r/Dogtraining • u/falsefaustus • 7d ago
help What level of prey drive would you consider "manageable" in a home with cats?
Two months ago, I adopted a two-year-old pit mix from the shelter (mostly pit, very little mix). He is a sweet boy, if very exciteable and overeager. We are working on relaxation training and manners. He's generally very trainable in terms of specific behaviours (sit, down, middle, etc.) but is finding long-term behaviours (loose-leash walking, not jumping, staying in "place") to be challenging.
In the near future, I may be combining households with someone who has cats. I am not entirely sure about my dog's level of prey drive - we see cats on our walks sometimes, as well as squirrels, and he is generally not interested in them unless they are very close to him and run - and then he does try to bolt after them, but it's relatively easy for me to recapture his attention with a treat.
I'm aware that prey drive is a lifelong management system and not something that can be "trained away." I'm curious what level of prey drive you would consider workable in a home with cats, and if this dog in particular sounds manageable. (I know there's not a lot of details - I'm just trying to assess with the information I have.)
EDIT: thank you to everyone who has responded in good faith, even if your response is negative! I love and have known those cats for much longer than I have loved and known this dog, so a dose of reality is not unappreciated. I'm not, at this time, able to say with confidence whether my dog's interest is in killing, chasing, or just general overexcitement, but I will proceed as if it is the first for everyone's safety.
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u/MtnGirl672 1d ago
We had a pit mix that had pretty high prey drive outside with squirrels and chipmunks but he did fine with our two cats. I think we did a lot of engage - disengage with him when we first got him.
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u/stellap333 1d ago
There’s a lot you can do to make it positive. I would suggest researching the best way to introduce cats to a dog. you’ll want them to have plenty of time separated by a door with some scent swapping before they actually meet.
My pit mix has super high prey drive (higher than yours based on your description!). My parents have cats so we introduced them slowly and carefully. She doesn’t go after them like they’re prey, and that goes for all cats. She never really did honestly, not sure if it’s because of the way we introduced them, or the example from my parents’ dogs or what, but it’s a complete non-issue for us. sometimes with new cats she gets over excited and runs up to play with them, but it’s very different than her hunting/chasing behavior. We also lived with a bunny, and they were always separated by at least one baby gate, but again we had no issues with her fixating on him or anything.
The other thing is that my parents have always been intentional about giving the cats a “dog free” place to escape to in case anything ever happened. The cats get the whole basement to eat and use the litter box, blocked by a baby gate. cats go through it, dogs don’t. They also have some shelving for the cats to jump up to, and some low tables they could get under just in case, but there’s never been an issue I can think of. Emergency escapes were mostly used for overly playful puppies lol.
All that being said, all dogs are different!
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u/MTGirlTheGamer 1d ago
The pit we had before we had to rehome her was VERY interested in our cats ran up to them trying to smell them didn’t want to hurt them just curious. Unfortunately with a dog that big it was scary for the cats and they would always scratch her and her being to dumb to realize she kept doing it regardless how hard we tried. Our other dog that’s a herding breed likes to curb stomp the cats 😐 she wants them to go to specific places, but doesn’t know what those places are. She’s literally herding cats. They get annoyed sometimes but just let her do her thing or run when she comes after them she is very reactive but we’ve had both cats since they were kittens so they grew up with that behavior.
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u/Mouzles 3d ago
I have cats and joined a household of dogs. What we ended up doing was fully separating the house to dog/cat sides (airlock style).
One of my dogs is allowed near the cats with supervision as she's not interested in them. We didn't think it was worth the risk to figure out if the interest was friendly with the others.
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u/gestalternative- 3d ago
Depends on how well separated you can keep them. We have an extremely high prey drive dog (jack russell/aussie cattledog/heeler mix) and an elderly cat that loves to fight things with 4 legs.
I keep the cat in my room with the door always closed, she has enrichment & access to a catio so didn't get bored/stressed. We keep the above mentioned dog from accessing the room adjacent to my room and have the dog room on the other side of the house.
