep trying but they see, to have taken it to new heights!

As a foster, your prime responsibility is the well being of the animal you fostered. If - for whatever reason - the new family feels uneasy or has doubts, you should always welcome the animal back! What if you had been so put off by their behaviour, you offered him free to any good home?!

I would contact the rescue they foster for and discuss your experience. Not to get the family in trouble but more to signal they may need some extra coaching/help on how to handle things when an adoption falls through.

Any reputable rescue would be horrified by fosters who behave like this and potentially endanger the rescue animal or an animal in their new home.

Phew. Thank goodness your cat is safe now. When I was reading that the dog hadn't gone back yet, I was really worried.

You were 100% right to return him, and my only point of disagreement was that you took a day too long to do so. Your poor cat.

The fosterer who isn't speaking to you is being absolutely ridiculous. What does she want instead? A dead cat?