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?

It’s a chance you take, cats kill birds, so you can’t really moan or expect your neighbour not to let their dog in their garden.

The culture in my area is indoor cats. Letting out your cat means risking it being torn to shreds by all sorts of wildlife. Not all of them are even land based. We occasionally find bunny pieces in our grass when a hawk drops something. Imagine finding a piece of cat in your garden.

get your cat some toys and a climbing structure and keep it safe from the neighbors dog.

I’d honestly say don’t get an outdoor one, you’ll spend your life wondering where she is and worrying

I have dogs with a high prey drive . My neighbour adopt a cat . When they let the cat out they hung a notice up on their conservatory window indicating she was out, we would be cautious and check the garden before unleashing the beasts !!!!!

You could get an indoor cat. Or build a catio as PPs have said.

Cats are naturally curious, I think having a prey driven greyhound next door is probably bad news.

I’ve had two ex-racing Greyhounds. Both were interested in smaller furry creatures, one so much so he wore a muzzle on walks.

They both had free roam of my garden and would have gone for a cat but no cat was ever daft enough to enter.

Oh and I would have done nothing to placate a neighbour. They were quiet good dogs and you don’t have a god given right to have you pet roam my garden, in the same way I’d not be letting my dog into yours.

I had a ginger boy many years ago who loathed dogs even when he was tiny. We live in a house where all the gardens backed onto private park land. The cat would roam as cats do,and if he met a dog he would go for them! He chased Basset hounds, Afghans and Alsatians. You might be lucky and get one like him!

We and our adult children have always had greyhounds.

Cats learn very quickly to avoid an area where they are perceived as prey.

It's a long time ago but I once watched a neighbour's greyhound jump out of a just-parked car, leap up, drag a cat off a 6ft fence and kill it before the neighbour had got his door key out. I don't have pets so I've no skin in the game either way, but don't underestimate the abilities of an animal with a high prey drive - he was quick as a flash.

Unfortunately the local feral cat was killed by a neighbour’s greyhound. The cat had been there for donkeys and the dog was new to the owner, slipped the lead and went straight into the bush, no one knew what was happening until it was too late. It was awful.

I have cats and my neighbours have dogs, it’s such a risk but mine are rescued from inner cities where they lived on the streets or one which is super timid, she wouldn’t go near next door when the dogs are out. They do learn but I think in your case it’s a risk I would really think about taking, you could ask the rescue about an indoor cat. Many are happy to sleep all day ! Go out at night when the dog is inside ?

My old hound has never had a prey drive, with no interest in anything, which was a shame when a big black cat I'd never seen before leapt on to her back, scratching, clawing and biting her. We were just out walking, and the cat and it's owner were in their garden. We were on the other side of the road when it came after her. Took myself and DH to get the fucking thing off her.. A passing driver even came to help.

I think savy cats would work it out

however

when I got my first greyhound the amount of people who told me. “Next doors greyhound killed our cat” was quite a few

someone else told me their greyhound killed next doors cat and she didn’t have the heart to tell them when they kept asking if she’d seen it - she had buried it! 😳

Why don’t you cat proof that side for peace of mind

Yes this

greyhounds are so fast they do catch them then shake them (to break neck I assume)

cats don’t stand a chance

thing is, cats roam. Even if your neighbours didn’t have a greyhound, or kept it leashed and nuzzled at all times, you have no idea whether there’s another one 2 streets over, or someone with an xl bully a few more doors down.

if you let your cat out it’s a risk. They may come across dogs, foxes, cars, badgers, fall, get tangled in trees- you accept that risk when you allow them to roam.

if you aren’t prepared for that either get a catio/catproof fencing, an indoor cat or don’t get one.

i think I’d be inclined to go for the catproof fencing if I had to choose. Allows outdoor access but not outside the garden.

i had a dog attacked and nearly killed by a greyhound so understand the prey drive. My dog is always recalled if I see a greyhound, or any other sighthound for that matter. But they can’t be avoided, you just have to mitigate as best you can.

I have a greyhound and have never seen a cat in my current garden. In the old house they’d sit on the fence and the dog would bark at them and they’d run away but never came in.
unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for a loose rabbit and the inevitable happened.
if a neighbour said to me they were getting a cat, I’d just check it wasn’t in the garden before letting the dog out.
have you spoken to the neighbours?

an xl bully wouldn’t have the speed to catch a cat

most dogs chase cats- only sighthounds get within reach of catching due to speed

That poor cat owner is probably still searching.

Na - it was at least a decade ago

I wouldn’t be able to deceive the poor owners

they should be muzzled if they have high prey drives but I guess in their own gardens 🤷🏻‍♀️

you should get a catio, or net your garden to prevent the cat from getting out.

This all reminds me of our cat. She never strayed far but when she was tiny a couple of local youngsters were walking past our yard with a couple of lurchers on leads. Somehow the two dogs slipped their leads and shot into our yard after our kitten. Ive never seen it before or since but my kitten scaled the house wall to about 10ft up away from the dogs. The lads got the dogs on the leads and apologised.

I climbed up a set of ladders to peel my kitten off the wall. She lived as a house cat for the next 21 years, safe and sound.

I still think its the cats look out to keep out of dogs gardens. A bit different in their own garden but you cant be a wild animal and then claim extra protection imo

I can't reply individually but

I agree that it is the nature of a sighthound. I absolutely wouldn't want a dog muzzled or on lead in it's own back garden, especially as it is always on walks unless in a secure field.

I can't secure our garden, the fences are at different levels on all three sides and owned by different people and we have a tall side gate (which is no object for a cat). We also have a she d and trees that extend above the fence. If you can't properly secure it all, there is no point in doing it at all really

I will chat with our neighbour. Most cats would go nowhere near, the most I would ask of them is a good visual scan and a shoo away if they see it sat on the fence. I worry more because I have also heard stories from others that their greyhound killed a cat. Most are savvy, some are keen to use every one of their nine lives and I'm questioning whether I ever get an accurate measure of that in the rescue centres.

Out of all the cats I can think that I've had from childhood to present, 3 out of the 8 have disappeared and it does make me wonder what happened with them, it's left me heartbroken every time. I just always worry about an indoor cat that they won't be happy, but I know lots of people do so it for the safety of the cat and the local wildlife.

We have 2 greyhounds and neighbours have 3 cats. The cats enjoy playing chicken with our dogs. Most neighbourhood cats now avoid our garden but usually if a cat enters the garden, the dogs start barking and the cats leg it

I'll just add, none of those 3 cats have disappeared living in our current house. It's just always awful not knowing whether they just weren't happy and picked a new home or whether something dreadful happened

@LostInTheDream
Don't cats wander off to die alone?