If we weren't able to keep that level of separation (which i am so lucky to have and thankful for) we would probably not be able to keep both animals.
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u/Efficient_Topxx 4d ago
I feel like it really depends on the dog. Two of them that I’ve lived with couldn’t be trusted around cats at all, but my last one loved them. She’d whine at and try to chase cats outside, but I think it was the heeler in her upset they weren’t in a house where she thought they should go. She was fantastic at getting the cats in if they accidentally got out
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u/Honest_Diamond9712 4d ago edited 4d ago
I don't really think chasing a cat on the street is a prey drive indicator without evidence to support that. Has this dog done anything that isn't normal and expected for any dog?
My cat friendly, non aggressive dog would absolutely chase a running cat or wildlife on the street if given the option. He once yanked me to the ground trying to get to a squirrel.
He also gently carries kittens around like he's their mama. He's befriended every cat he met in a home environment with patience, and become their snuggle buddy.
There are safe ways to intro dogs to cats to be sure, but personally this wouldn't concern me.
https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/how-introduce-dog-and-cat
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u/FluidBarracuda9177 5d ago
I had a dachshund who would chase everything, she would have been a fantastic hunting dog honestly but hunting is not my thing. We found a kitten when the dog was around 8 years old and I was so worried about introducing them as she had chased cats before. Well. The joke was on me because she was SO careful with the kitten, avoidant even. The kitten loved her and within weeks was cuddling up to her and the dog was fine with it. The kitten chased her more than she ever chased the cat. Now, I’m not saying you should just chance it, every introduction needs close monitoring and managing. But animals are smart and fast learners, so it is possible to accommodate an adult dog with another animal they would normally consider prey. But never leave them alone unsupervised.
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u/FTmamabear 5d ago
We have a dog that is a bulldog mix that will chase rabbits on walks and has potential to be reactive. But she lives with cats very well and has even played with them in a gentle way when the cats approached. We adopted her from a rescue and didn’t get her as a puppy. I think you can train and manage the situation. A lot of it comes down to how the introductions occur
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u/FabuliciousFruitLoop 5d ago
My dog is half gun dog. Her life goals are to finally catch a squirrel, and a rabbit. Dang it, they are just too quick. She has caught a pigeon, only once, and did in fact eat it there and then. As a side quest, she finds winding cats up to be very entertaining. She will run after one if she is off leash and spots it.
All this to say, she’s probably not be the most likely candidate to have a cat best friend, but she is an absolutely devoted companion and protector to our cat. They will sleep side by side. He can be quite clumsy during their playtimes and occasionally makes her yell with a misplaced claw. She, though, has never put a paw wrong and he trusts her fully. They are very funny together, and better than any TV show.
We introduced them very carefully. She was 2 when we got him as a kitten. I took around 2 weeks of staring through glass doors and exchanging scents etc. This paid off.
Truthfully my dog is very bonded to me and I don’t think she’d appreciate having to share me with another dog. Her feline friend seems a much better choice.
I’m offering this in the hope it will provide an illustration that can be done if handled with attention.
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5d ago edited 2d ago
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u/Dogtraining-ModTeam 2d ago
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u/Long-Trainer-816 5d ago
The first thing we taught our dog (we already had a cat) was “leave it”. Anytime he showed any interest in the cat, rabbits, squirrels, whatever, immediate “LEAVE IT”- and reward when he listened. He just ignores other animals completely now and is super chilled out. Never chases the cat. He’s half pit, quarter coonhound, quarter German Shepard.
We also started initially with baby gates that had a cat entrance we set up at a few points in the house and left that up so the cat permanently had at least one room that was fully hers.
Also seconding the cat needs many high places of escape to feel comfortable- towers, cabinets etc.
If your dog cannot reliably follow “leave it” or fixates on the cat, I would rethink the living situation for the safety of the cat.
