My Husky Killed My Cat

[sjs314]

I am so very very sorry to read about your cat, my heart goes out to you.

Your posting about this may have saved another cats life, My DS and wife keep talking about getting a Husky , they say it is their favorite breed. I have warned them repeatedly that a Husky will consider any smaller animal as "prey" be it a another family pet or not, especially cats. My DS and wife have 3 cats but they pooh pooh me everytime I warn them against getting a Husky. I am going to make a point of showing this thread to them.

Again I am sorry for your loss.

 

[Minnie]

OP - Sorry this happened to you

Sometimes doing the right thing - taking in an abandoned dog - turns out to be the wrong thing in the end. Thank u for opening your home to the poor dog even though it didn't work out.... If you decide not to rehome one of the animals I recommend baby gates or crates so that they aren't left alone.

For most of those reading this thread including the OP don't forget the ignore feature

 

[TheZue]

((((hugs))))

I would get rid of the dog I know nobody wants to think they'd EVER surrender an animal or rehome it but unfortunately real life doesn't always line up to our ideals. It's tough though.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Give the dog back to where you got it. I know your family "loves" the dog but this dog is not meant for your family.

The dog was improperly tested for your home. It has mauled your cat. It will kill the other cat more than likely.

I have a dog that has a HIGH prey drive and he would kill a cat as well.

Sorry for your loss of the cat.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I do not know how you got the dog, but if it was from a shelter, taking it back might mean that they deem it unadoptable and it would not get a second chance at a home, but just be put down right away. You might want to try to re-home it yourself.

Good luck, my heart goes out to you.

 

[Mermaid02]

Very sorry about your cat. Don't for one minute think she won't do this to your other cat- given the chance she will.

I agree with the posters who say to take the dog to a husky rescue. They will find it a home without cats or other small animals. We have a weimaraner and she could never live with a cat- it would be like having a living breathing RUNNING squeaky toy. Some dogs just have that prey instinct.

 

[Rumpus]

When you bring a sled dog into your home, you NEED to be realistic about what they are like.

I think that is true for any "working dog" that was bred to do a job. Even the lovable, bright, intelligent border collies need jobs. Their instinct is to herd. As a result, many border collie owners are actually "renting sheep" or going to a farm so their dogs can herd sheep. I have been in obedience classes with border collies who attempt to herd the other dogs. I knew a woman who couldn't understand why her husky "pulled" and others who couldn't understand why their beagles ran with their noses to the ground.

 

[Christine]

OP, I'm sorry about your cat. I know how awful you must feel.

Back in 2006, I had very much the same thing happen to me.

I got a mutt in 2001. She is a hound mix. Very sweet. About 6 months later, I got a Jack Russell Terrier. At first all was well. As the dogs matured, their personalities started coming out and I noticed that my hound mix just didn't care for the JRT. We had moments of aggression. At some point, I tried to rehome the JRT but could not find an owner. It was getting to be a small problem.

One day, the dogs got in a fight and my JRT (who was only 11 lbs) did not survive. I totally freaked out, didn't go to work for a week, cried on and off for months. You name it.

I had older kids at home and I was worried even though the hound had never shown any sign of aggression toward humans.

I had the dog evaluated by an animal behaviorist and the dog was found to have a very high "predatory prey" instinct which means that when they see a small animal running around, they no longer recognize it as a part of their family or a "friend" but they see it as a squirrel or something and something snaps in their brain and they get aggressive with it.

There is nothing to fix that and I just knew that I could never, ever have another animal in my home or have my dog around other animals. She has no aggression whatsover toward humans and we've never had a problem.

My advice to you is, since this dog is new, I would return it to the group you got it from if you are going to have other animals. Let them know what happened. The dog is probably just fine but needs to be in a home with no small animals.

 

[Pigeon]

Some dogs have a strong prey drive. It isn't necessarily completely breed-specific, nor is it a matter of "all working dogs," etc. We've had dogs from working breeds and cats who have been the best of friends.

I think you'll need to rehome the dog. If you can find a rescue who will take the dog, they can make sure it goes to a cat-free home. We volunteer with a dog rescue, and find this to be a reasonable situation in our organization.

In rare cases, dog and cat relationships can change. I have mutt (probably part Basset Hound, German Shepherd and Chow Chow). We got her as a rescue. She has a strong prey drive, and rabbits are her prey of choice, but she chases anything that moves.

Initially, she wanted to eat the cats in the worst way. We kept them separated and the cats were dog savvy. After about six months, it was like a switch flipped in the dog's brain, and she suddenly recognized the cats as family. They now cuddle up together. I can't explain this, and I'm not recommending chancing it, but sometimes it does happen.

 

[Scurvy]

OP, I'm very sorry about your cat.

As others have said, you can not keep this dog and your remaining cat and expect everything to be okay. It won't be. This dog obviously has a high small prey drive, as do many Huskies. I love Huskies but I'm also a cat lover and when researching what kind of dog to get I was very disappointed to find that this is a common problem with Huskies. Not all, certainly, but as with some other breeds they do have this tendency. And of course a dog of any breed could have the same issue. Some dogs will have it less than others, and a dog who is raised with cats is more likely to behave well with them. This particular dog can not safely coexist with cats. You need to rehome one of them unless you are 100% certain you can forever keep the two separated, which sounds unfair to whichever one is going to have to be locked away most of the time. For me there would be no question - I would keep my cat and rehome the dog I only had for a short time. For you the answer may be different. But regardless of which one you would rather keep, you owe it to the cat to protect it or it will eventually end up suffering the same fate as your other cat.

