Worried about neighbour’s greyhound if we adopt a cat

[LostInTheDream]

My kids are absolutely desperate to adopt a cat (as an I to be fair)but I have some concerns.

We have a super friendly dog. Definitely not pray driven and will be friendly or give a bit of a wide berth depending on the vibe, has visited with cats. Not too concerned about him. Very different temperament and breed.

My concern is around our neighbours prey driven greyhound. I don't think I can feisably cat proof our garden so my question is, will most cats have the common sense to give that garden a wide berth? Our old cat did, but he had never lived with a dog. Is it too risky, would you look for indoor cats? Or is the risk one of those things that you run with outdoor cats that can and do roam around the neighborhood. Is there anything I could reasonably ask if my neighbour?

Can you not prevent the cat going in their garden.

i have a dog and use netting to keep cats out. One finds a way in and sits in a bush until my dog goes mad. I dread to think. Most have the sense to stay out but not all.

We used to have neighbours with an ex racer and they always kept her on a lead in the garden (and on walks) as she had such a high prey drive. Our other neighbour has two cats and we have one so I did worry when I saw them moving in. I don’t think I would have asked them to do it though, they were just very aware of their own dog and responsible owners - I guess we would have had to consider keeping our cat in otherwise?

Your neighbour has their own garden, but does not let the dog off the lead in case it chases your cat? Why don't they put the muzzle on (all greyhounds are perfectly fine with that) so even if he chases your cat, he can't actually eat it. I feel sorry for the dog - assuming it spends its entire life on a lead because of someone else's cat.

They no longer live here and per my post, we did not ask them to do this. You are absolutely right that it is their own garden, and again, per my post, we would have kept our cat in if we thought he was at risk from the dog. He doesn’t really roam beyond our garden but we wouldn’t have taken that chance. I’m sure our other neighbour would have done the same with his two cats - he also did not ask the dog owners to do this.

Not really no, outdoor cats do as they please. We are surrounded on 3 sides with fencing at different heights owned by different people, with trees and sheds that are higher than the fence so the cat proofing things don't look like they'd work . Neither of our gardens are especially huge so no scope for moving anything inwards. I'll

Neighbours are generally happy to shoo away, might be happy to look out for new cats. But it is their garden. If they weren't next door and were over the back I wouldn't even be aware of them being in general proximity. But the fact that I am aware makes me worry a bit

Catio?

Our neighbours muzzle their greyhound when he goes in the garden but this is because he attacked a cat when they first had him. Cats do wander around and sometimes quite far though and so there is always this risk I suppose. I don’t think living with a dog makes them less likely to be wary of other dogs. Could you adopt an indoor cat?

I have a very high prey drive dog who is only out in the garden on a lead, partly because she would kill a cat if she got the chance - with or without a muzzle (don’t overestimate a muzzle’s effectiveness with a prey driven dog), but also because if she sees a cat or squirrel she can get out of any height of fence.

OP if I were you I’d get an indoor cat.

Poor dog being kept on a lead knits own garden.

@LostInTheDream Either you keep it in your house/garden or you take the risk. I don’t like cats as they shit in my garden and kill birds but I am told by people on here cats have “the right to roam” if that’s true then they take the risk of getting killed or injured, it’s all “nature” right? I think responsible owners control their pets, so up to you I guess.

Honestly I'd look at getting an indoor cat, partly for your own peace of mind but mostly for its own safety. There are plenty of risks for cats outdoors without taking into account a prey driven dog next door. I used to have outdoor cats but spent most of my time worrying about them as occasionally one went out and didn't come back. I never found out what happened to them. My cats now are indoor and perfectly happy as they've never been outside and we spent time making sure they had places to climb and run. Ill also be building them a catio as soon as possible.

You already have a dog.
What your kids want isn't a reason to get a cat.
The greyhound might go mental.

Don't get a cat.

The cat proof netting on brackets that bend into your garden so the cat can't jump out, so it shouldn't matter about other fences being higher or there being trees.
See -
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN0OjFGQhZ0/?igsh=Ym5vN243MHBoNW9w

Our greyhound owning neighbour has added a small fence between their back door and garden so they can let the dog out into this vestibule which gives any cats the chance to get out of the garden before he gets there.

I used to have a greyhound, still have 2 dogs. I never see cats in my garden apart from walking along the back wall and on the shed roof. They have more sense than to come in. I suppose the issue is what happens if your cat plops down into their garden before realising a dog lives there and is cornered?

If you have an outdoor cat its a risk you take, if it's not your neighbour it's someone else a couple of streets away. Cats roam some distance.