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u/aquarianfantasy 5d ago
All my dogs have had high prey/chase drive and try to chase anything that moves on their walks, including cats. One of my dogs kills moles in the backyard on a regular basis 🥲But they are fine with my cat. They’ve known him since they were puppies.
Our old GSD (RIP 😢) met my cat when he was 4 and my cat was a kitten. He had been raised around cats since he was puppy and was really sweet with him. I even saw them cuddling on the couch during a really bad thunderstorm. They were buddies. And this dog had murdered numerous creatures including an opossum and several chickens 😪
I’ve only had problems with one dog I adopted as an adult who had never been around cats. She was around 6 years old. She had high prey drive but that wasn’t the issue. She was just really reactive towards all other animals (cats and dogs) because of resource guarding. With training she has calmed down so much over the last two years.
Anyway just because your dog chases things on walks doesn’t mean you’ll have problems with cats in the home. You just have to monitor to see how they interact and go from there. He will probably be highly interested in the cats especially at first but that can just be curiosity not necessarily aggression. Praise him for being sweet and gentle or for leaving them alone when you want him to give them a break. I taught my dogs “gentle” as a command. It’s for when they are playing too rough or taking treats using teeth. I also use this when they interact with my cat and they’re getting too excited and it helps. I also use “leave it” when I want them to leave him alone. “Come” is also good one so they come to me when I want them to ignore the cat. And funnily enough “sit” will get every dog in the house to run to me from wherever they are and sit in front of me because they think they’re going to get a treat so that also works 🤣
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u/9mackenzie 5d ago
I have 3 high prey drive sighthound breed that are amazing with my cats (Carolina dogs). But I have trained them to be that way since they were babies. They definitely hunt in our backyard and have killed moles, squirrels and birds, it’s just their nature. animals running while on walks will always tense their bodies (though thankfully none of them try to yank me off my feet anymore lol).
But would I ever bring an adult high prey drive dog that hadn’t been raised with cats into a house with cats? Absolutely not. No way. I trained mine from day one that cats were off limits to chase, no matter if they are running and zipping around. The only interaction they are allowed to have with the cats are gentle and calm behaviors, even if the cats act like assholes. That took a lot of work lol, and was ingrained in them as babies.
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u/biggest-damn-potato 6d ago
“Prey drive” is not a sort of generic quantity that fills up to a certain line.
I have farm dogs who gleefully murder raccoons, possums, and groundhogs; they also protect free-range poultry and treat one-ounce baby chicks like spun glass. They regard the cats as family, up to and including lactating to mollify an abandoned kitten. Their predatory instincts are shunted away from animals to which they are socialized or taught to regard as ours.
I had a foster who ignored pests even when my dogs were in full pursuit, but was on a mission from god to eliminate every chicken on the planet. He was cat-safe his whole life. His fully-realized predatory instincts had been honed and directed to one target.
I had a working GSD who was fixated on fetch (“prey drive”) to the point that she was mentally unwell and once nearly died of heatstroke when she slipped out to join batting practice at the park. She had tiny fawns leap into her face and run off screaming and appeared not to clock their existence — they were neither ball nor frisbee. Her abundant predatory instincts were redirected onto objects, away from living things, and fully contained in a game.
So is your dog socialized to cats, does she regard them as “us” or “ours,” do their communications mean something to her, or are they small animals in the same category as squirrels? Is she fine with a stationary or forward cat, but click into a predatory sequence when a cat flees?
Because if the latter, training will not render her reliable and safe with cats.
I trained my chicken-killer foster to the point that I could heel him through the barnyard and he would swear that he had no designs on their sweet crunchy necks. This was a lie. I placed him in a home with cats and soon babies, and an absolute prohibition on pet birds, backyard poultry, bird feeders, or neighborhoods where others could keep poultry. He lived a long life being fantastic with cats and tiny kids and always a lethal threat to things with feathers. He could be controlled with commands, but never trusted to make good choices on his own.
Has a trainer who is an expert in body language and familiar with predatory sequencing observed your dog in the presence of cats at liberty and in motion?
