My dog is a cat killer

[warmellie]

Lucas has a very strong prey drive. A few weeks ago, he killed a cat that had gotten in our fenced back yard. It just happened so fast, we could do nothing to stop it. He also kills birds, if he can catch them.


I'm not really posting for advice, because I don't think it is possible to dampen the drive. I just hate it that Lu is murderer.

We just try to look and see if we see any cats are back there, before "releasing the hounds." One good thing is I've put a tag on his collar that jingles, although he can be surprisingly steathy, when he's stalking.

 

[totallyhip]

Oh dear:( That's horrible!

Luke has an obsession with cats too. But he just really wants to play with them. The neighbour's cat at our old place use to come into our deck all the time and Lukey tried to play with him. But the cat didn't want any part of it so he got a big swat and then Luke let out a big yelp and his nose was bleeding:(

Were trying to train him to not go after the cats (even though he just wants to play). I heard that Boxers don't like cats but its not true....I have met a few that have been trained to get along well and actually live with cats. So it can be done!

My hubby loves cats and one day we will probably get one

 

[ELubas]

I think all dogs are different and thier exposure young ,makes a difference. My boy had cat friends as a pup so he accepts them as just another interesting critter. Even my feisty girl who will fight with a strange dog at the drop of a hat had cat friends as a baby and now she actually seems to like them better than other dogs. Definetely not a boxer thing, I think just an individual dog thing that they could probably be desensitized to like anything else...

 

[HurricaneBox]

I agree with ELubas... it really just depends on the dog and how they handled experiences as a pup, what they were exposed to. I had a dog growing up that we had from about 10 weeks (not a boxer, a german shepherd/rough coated collie mix) who LOVED cats, all the neighborhood cats would come say hi on a regular basis. In fact if another dog was chasing them, they would run to our yard!

I also had a greyhound that was perfectly fine with cats indoors but the instant he set foot outside those cats had better be over the fence faster than he could get there or else! Its almost like he knew indoor cats were part of the pack, but the neighborhood cats he had no such caution with.

As distressing as this was for you, dogs have prey drive. Some stronger than others, but they all have it. It sounds like you are doing all you can to protect not only the cats but also your baby from any... unwanted encounters. Don't feel bad, and don't think less of Lucas. He is just being what he is... a dog. No one thinks badly of cats that catch and kill mice and birds... why should dogs be looked down upon for doing the same?? You are doing all you can, Lucas is lucky to have a petparent like you!!!

 

[marciafinn]

Mason looks at cats with curiosity -well any critter he comes across. He does not really have much of a prey drive.

Penny has killed a woodchuck and a snake in our yard. She has a very strong prey drive. I have hoped that no cats get into our yard - thankfully none of our neighbors have cats.

 

[trc4941]

We're dealing with boxer/cat issues. Our 1 year boxer, Dino, that we adopted this summer is obsessed with our cat. Poor Tazzy (cat) has been living in the basement since the end of July becasue she is scared to death. Every time she ventures upstairs, Dino goes after her like a wildman. I think he would kill her. He's the sweetest dog other than that. We don't know what to do. Our 4 yr old boxer Rocky, was around the cat from the time he was a puppy, so he and the cat tolerate each other. She's not afraid of him at all. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[RoxiesEcho]

Thank goodness Bella doesn't seem to have much of a prey drive, unless the thing has eight legs! We live in the country and it's hard telling what she will find from day to day. I did find out a few weeks ago that her father is very dog aggressive, just killed a neighbor dog that wandered into the breeders yard. Fortunately we have made sure that Bella is exposed to everyone and everything we can think of and she doesn't seem to have an aggressive bone in her body.

 

[Maniago]

George had a very bad experience with a cat as a puppy, it scratch his little nose and made it bleed. He hates cats, but LOVES all other small animals. Grace has a very strong prey drive and will hunt birds, mice, or any small animal, I think she is part bird dog or hound. Fortunately we do not have neighbors.

 

[kljarvis]

Hank has always gotten along with my cats. I have two of them. My black cat Bud WAS bigger than he was when he first came to live with us. Of course he's outgrown Bud quite a bit, but he just never messes with him. Lucy, my girl cat, she just doesn't have anything to do with him. Kizzie keeps her on her toes enough for the whole house! Hank will play chase with them from time to time, but has never been aggressive with them.

 

[aaranda]

I totally understand how you feel. Our dog, Buster, killed my mom's friend's cat when she was dog-sitting for us a month ago. I had warned her that Buster doesn't do well with cats, but it must have gotten overlooked amongst all of the other things we went over.

I felt horrible when I found out, and my mom's friend obviously was upset that her pet was dead, but she wasn't in any way mad at Buster -- she kept reassuring me that some dogs just have a high prey drive. I understand that logically, but I still feel badly that it happened.