Greetings,

We have 3 cats (age 7), and are looking to get a dog. The cats have full run
of the house, and are VERY independent from each other. 2 female cats & 1
male. The male is very docile (when he is not chasing the females), 1 of the
females is very territorial and has been known to hiss and bang at the
window if a stray comes near it, and will attack strange cats if given the
oppurtunity. The other female is a loner attached to one family member only
(myself), and needs constant attention (she is the house prima donna). All
of them are indoor cats.

However my wife has always wanted to get a dog, and I am now giving it
serious consideration. However I am very concerned about finding a breed
that will not be aggressive with the cats. They were here first and I would
not want them feeling too usurped
I know that the chemistry of the house will be thrown into chaos for a while
regardless, but would like to minimize the impact.

So, what breeds should I look at and what should I stay away from? Have
heard that malamutes should be avoided at all cost.

Some breeds I have been looking at are a Greyhound (Would adopt from the
local track, something majestic about this breed I have always liked),
Whippet (Family had one growing up, always loved this breed) or a Collie
(again past experience with this breed). But am open to other suggestions.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated. Sorry if the crosspost was off the
mark, wanted to hit both groups to see what experiences people have had.

Many thanks,

Paul

If you would consider a breed such as malamute, then a breed such as
Elkhound (hairy) shouldn't be out of line.

Actually I was discounting a malamute from what I had read on the breed (ie:
they can consider cats a food source).

If a dog is raised with cats, there shouldn't be a problem anyway.

That was the thought, which may discount getting an adult dog (ie: adopting
a Greyhound) and going with a puppy.

In article idwic.16881$DM5.8969@okepread04,
Slapshot wrote:
Diddy wrote
If a dog is raised with cats, there shouldn't be a problem anyway.
That was the thought, which may discount getting an adult dog (ie: adopting
a Greyhound) and going with a puppy.

Well, it depends. I've got four Siberian Huskies living in
harmony with two cats. That only holds true when they're
inside the house, though - if the cats get out into the dog
yard, which has happened a couple of times, the dogs regard
the cats as a likely food source. Incidentally, three of
the dogs joined the household as adults. It was a gamble,
though, and I wouldn't count on any given naturally
predatory dog getting along well with cats. Of the breeds
you listed, the collie is probably your best bet where the
cats are concerned, plus they're just plain nice dogs.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Halliburton did more than $30 million dollars
business with Saddam in the late 1990s

"Slapshot" wrote in message
news:tZvic.16879$DM5.769@okepread04...
Greetings,

We have 3 cats (age 7), and are looking to get a dog. The cats have full
run
of the house, and are VERY independent from each other. 2 female cats & 1
male. The male is very docile (when he is not chasing the females), 1 of
the
females is very territorial and has been known to hiss and bang at the
window if a stray comes near it, and will attack strange cats if given the
oppurtunity. The other female is a loner attached to one family member
only
(myself), and needs constant attention (she is the house prima donna). All
of them are indoor cats.

However my wife has always wanted to get a dog, and I am now giving it
serious consideration. However I am very concerned about finding a breed
that will not be aggressive with the cats. They were here first and I
would
not want them feeling too usurped
I know that the chemistry of the house will be thrown into chaos for a
while
regardless, but would like to minimize the impact.

So, what breeds should I look at and what should I stay away from? Have
heard that malamutes should be avoided at all cost.

Some breeds I have been looking at are a Greyhound (Would adopt from the
local track, something majestic about this breed I have always liked),
Whippet (Family had one growing up, always loved this breed) or a Collie
(again past experience with this breed). But am open to other suggestions.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated. Sorry if the crosspost was off the
mark, wanted to hit both groups to see what experiences people have had.

You should be able to find a cat-friendly adult dog through a humane society
or rescue. Some dogs are given up by owners, and the org/rescue knows more
about them than they do about a stray off the street.

Go to Petfinder, search for dogs available in your area; when you find those
you're interested in, email to ask if the dog is cat-friendly, or if they
have one that is.

flick 100785


Many thanks,

Paul

"kilikini" wrote in message
news
"Slapshot" wrote in message
news:tZvic.16879$DM5.769@okepread04...

Some breeds I have been looking at are a Greyhound (Would adopt from the
local track, something majestic about this breed I have always liked),
Whippet (Family had one growing up, always loved this breed) or a Collie
(again past experience with this breed). But am open to other
suggestions.

Paul



One thing to consider, all of the breeds you suggested are a little hyper

Hyper is not something I associate with either Collies or Greyhounds. I
don't know enough about Whippets to comment on them. I'm assuming that the
OP is talking about Rough/Smooth Collies and not Border Collies which is
something else entirely. Border Collie is a cousin breed to the Rough/Smooth
Collie and share a great many traits but one breed is caffinated (the BC)
and the other de-caf (the Collie).

which means it will be harder for the dog to contain his or herself. I
have
two cats and 9 months ago brought a 10 week old Australian Shepherd puppy
into the family. He and the cats are *still* trying to work it out.

A typical Aussie is much more intense and active compared a typical
Rough/Smooth Collie or a Greyhound. You have a nine month Aussie which is
basically the Energizer Bunny in dog form. God help you. ;-)

I've had 5 smooth Collies so far and can say that, all in all, they are a
mellow bunch of wimps and the roughs even more so. Their prey drive is
moderate to non-existent. I foster kittens for the local SPCA and my collies
have been gentle and indulgent with them, no matter how much the minute
feline hellions race around and provoke them.

The Greyhounds I've known have been fairly mellow as well. There's a reason
that Greyhounds are commonly called 40 MPH couch potatoes. They do like a
good run but are not busy or hyper dogs otherwise. As I understand it,
Greyhound adoption centers do test the dogs on cats and other pets for prey
drive.