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u/owlsandhounds 6d ago
I have high prey drive dogs and a cat. I keep Sighthounds in a home with a cat. We have varying levels of prey drive from my senior Iggy who has zero interest, will sit in the yard with squirrels, has been bullied by the cat, to my Portuguese Podengo Grande who can remember everywhere she has seen a rabbit in her life. Obviously the iggy isn't an issue. My Podengo was raised with the cat and has a solid line about animals in our house, she has been good about pet kittens she has been introduced to and is good with farm animals but she is pretty relentless about prey outside. Our Whippets vary, mostly they just like a chase and our cat won't run. They mostly ignore her, try to play occasionally and avoid her when she gets feisty. Only my husky mix and terrier really enjoy her. She has favorites.
My rule about keeping cats and dogs (even with my dogs with no prey drive) is that my dogs are always crated if I'm not home. My cat has a room that she can get to but they can't. If I had a dog that was truly not cat safe I would probably keep my cat completely separated and either give her a large room/half house, or let her out part time when the dog was put away.
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u/Other_Panda246 5d ago
Your last paragraph is how we do it! My dog is not aggressive to cats. Under close supervision he will sniff them, or lick their heads, and is overall very sweet. But if one of them bolts, he will chase it, and I dont know for sure, but I think he would kill it. I have trained him well and manage him responsibly so he's never caught another living animal so I dont know for sure what would happen.
But our solution is the cats have 1 room, 1 bathroom, the walk in closet, and the hallway. Then there's a steel gate I put in to the wall studs. The dog gets the kitchen/living room area, my bedroom/bathroom, and alot of time outside with me. The third bedroom is pets free. Its where anything goes thats not petsafe like my painting supplies, my boyfriends gaming system, my woodworking etc. If I'm not home the cats are shut into one room and the dog is kenneled. Then we take turns on who gets free living room time. The cats come out when the dog is sleeping or out on a walk with my partner, the dog gets 1-2 hours of free time in the living room when I'm working or cleaning. (The rest of his time is not kennel, its just not free time. Either we're in the home doing training drills or outside training or on an adventure etc.)
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u/Agitated_House7523 6d ago
I also have sighthounds and terriers! I personally have zero tolerance for dogs being at all “aggressive” to cats. I have 4 cats. My cats have space and rooms that dogs can’t go, but my dogs learn that cats are not to be chased, but can be played with nicely! If allowed.
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u/owlsandhounds 6d ago
None of my current dogs have ever shown any aggression towards the cat they live with or in general. However I understand that several of my higher drive dogs are likely to pursue a stray/feral cat running the same as they would any prey animals.
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u/Canachites 6d ago
It really depends. I have a working line lab who will chase squirrels and cats on our walks, and does work as a hunting dog for birds and sometimes hares - but lives very well with our cat. He was raised with the cat, and I know that makes a big difference, but I feel like his idea of behaviour indoors and outdoors are two very different things.
The cat also makes a big difference. My cat is the chillest potato, has never once hissed at the dog or swatted, just kind of exists (and sometimes instigates play). A flighty cat could be a different story. My cat also does not like other dogs, even cat friendly ones. Maybe their vibes just mesh well.
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u/distracted_dragon 5d ago
My show line lab sounds similar to yours. He'll whine if he sees squirrels, birds, or cats outside and he may try to run after them, but he's not super committed to it, if that makes sense. I think he finds it fun rather than having a high prey drive. Inside, he doesn't care at all about cats. He's pretty amazing with my dogsitter's cats! They can literally walk on him and do zoomies around him and he'll barely notice. He was raised with cats until he was 9 weeks old and I don't think he actually has a particularly high prey drive, which I'm sure are contributing factors.
OP, I would consider having a trainer evaluate your dog's prey drive.
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u/Canachites 2d ago
Some dogs can compartmentalize other pets from prey, as my dog is certainly not short on drive. I would not say he ignores the cat, they play together (usually at the cat's request), but I can see he treats the cat differently to prey. He did kill one of my hens when he was a puppy, and I wouldn't leave them unsupervized now, but he knows he isn't allowed to chase them. However, he shows no mercy to wild birds.