I think the solution is a cat proofed garden or a large catio. Protectapet have some good work arounds for difficult situations.

I wouldn't expect a sighthound owner to muzzle or leash their dog on the off chance a visiting cat turned up.
Not all greyhounds will chase cats, mine lives with them quite happily, but to protect your cat keeping it in is the answer.

I wouldn’t muzzle my dog in their own garden. When a cat did get in my dog ended up with scratched eyelid/ anti biotics, lucky not worse. It’s absolutely possible to cat proof with some effort. We very rarely have cat visitors. There is just the one hole a very persistent cat comes through every now and again. Will seal it off when time.

It depends on the cat, one of mine would be petrified and the other would think it’s a huge game to entice the dog then walk along the fence annoying it. Have you thought about adopting an indoor cat, one that has a disease or other aliment?

Having one pet already doesn't really negate wanting another. What my kids want is a factor, as is what our household would like. They would like to grow up around both cats and dogs and I'd love that for them. They are quite different. I have been a lifelong cat person and have only really warmed to dogs in the last 10 years or so.

Would you say my neighbours should never have started rescuing greyhounds knowing that we had a cat at the time? Should they/could they do more for safety in their own garden. You can't really control what other people do. If it wasn't them it could be someone else 5 doors down, it's the joy of suburban living.

All outdoor cats face a variety of risks whereever you live and some risks are higher than others for every household. I'm just weighing up and thinking about whether indoors might be better. I'd prefer not to have to make that choice as I know how much many love being out and it is much easier to manage. Some cats kept indoors are escape artists and that is a stress in itself.

It's really tricky for us to cat proof properly and if you can't do it properly then I think you create a bigger issue with limited routes to return.

We have trees and a shed on the back fence both sit too near the fences to have netting coming inwards. Garden is 15M or so, not that big, limited space for a catio at the moment as has kids play stuff etc too.

Majority of cats would go nowhere near. In fact they mostly come nowhere near ours because our dog is an unknown and they won't take the chance. I see one that passes the back fence very occasionall. But there is always the odd one who sees it as fun to tease a dog and I think that kind of cat would be more at risk.

Cats have advantages that dogs don't. Sharp teeth and claws, they can hiss and make an awful noise, they can run like lightning and, crucially, can leap high and climb.

Sounds like a you, or more specifically your (future cat) problem.

Move house
Spend thousands cat proofing your garden
Get an indoors cat
Get a outdoor cat pen built
Etc Etc Etc.

All this before you even think about expecting your neighbour to do anything. I would not entertain putting my dogs on a lead in their own garden, even less putting a muzzle on them. Your cat strays into their domain, it better be quick.

At least your neighbours wont have to worry about cat shit.

I think it's just at odds really. This must be an issue for so many cat owners because anyone can bring home a prey driven dog at any point. We had a cat when they got their first dog and it he was pretty sensible and steered well clear, as do all the local cats. Current one is much more prey driven.

The most I think could be expected is a check of the garden and shooing away if seen. I agree leads and muzzles in their own back yard isn't reasonable, especially given that taste is such a sensory thing for a dog.

I have contemplated moving funnily enough, DH thinks I'm mad.

We had a cat when they got their first dog and it he was pretty sensible and steered well clear, as do all the local cats.

Thats pretty much the answer. Natural selection will take care of it. Any cat stupid enough to go in will quite quickly learn or find out the hard way. Those that learn will live to see another day. Those that dont wont last long.

No ones fault really, just how it has worked for decades between cats and dogs. Saying that, i have seen plenty of cats stick up for themselves when cornered by 'normal' dogs who thought they were having a bit of fun. Its not very funny for the dog when the cat has clawed its eye or ripped its nose to pieces. Its not all in the dogs favour.

It's a case of whether it's a risk we want to take knowingly I guess. I do know this is the case, just like cats kill birds and mice. If the cat is savvy enough it will be fine.

Our dog got a warning hiss when a cat appeared out of a bush he was keenly sniffing as a pup and has given cats respect/a wide berth ever since. He would be chill with a friendly one though and has had good meetings with others since then.

Next door used to have lurchers they hunted rabbits with. My cats are 18 and 17 and long outlived the dogs.

We also have a greyhound who is extreme lazy, loving and docile with hardly any prey drive.

It's worth having a chat with your neighbour to understand their approach to this and hear about their greyhound in a bit more detail.

And if you're thinking of getting a rescue cat, you could ask for a cautious one less inclined to adventure?