Can Staffies live with cats?

[elzbellz186]

Following on from another post that’s blown up on here.. I wanted to ask - can Staffies live with cats?

We have a cat.
We would like a Staffy but absolutely no plans to get one right now as we don’t have enough time or live in the right kind of place.
But we would like to at some point.

Lots of comments on the other thread saying that ‘terrier’ breeds have innate prey drive and just can’t be taught to live with cats.

Wondered if anyone has advice or experience.

I have had a staffie and cats. The cats mostly enjoyed sleeping near the body warmth of the staffie and occasionally booped her with their paws for no good reason.

I have a staffy and 2 cats. Pretty sure the staffy thinks she is a cat. They coexist, they're not best buds but mostly just live alongside each other fine. The cats know how to deal with the dog when she's annoying them.

Have a friend with a staffy and two cats, they're fine. As long as you have the cats first I think you can make it work - let your cats dominate the dog.

A mature cat will beast a puppy and even though it will become bigger and stronger later, it won't forget.

I used to walk one that lived happily with a cat. Cat was there first.

Yes. Friend has a rescue staffy, gorgeous dog, quite timid. Adult daughter moved back home with a rather bolshie cat. Cat terrorised staffy (whose home it was) for about a fortnight at which point they obviously came to some arrangement and now co-exist happily and will even lie on the sofa together.

That thread is batshit tbh.

Staffies prey drive isn’t as high as other terriers, but honestly, most breeds can live with cats - if you’re getting a puppy and you put the work in immediately, that means actively teaching them to ignore the cat - not just leaving a cat to sort it out.

It’ll vary with breeds and individual dogs how good they are with the cat, but safely live with, shouldn’t be an issue.

One of my dogs is friends with the cat, she’ll rub up against him and come sleep next to him, he can be loose with the cat even when I’m not there, the other I only trust not to harass her with a human present... you just have to be prepared to manage the dog as needed.

What’s often more of an issue is if an older cat (as it’s already there and you’re not looking at getting a dog now) can put up with a dog... my cat has always lived with dogs and it’s still stressful for her when there’s a new one, if I’d got the first dog when she was an adult, I don’t know that she’d have adapted happily tbh.

Sorry - original link failed - I've asked for the post to be removed

Very simply, you don't know until you get the dog, and then it may be too late.
People posting anecdotal information about their staffies getting on with their cats is not a guarantee.
For some alternative answers below - equally anecdotal - just search on Google for 'cat killed by staffy uk'

Our cat adores our Staffie ❤️

I had 2 cats when I got my staffy. He's been fine with them. From my experience with the miniature yorkie I took on and various foster dogs, it depends to a large degree on the individual dog. I think you have to be confident you can manage the situation as a starting point. My yorkie chases cats but he can't do any damage so it's not an issue

2 staffies and 2 cats here. They tolerate each other but definitely aren't friends. The dogs will chase the cats if they get a chance but the cats just slap them in the face and tell them to fuck off. The younger dog gets very affronted if there is a cat on my bed and does a little dance and then has a toddler tantrum and throws herself on the ground if the cat refuses to respond like she thinks a cat should.