 

[Fly4free]

OP I know you must be heartbroken. So sorry you lost your cat.

It was a good thing you did trying to give the husky a home. Normally I would always encourage someone not to put their pet in a shelter, but under these circumstances I don't know of any other choice. The drive to chase moving objects is just too strong in some dogs. I wouldn't take a chance of Huskey and your cat getting together. Husky needs to be with a family without small animals or small children.

Can you possibly post a sign at the vets office looking for a new home for him? Maybe even try Craigslist, but I would be very selective and check for references before rehoming any pet thru CL.

Last of all: Mean people please stop being so judgemental. Some of you aren't even reading the full posts of the OP. Don't ever assume to know how someone else thinks and feels!!!!!

 

[disneyfans95]

Keep the dog, ditch the cat..

 

[chisnpeke]

With all due respect, I understand your point, but as someone who has 4 dogs and about 10 cats (due to other people's abandonment of their animals), I have often brought new dogs or cats into the mix. I don't think the OP should be faulted for bringing a new animal into her home and failing to foresee the future.

OP, I'm sorry for your loss. You probably don't have a choice other than finding a new placement for your Husky (or your cat, but I'm assuming your cat has seniority). I'm so sorry this happened.

I agree. We had a dog that killed cats of ours. They were outdoor cats that were hard to catch and although the dogs were confined, the cats would go into the dog area. It doesn't mean we didn't care. Finally we were able to get our remaining kitties and we have them confined now. All of our animals we'd had for a while and weren't just suddenly brought into the situation. That dog wasn't vicious, she was a sweet dog, but she was doing what dogs will do. They are animals and people need to realize they have instincts.

OP, I'm so very sorry that happened to your precious kitty.

I love dogs. I also love cats but dogs are the animal that I love most. However in this case, given that you just got the dog, I would try and find another home for it. Do not take it to a shelter. Just be very clear that the dog should not be around cats, etc.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I have owned and been owned by four huskies. The first one never bothered our cats. The cats could eat out of her bowl and she would just give us sad puppy dog eyes. The second one came to us at a much older age who would and did maul smaller animals - birds, rabbits and a pug . The two I have now would eat a cat in a NY minute. Our barn cats know to stay away from these new ones, even though they could eat out of the first one's dishes. [old dog, new cats] And these two were raised next to the cats. They just are different than the first one.

You have my sympathies. You need to do what is right for your situation. Best wishes to you.

 

[chisnpeke]

Thanks to most of you for your kind words. I wasn't planning on getting this dog. It was abandoned by my daughter's ex boyfriend. She was the one who bought it for him in the first place, and she wanted to give it a good home. I didn't know that she was aggressive to cats in any way. Would anyone really put their beloved pets in harm's way? I also own a rescue dog from Puerto Rico, and the cat that was killed I took after it had been to two other homes before mine.

you are trying your best to provide homes for animals that do not have one. This is not your fault. After reading this, I stand by my statement that you should find another home for the husky.

 

[chisnpeke]

It's not just huskies. EVERY DOG can be an aggressor and kill another, smaller animal. The dog I had that killed cats was a dalmatian. We had a small mix dog that killed our rabbit.

Should people not own birds and cats together because as we all know cats want to kill birds. Maybe if other people wouldn't dump their pets, the good people wouldn't have to pick up their slack.

Although the dogs that I listed were more inclined to kill because of their nature and what they were bred for, any dog can be that way. No one knows for sure how an individual dog will act in certain situations. We had a dog that chased a cat when I was a young child but they slept peacefully next to each other.

 

[famofsix]

I feel bad for you OP and sorry for your loss of the cat especially since you did take precautions and you were trying to help an animal that was abandoned...it's really sad

I not sure why there are so many flames on this thread

I too would not risk the other cat given the circumstance so you will need to choose the dog or the cat at this point

 

[LuvOrlando]

I am so sad to hear this happened.

A friend of mine had a Husky that killed 2 of their cats. I have other friends whose dogs of differing breeds kill anything that crosses their path in the yard. I don't know why but maybe these dogs just have a very high prey drive I have always had dogs with cats and nothing like this has ever happened, it must just depend on the 2 animals involved.

 

[Christine]

I am so sad to hear this happened.

A friend of mine had a Husky that killed 2 of their cats. I have other friends whose dogs of differing breeds kill anything that crosses their path in the yard. I don't know why but maybe these dogs just have a very high prey drive I have always had dogs with cats and nothing like this has ever happened, it must just depend on the 2 animals involved.

It stinks when it happens!

I owned 5 dogs prior to the owning the one I have now (that does not like small animals). I had know way of knowing this when the dog was a puppy and never expected it. My previous animals all got along well with each other and I never had a problem.

 

[Pugsley]

I feel awful for the OP because I'm sure this was very traumatic for her and I don't blame her for what happened. But what bothers me is that she seems to be:

1) Considering keeping both of them, which I don't think is an option even if she kept them apart. It would be cruel and unfair to keep the kitty locked away from the family.

2) Considering keeping the dog and getting rid of the cat. I just can't imagine why she would keep a dog that killed her cat AND get rid of a cat who was there before the dog.

If this were me I would immediately rehome the dog to a home with no other pets and no children. I can't even imagine even still wanting or loving a dog that killed my cat. (I understand it's just the dog's instinct, but still...)