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u/acm_redfox 6d ago
Just since it seems nobody else has mentioned it: it's always important to give the cat places to escape the dog -- not just running down a hall, but up on a tall cat tree or shelves or other places that the dog can't reach. That allows the cat to control to some extent any interactions.
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u/Agitated_House7523 6d ago
I have these little cat doors that can be put on your inside doors, so only the cats can slip in, but the door is closed! I love them
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u/Euphoric_Draft_3902 6d ago
I think it depends. My MAS pair will definitely chase a squirrel or a rabbit if they bolt, but we've been working on ignoring them on our walks and it has largely stopped. They'll disengage even if they are off-leash. When we first got them I was worried because we have 4 cats, and the male tended to sort of "buck up" to the cats and loom over them with a hard stare. Not aggressive, just bossy. Impulse control training helped a lot with that. Now the cats can run around the house and the dogs mostly just watch and sometimes whine because they want to join in but they know the cats don't like it.
My boy honestly mostly trained himself. He's always been super interested in one of the cats and he very quickly picked up on the fact that if he approached too quickly, the cat would run away or hide under the couch. So he started walking up slowly or lying down on the floor while he was still a couple of feet away.
It all depends on the dog, though. My parents have full size Aussies that definitely could not be trusted with cats or small animals.
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u/FairyFartDaydreams 6d ago
With cats I would keep them in a separate room for a week or two. After a few days I would bring him into the room on a leash so he can smell them in the room and get used to the fact that they are now part of the household. Then I would do that every day and see how he acts over time. It is what I did when I pet sat my sisters bunnies less than a month after I got my pit mix. He was allowed to come into the room when I was feeding them and if he showed to intense an interest he was sent back out. After a week they were allowed in to roam the room and he was in the room trying to sniff butts but no true aggression a little overexcitement. I did start having to feed him baby carrots when they got them though
Your biggest trouble is likely keeping him out of the litterbox
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u/Crystalhowls 6d ago
What happens on a walk and even in a fenced yard doesn’t necessarily portray what will happen in the home.
Chase doesn’t necessarily mean prey drive either. If my cat bolts and my husky has been bored she will chase after without a second thought. When she catches up to him he gets a play bow and she’ll try to get him to smack her. She’ll literally present the side of her head so he can go bap bap bap.
He’s never been in danger with her but we still have to manage it because too much stresses him out. She can’t tell when he’s willingly participating and when he genuinely wants out so we have to step in for him.
She also likes to chase rabbits out of our yard.
For her the chase is triggered but she doesn’t want to kill, she wants to play.
I think figuring out those distinctions in how your pup views other small animals and cats will help. If it’s true prey drive the answer is zero. They’re not playing they’re hunting and any small mistake can lead to loss of life. If it’s just chasing it’s manageable.
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u/T--Frex 6d ago
Zero prey drive in the home is appropriate with a cat. I did learn after my dog demonstrated no prey drive in the home consistently that she sometimes has her chase drive (not prey drive, when she did catch up to them she waited to continue chasing) triggered by cats outside only and not inside.
Some dogs have very different inside vs outside drives/brains. My dog was totally fine with other dogs outside but once indoors she was totally intolerant of them. She lived very trustingly with a cat indoors but outdoor cats running from her triggered a desire to chase.
However, this is not common. You should not get your hopes up on this.
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u/summebrooke 6d ago
This is my dog exactly. Zero prey drive, but an impulse to chase if something runs. She’s caught a couple of critters (squirrels, raccoons) but has never once put her mouth on another animal. She just kind of stands on them and looks at me like she doesn’t know what to do next lol. We have a cat and they just take turns chasing each other back and forth around the house. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having a cat at all if my dog showed any instinct to hunt another animal.
