My dog came in last night with a dead cat in it's mouth....?

Question

the cat is a ginger To mand it belongs to a neighbour a few doors up, not sure what to do really....

Answer 1

if your dog killed the cat, which you will be able to see from any puncture wounds you could be in for a trip to the magistrates to defend your dog, hopefully they will request that your dog is muzzled and give you a fine, otherwise just claim the cat was hit by a car and your dog picked it up

Answer 2

First, you need to let your neighbour know, and let them know how sorry you are, and do offer to do anything within your means to make them feel better about their loss...I'm sure you know too that a pet, no matter what species, is a valued member of the family.
Second, your dog is simply exhibiting normal hunting behaviour. You need to teach him/ her that this is not acceptable behaviour. If he/ she doesn't have any chew toys, go get a few, offering up only a couple at a time to prevent boredom. You need to spend at least an hour each day playing with your dog, to provide enough stimulation. Whenever you bring him/ her out for a walk, and witness him/ her going for another animal, firmly say "No", and make your dog sit. This command places you in a superior position, and your dog will listen to you, and learn that the behaviour just exhibited is not acceptable. If he/ she continues bringing back kills, you need to firmly take the animal away, say "Bad" or "No", then ignore your dog completely to let him/ her know the behaviour is unacceptable.
Also, when you see that your dog checks him/herself from chasing after other animals like a hunter, you must remember to give lots of praise, hugs, and doggy treats to help reinforce acceptable behaviour.
At any rate, most pet dogs eventually stop such preying behaviour when they get enough stimulation (using toys to stimulate hunting and preying behaviour rather than live animals) from their owners, enough exercise, and good behavioural training.
The important thing here is, please do not blame your dog. He/ she is simply showing how much he/ she loves you by bringing home the kill for you to eat first. He/ she really doesn't understand anything other than that unless you give the appropriate training.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You know, just because the dog came back with the dead cat in it's mouth doesn't mean the dog actually killed the cat. The cat may have died some other way, and your dog found the body and was so interested he brought it back. I mean, has your dog ever brought back any other dead animals? That happens with ours sometimes, but it's blatant that they haven't actually killed them themselves, because the bodies are too old and stinky.

All the same, it's best to tell your neighbour- break it to them straight, and tell them how sorry you are. It's for the best... actually, now I think of it, this happened to us once- our greyhound, beyond doubt, savaged a kitten we were looking after for a friend. They'd only just got that pet though, so it wasn't too bad, and we were able to offer them another cat that was hanging around (live on a farm you see). The woman was very understanding- she said 'Where you have livestock, you'll get dead stock.' I think you have to adopt a similar philosophical attitude- if you try to hide that the cat is dead, it's worse for the owners...

Answer 4

You should tell them about the cat.

But not necessarily that your dog brought it to you, as you don't know for definite that he killed it. If the dog and cat have been living in the same street for some time, it's likely he didn't and just found the body & brought it to you out of some random curiosity or something - otherwise he would have probably killed it sooner.

That way you don't give them any reason to unnecessarily suspect or resent your dog. Just say you found the body & make up some plausible story for how & where you found it.

Answer 5

Believe it or not I have two dogs and they took it upon themselves to play with my neighbours cat ending in the same result. If the dog killed the cat on your property your ok. It it killed it on your neighbours property the blame falls on you for failing to control your dog.

It depends on your relationship with your neighbours. If they are the neighbours from hell, dig a hole throw the cat in and stick a rose bush on top! And look innocent each time they walk past.

If they are friends, come clean say it was accidental and the dog didn't intend to hurt the cat as was just playing (which it probably was). Tell them you feel terrible and offer to buy them a new cat!

I won't tell you which one I did!

Good luck

Answer 6

Get rid of the dead cat at the rubbish dump or something, not in your house or surrounding area. Then stay quiet. The neighbour will be upset and probably blame you for letting your dog out, so best to keep schtum. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES CONFESS AND LET THEM KNOW!!!

Can you send the dog over here, cos the cats near me are a complete nightmare? Does he do pigeons as well?

Answer 7

no ones fault just nature in practice, least your dog likes you to bring you a present. Your dog might not have killed the cat but found it dead already, just throw it in the bin n 4get all about it, as u don't know for 100% your dog is to blame.

Answer 8

The owners of the cat need to know that their friend is dead,,,,, They will need closure. You are, though, between a rock & a hard place.....
How well do you know the cat`s owner? Your dog may not have been involved with it`s demise,,,Cat`s are usually quite adept at removing themselves from a threat.....However, accidents do happen.........
Emotions may spin out of control on this one.......so attempt to govern yourself accordingly...You know your dog, maybe you know your neighbours, at this point you need to assess all the angles, & approach this situation with a level head,,Ultimately I believe that the owners of the cat need to know of the death....
I do not suggest staging this event as (A.)..someone may know how the cat died & this could lead to further issues for you yourself....So deal with the FACTS only...You at this point are the one who knows all the players involved......Good luck

Answer 9

It would be really sad not to tell the neighbors. They loved their cat. While your dog should have not been running free, they took a risk of something like that happening when they let their cat out. Suck it up, and tell them.

Answer 10

Give your dog an extra special treat, pat it's head, and say... "Good Boy! You have done a good job in teaching people to take better care of their cats instead of letting them run loose."