To the OP, good luck on whichever breed you choose.

Chris and her two smoothies,
Pablo and Lucy

circa Sat, 24 Apr 2004 08:45:22 -0700, in rec.pets.cats, Slapshot
) said,

Some breeds I have been looking at are a Greyhound (Would adopt from the
local track, something majestic about this breed I have always liked),
Whippet (Family had one growing up, always loved this breed) or a Collie
(again past experience with this breed). But am open to other suggestions.

In my experiences, all of these breeds do well with cats- except for
one small thing. If you adopt a retired greyhound, remember that it
has been bred and trained to chase that little fake rabbit, so you
might want to read this:

http://rmga.org/introducing.htm

If you pick the appropriate greyhound, it can coexist well with
cats. (And you definitely can introduce an adult greyhound to cats.)
Keep in mind, however, that retired racers have some very specific
care requirements. First, they usually have to be taught how to walk
up and down stairs because they've often never seen them in their
lives. Second, they *must* sleep on soft surfaces because their
joints are fragile. Third, if you don't have access to a large,
fenced-in but open area like a track or football field, then you may
want to consider whether or not you should adopt a greyhound. They
really need to be allowed to run daily, not just walked on a leash. A
fenced-in back yard usually isn't of sufficient size for them to
really run.

I've been wanting to adopt a retired racer for about fifteen years,
but until I have a lifestyle that allows me to give one the kind of
attention and exercise it needs, I'm going to wait. :-)

Laura
--
I am Dyslexia of Borg,
Your ass will be laminated.

circa Sat, 24 Apr 2004 20:10:50 GMT, in rec.pets.cats, Chris Jung
) said,
I've had 5 smooth Collies so far and can say that, all in all, they are a
mellow bunch of wimps and the roughs even more so. Their prey drive is
moderate to non-existent. I foster kittens for the local SPCA and my collies
have been gentle and indulgent with them, no matter how much the minute
feline hellions race around and provoke them.

The Greyhounds I've known have been fairly mellow as well. There's a reason
that Greyhounds are commonly called 40 MPH couch potatoes. They do like a
good run but are not busy or hyper dogs otherwise. As I understand it,
Greyhound adoption centers do test the dogs on cats and other pets for prey
drive.

You crystallized my thoughts perfectly. :-)

Laura
--
I am Dyslexia of Borg,
Your ass will be laminated.

"Slapshot" wrote in message
news:tZvic.16879$DM5.769@okepread04...

Some breeds I have been looking at are a Greyhound (Would adopt from the
local track, something majestic about this breed I have always liked),
Whippet (Family had one growing up, always loved this breed) or a Collie
(again past experience with this breed). But am open to other suggestions.

I'm no expert but I can say that over the years I have owned many collies,
and all of them got along just fine with all the cats that came in and out
of our lives too. We had both so there was always a mature collie having to
accept new cats, or a mature cat having to accept a new collie pup, and it
always worked out.

I would think hounds and hunting dogs would be more likely to view cats as
prey. I was on another dog-related list once where a woman, who was a
professional dog trainer, said she owned a borzoi and 2 cats, and they all
got along fine, and then - in the space of a single week - the borzoi killed
both of the cats!

Currently I have 3 cats and 3 dogs. One dog is a mutt of unknown heritage,
but possibly some German Shepherd, possibly some hound - and she is the only
one who is a bit of a problem, and always seems to want to chase the cats.
However she is almost 13 now and has never injured any cats, merely annoyed
them. :-)

My other two dogs are shelties, and they and the cats co-exist in perfect
peace. :-)

Debbie

For the best bet on getting along with cats, I would recommend the
Collie (not, as Chris has pointed out, the Border Collie). If you get an
older puppy or adult dog, you might want to get one through a rescue
that fosters them in homes, just to make sure that you can ask for one
known to be cat-friendly. There are exceptions to every rule -- but the
rule for Collies is, they get along with most other animals. And I've
NEVER known a Collie raised around cats to have any problems getting
along with them, so if you have the time and the interest in raising
your dog from a pup you will be fine with this breed.

Their general lack of interest in harming kitties does not always
translate into a lack of interest in CHASING kitties. Cats that skitter
and run from dogs will very often be chased by playful Collies. It helps
if you have one or more cats who are phlegmatic about dogs, or who will
say nasty things to dogs that attempt to chase them. Fluff-and-hiss
works very well on Collies (mine have tended to step back with terribly
hurt looks on their faces: Was it something I said?) and if one or more
of your cats does not skitter and/or run, the others will soon learn
from watching this How to Handle The Dog.

Other characteristics that you need to be aware of are high social
needs; "having a Collie means never going into the bathroom again."
Collies are happy indoors or out, so long as they are with their humans.

The long coated variety that most are more familiar with needs regular
grooming to stay neat and unmatted. The smooth coat is much easier to
groom (wash and wear Collies!) but both shed, and both blow coat. The
smooth coat is shorter but still quite dense, and short Smoothie hairs
seem harder to find and pick up than long Rough hairs. Especially when
blowing coat! Although with cats, you may already be accustomed to Hair
Issues...


-----------------------------------------
Only know that there is no spork.

Quoth Elizabeth Naime on Sat, 24 Apr 2004 18:39:02
-0500,


Other characteristics that you need to be aware of are high social
needs; "having a Collie means never going into the bathroom again."

Gads. There's a case of a post I should have proofread! I meant to
write, of course, that having a Collie means never going into the
bathroom ALONE again!


-----------------------------------------
Only know that there is no spork.