Greyhounds and moggies??

Question

is it really possible to train a greyhound to live with a cat? I love them and desperately want one, but not at the expense of george the cat!!! any advice

Answer 1

Retired Racing Greyhound + Cat = bad

I'm sure it is possible to train an RR greyhound to live with a cat, but I would not recommend it. The ex-racers have a very, very strong prey drive. They might get along wonderfully with the cat for 6 months or 2 years, and one time the cat moves a little bit too fast and the instinct kicks in... Luckily the greyhound can't pick up speed indoors, or he'd be doing 40+mph into your wall, table or couch... maybe he doesn't catch the cat, but he could hurt himself badly in the process.

I wouldn't recommend it. I don't own a retired racer, but I lure course and NOTRA my Italian Greyhounds... there's lots of retired racers at the events, and they go crazy when they see the 'bunny'.... I saw one get so excited he literally jumped straight up about 5 feet while still on lead.

Answer 2

It's possible, I'm sure but I would definitley start with a puppy. Rescued track dogs are trained to chase little fuzzy things (the lure) and might chase the cat on instinct. The only greyhounds I have know (that is very few, I will admit) have not gotten along with cats. Contact a greyhound breed club or rescue in your area and ask what they think about it. They will have a lot more experience with it.

Answer 3

Yes it certainly is ,my mother's mother from the Irish midlands had a small farm and she actualy had 2 Greyhounds and 4 cats and they all got on together like a house on fire ,the greyhounds were called Rex and spike and the cats where called Margo,Sussie,Jack and Tinker.ALL 6 Where great pets ,The Greyhounds were always used for rounding up cattle and sheep by my Grandfather and never had any trouble with them they were always wandering in and out of the house mixing with all the cats .Of course the cats were mostly out and about hunting the mice .When Spike died (almost 15 yrs) my Grandmother got an other dog(red setter) .She called him Butch and he got along fine .My grandmother always fed the dogs out in the spare shed and the cats were fed by my uncil at the back of the house

Answer 4

My best advice is to introduce them slowly, preferably on neutral ground (i.e., somewhere that George doesn't feel is his space.) See how they react together as you're petting and talking to both of them at the same time. Supervise them at all times until they get used to each other, and crate the greyhound whenever you're gone to avoid problems.

I've known plenty of dogs and cats who get along well together, or at the very least, achieve detente. :-)

Edit:

It just occured to me that the greyhound may think the cat is something fun to chase since that's what greyhounds like to do. Getting a young pup and correcting it every time that it harasses or chases the cat is probably a good idea.

Answer 5

Amber gave you the 100% absolute correct answer. If you get a grey from an adoption group they will 'cat-test' the dog before matching you up. Most adoption groups have a fairly extensive application process in order to match you with the best dog possible. Check out http://www.greyhoundpets.org and find an adoption group near you. Most groups separate the 'cat-safe' and not 'cat-safe' dogs on their websites, so you can see which dogs are available in your area that might fit your needs.

Answer 6

Its possible I guess, but not recommended. A friend of mine has greyhounds and they will chase and kill anything. Thats what they are breed for. They make good pets, with other dogs but not cats. You will need lots of room for them to run too. Thats what they do.

Answer 7

Are you getting one as a puppy (I'm sorry if you are b/c they are EXPENSIVE) or are you adopting an ex-racer? I used to foster ex-racers and what my group did was test their Greys to see if they acted well around cats, small dogs, children, small animals, etc. Not all Greys were tested for everything...it depended on what was in their foster's house. If you are adopting an ex-racer, make sure you tell them that you have a cat and you would like a Grey that has tested cat-friendly. It's not going to ensure that the Grey and your particular cat will get along, as each animal has a personality of their own...but generally if they are cat-friendly, then they will get along with your cat.

Answer 8

Get any dog when it's a puppy. If the cat has been there longer the puppy will be trained by the cat that it's the boss. That's how animals behave since they are territorial.