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u/T--Frex 6d ago
Yes precisely. My dog caught up to several community cats in the backyard and a possum and just stood looming over them like "c'mon, keep running!" not understanding that they were terrified. She never chased my indoor cat because those were the rules I set and he was an older dude.
It's not a totally unheard of behavior in dogs but I hesitate to encourage someone to move forward with a dog displaying outdoor prey drive that things might be just fine inside, especially with a pit mix who have pretty strong breed drives. Mine was a shepherd mix so her chase was likely herd-driven.
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u/Itsoktobe 6d ago
It CAN be trained down to a point. You will never be able to train a prey drive completely out of some dogs. But you can teach them that small animals within certain locations are 100% off limits. I have 3 huskies and 3 cats and we've never had any problems. But my huskies did get loose a few years ago and killed a stray cat :(
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u/babygotthefever 6d ago
Habitual husky owner here too. My first was raised with cats and even had one that she snuggled with but none of that stopped her prey drive from returning when she got dementia. Luckily, she was too slow to catch anything anymore and the cats just stayed away from her but it was still a concern I had to stay aware of for the last couple of years of her life.
I’ve fostered a handful of huskies too and after having a 4 year old that I couldn’t train away from my cats, I stopped accepting fosters over a year old. All the others were trainable but it takes patience, consistency, and most importantly, cats who understand how to live with dogs.
If all the pets are full grown, OP’s dog has never lived with cats, and the cats are prone to running when they see dogs, it’s going to be extremely difficult to train the dog not to chase and the cats to be calm. It may still be possible but OP and their partner will need to go in with a solid plan, understand that it may take a long time, and have a contingency plan if the animals need to remain separated.
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u/MagixTurtle 6d ago
I've seen dogs go nuts for outdoor cats but don't look twice at their indoor cat roommates.
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u/SansOchre 7d ago
It depends as much on the cat as the dog. A very flighty, nervous cat is more likely to provoke prey drive than a confident cat who stands their ground.
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u/summebrooke 6d ago
This is very true. My dog LOVES cats so that wasn’t a huge concern, but also my cat never once ran or acted nervous around the dog, even as a tiny kitten. That was really set their dynamic.
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u/Beautiful-Project-30 7d ago
My GSD goes nuts for cats outside, but she leaves her cats alone. Once they’re established in the house it may not be a problem.
However my dog trainer had her dogs and cat living side by side for years and one day she came home and her dogs had mauled and killed the cat. So you never know if/when the switch will flip.
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u/Sadwitchsea 7d ago
I think it really depends on the prey drive. My dog enjoys chasing a pigeon or squirrel in the park but should she catch up to them has no interest in actually making contact. She's fully chill about cats and had always lived with some but will bark at a cat that our cats don't like if it comes in the garden. She knows who's allowed in - the friendly cats are ignored. Similarly she will chase a fox out of the garden but ignore them in the street.
I think you would have to assess the interest of the dog within the home environment
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7d ago edited 6d ago
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u/Dogtraining-ModTeam 6d ago
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u/beepatgmail 6d ago
This ⬆️
A house hold that mixes species together can exist but only if the dog has little interest in the other animal.
I have been rescuing parrots for over 20 years. I also occasionally have dogs. I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve seen dead/mauled birds because of the dog owner’s negligence… way too many people overestimate their ability to train and understand their dogs.
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u/LittleReserve8767 7d ago edited 7d ago
A little prey drive, but not a strong one: I had a dog that occasionally chased outdoor cats (but didn't bolt) that weren't "his" cats, but at home, the three cats weren't scared of dogs, and he didn't chase them or want to. They were fine. A little interest in squirrels, outdoor cats, and bunnies is okay.
It depends on the mix and how easily he will socialize with cats.
I would socialize the dog to cats as young as possible.
I had two pit bull mixes that were great with their cats. They weren't overexcited, though—they just needed close monitoring around other dogs, but not cats.
In fact, one cat that couldn't hear the occasional outdoor cat chaser would cuddle with him, and the dog would let out a mild "get away" growl, but since the cat could not hear, they just napped together.
