Dog nearly killed kitten?

Question

This morning my 13-year-old Austrailian Cattledog nearly killed my 3-month-old kitten when it went up to his food. He is in the "hospital" with a head injury. The attack was so severe the kitten couldn't walk afterward. I say the attack was severe, but if I hadn't been in the room and seen it I wouldn't have known it. The dog just barely growled/snapped and the kitten was down. I asked the vet about putting the dog down & he was upset with me saying it's normal for a dog to defend its food. I understand this, but am concerned at the severity with which he defended it. I've had this dog since he was a puppy. Now that he's old he sometimes is randomly aggressive. At night if I touch him he growls at me. He's attacked the cat for no reason -although never causing injury. I'm afraid this latest attack is another symptom of his growing aggression and next time it could be one of my kids and then I'll be told you should have put him down a log time ago. I appreciate any advice

Answer 1

The attack on the kitten (although tragic) is less significant than the random growling and aggression you're now getting. Sometimes older dogs seem to lose their patience with everything and everyone. This can be due to changes in the brain, or an undiagnosed painful condition.

Since you have children, my recommendation is that you put the dog to sleep, as sad as that is. A dog that strikes like a Cobra without warning is a real danger. Your first priority has to be the safety of your children. Unfortunately, (as you said) most people wait until that last bite that can leave a child scarred for life... and then it's too late.

If your vet is reluctant to do it, take him to another vet or the ASPCA.

Answer 2

I would agree with the vet - the dog is being territorial and is much bigger that the kitten and probably didn't mean to actually hurt it. After all, who was there first. When kitty comes home, I'm sure he/she won't be going near the dog, let alone its food. Dogs, like older people can become a little grumpy and defensive when they're ageing. Call his name, so he'll hear you (hearing and eyesight may be failing a bit), before you pet him and he probably won't growl. In fact, all family members should do this. It isn't right to put him down after having him since he was a puppy and part of the family being gentle and loyal all this time. I hope kitty will be fine, too.

Answer 3

Well the first order of business is to keep your kitten separated from your dog. You don't want a repeat of the attack.

Secondly, it's not normal for a dog to defend its food in such a violent manner. My dog, for example, will growl at the cat if he walks near her food while she's eating, and if he doesn't move, she'll bark at him. Dogs almost always warn before they attack. Attacking without growling first is a troubling sign.

That your dog growls when you touch him sometimes may mean he just wants to be left alone, or possibly that he's in pain and is afraid you're going to hurt him. You certainly need to have him screened for diseases, especially given how old he is. It could be caused by old-age dementia, or it could be something else.

If that doesn't yield any answers, you may have to just give him space and privacy.

Answer 4

I think the dog attacked the cat because of his instinct for survival. The cat deliberately went for the food with no regard as to the nutrition and survival of the dog. The cat got everything it deserved. If the cat lives it will surly have learned a great lesson concerning the theft of another animals food. If the cat dies we must chalk it up to natural selection and the survival of the fittest.
Do not sentence the dog to death for this natural instinctive act of aggression. The dog just wants to eat and survive.
Let the cat take food from your children or scratch them, then you will surly show the ugly side of aggression. Should you be put down for this act. I think not. The cat is a trouble maker and known food thief, it has you hypnotized into believing that cats are superior to dogs and more importantly he has you believing that he or she (The Cat) is superior to you. Get the women and children out of the house, now!

Answer 5

If you have children, you are very right to be concerned. It is not natural for a dog to defend its food in that way. What if that had been your child? The dog could have bitten his/her hand or worse, their face.

I think your vet should have listened to your concerns much more closely and advised you differently. Perhaps you could schedule and appointment with a professional trainer for them to observe the dogs' behaviour when put through normal tasks. They may recommend the dog be destroyed or they may be able to give you some good advice based on the behaviour they see from the dog.

At least then you will have done everything you could have done before making a difficult decision as to whether to keep this dog or not.

Answer 6

I don't know what I would do in this situation. Obviously you love your dog very much, but you have to look out for the safety of the kitten and your kids. All I can advise is to watch the dog very closely. Maybe take him for a complete checkup. There could be an underlying medical problem that does not show up and is causing him some pain. If things escalate, you may have to put him down. Good luck.

Answer 7

I understand your worry. It is normal for the dog to show aggression to a new kitten, but it is not normal for him to show aggression towards you. One thing you can do is feed him in a room by himself. Sometimes a bathroom works good. Allow him 15-30 minutes in the room to finish his food. If he does not eat with in this time take it away from him anyway. This will eliminate the problem with the kitten walking up to him while he is eating. I would continue to monitor his aggression toward you. Him growling at you is aggravating, but he is not hurting you. He is just warning you to leave him alone. You might look at why he is grumpy as well. Does he seem to be in any pain. Maybe he needs to be on pain relievers. I would try to discuss with your Vet in greater detail your options. Maybe take the dog in for a physical and exam. It is understandable how hard it is for you.

Answer 8

i have never had luck with dogs and cats that were not raised from puppy/kitten together. i also think it is especially difficult to bring a kitten into a home with an older dog. that said, i would keep them separated....

i had a dog who was increasingly aggressive with age..and the touching him at night thing also happened with me. i think the growling at being touched could be an indicator of pain...(hips?)

as for your kids, if they are old enough (verbal etc) to understand than you need to educate them about not bothering the dog or his food and not playing too roughly. if they are young, they need to be supervised at all times with the dog.

only my opinion but i would not put the dog down...

Answer 9

Well, resource-gaurding is natural in dogs (and your bed is a resource too). You have to explicitly train a dog to not be like that. Some dogs naturally don't resource-gaurd, but most do.

To prevent resource-gaurding behavior here's some articles to refer to:

http://www.petfriendlyhouse.com/information/Children_Pets/Resource_Guarding.aspx

http://www.clickertrainusa.com/Webpages/Well%20Being%20Training%20System/resourceguarding.htm

http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/library/Articles/resource_guarding.htm


One of my dogs occaisionally exhibits mild resource gaurding behaviors. My choice of how to deal with this is to redirect and/or trade up. I will give him a command that is incompatible with focusing on whatever he's gaurding and at the same time I will reward his giving up whatever he's got with an even better option. If he's just walking around with his Kong licking the last little bit of peanut butter out of it and growls when I try to take it (this happens very rarely, but it does happen), I immediately take a step back, give him his "go home" command and then when he's in his crate offer him a tasty treat if he drops his Kong. When he drops the Kong, I give him the treat and take the Kong swiftly with little fanfare and make sure all other toys are put up and away for the time-being.

But always always always closely supervise your dog around other pets and children. This goes for perfectly 100% obedient dogs as well.

Answer 10

I wouldn't put him to sleep. Especially after having him for 13 years! Are you crazy? My dog (chow/pit mix) actually /did/ attack my kitten and killed it. Strider was 2 1/2.... I had just given him a chicken bone and the kitten grabbed it. Strider only wanted to protect his food, and it only took a half-second snap and the cat was flippin' out on the floor. He died seconds after. Strider must have gotten an important vein in his neck.... I know he didn't mean to kill my kitten. The cat just happened to be in the wrong spot when Strider lashed out for a warning bite... And the kitten was so small, it didn't take much to kill it. Dogs can't rationalize and can't tell how much bite pressure will kill what certain animal. For example, if that was another dog, it would have only been a nip for the dog. But since it was a kitten, that "nip" seemed like a huge bite... I didn't go and kill my dog over it, though. I loved that dog like a brother. Only 4 days later did I forgive him.... But just b/c it's in a dog's nature to protect it's food, doesn't mean you should put them to sleep for being who they are.... Just be glad /your/ kitten lived.... Strider's not with me anymore, though. He died this year from heartworm treatment.... I cried for days.... And let me just say that Strider NEVER once bit me... EVER. I could pet him and mess with him while he was eating, it was only other animals who he protected his food over.... So, just b/c he attacked the kitten, doesn't mean he'll do the same to people.... Just teach your kid(s) not to mess with the dog while he's eating, and let him eat in peace.... =)