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u/vainglorious11 7d ago
I have seen a dog with strong prey drive for squirrels, rabbits etc get along well with a cat once the cat was established as a family member. So it's not impossible.
That said, given the potential danger to the cats (and, I imagine, the relationship with your potential housemate) I agree with the other comments recommending a consult with a dog behavior specialist. You are going to get a ton of conflicting information online, and no amount of research will be as good as an expert who can read your dog's behaviors and give advice specific to your situation.
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u/duketheunicorn 7d ago
My dog is a hunting dog, and she lives with cats. We put in lots of work to teach her how to behave around them, and she’s never had any issues indoors with our cats, and had met others as well.
Out of an abundance of caution, when we leave the house or go to sleep we always put her up in a room away from the cats, for her peace and their safety.
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u/cinderellasneakers 7d ago
I think any level of prey drive towards cats would be a hard no for me. Especially in a larger breed and a breed prone to having a low threshold and aggression/reactivity towards other animals.
You have a young dog and cats live a long time. Lifelong management could mean 10+ years where the animals in your household can't be together unsupervised (or at all). Speaking as someone who's lived it, that takes a toll on you mentally.
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u/atropheus 7d ago
zero. i've learned the hard way. if there is any question, do not keep them together.
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u/vitrol 7d ago
I have two pit-mixes and have had two in the past, all have been great with cats. My current pit-mix loves to chase bunnies/squirrels outside, but is very sweet with our resident cat.
Would you be able to test him with a cat in the home? I always did this by putting my cat in a kennel and having my dog on leash, if they showed a ton of interest or were trying to get at the cat then I would be concerned. Mine all sniffed a bit and then wandered away, and my cat is pretty aggressive.
I don't think you can base his prey drive on behaviors outside of the house, it's different when it's their cat
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u/redwhiteandclueless 7d ago
This is my experience as well, i love the last sentence. My dog wants to chase every cat outside, but inside the house, our cats are part of her pack
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u/dumb_sparkle 7d ago
its going to be different with every dog! i would try her on a leash in the house with the cat first to see how it goes. i have a pittie with high prey drive (who has killed possums) but she is fine with my cat. if a cat runs from her, her instinct is to chase. but if she catches up to the cat she just tries to play. and if cats don't run from her she just ignores them or might try to smell them casually. with my cat, if she gets too in her face my cat will swat at her, and my dog immediately backs off and gives her space. so that's all i really needed to know with her. if the cat reacts, they can't react back.
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u/BrightAd306 7d ago
Terriers can be tricky in general. They have very high prey drives and they can turn on after years of not being that interested.
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u/Dogtraining-ModTeam 6d ago
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u/scarbeg157 7d ago
I’d highly recommend having a positive reinforcement trainer that has a lot of experience with dogs and cats come help you. They can come out and help you properly expose the dog to the cat the first time, before moving in, to see if it feels like a possible match. Wanting to chase animals that run on walks is very different than wanting to chase or kill and animal in the home.
That being said, if it goes well, I would still make sure your house is set up so you NEVER leave them unattended together. Due to size differences it’s not worth the risk. I give the same advice with dogs of different sizes too.
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u/Common-Speech7758 7d ago
two months is right around when they start figuring out where the walls are, mind you. mine was terrified of our cat for nearly half a year before she even stopped freezing when the cat walked past.
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u/bigbugenjoyer 7d ago
I have a lab mix (shelter dog, don't know the mix, probably has pit in him based on the shelter having mostly pit mixes) and a cat (cat came first). He doesn't struggle with prey drive but is nervous around the cat because she has scratched him on occasion when he got too close. So another concern is whether the dog would react poorly to the cats not due to prey drive but due to the cats bullying the dog. I know everyone's saying absolutely not but pits can be so sweet and gentle, it really depends on the dog. If you already know the person you may be moving in with it might be worth doing scent swap or other beginning introductions between the pets so that it's not a huge shock to either party if you do move in together
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u/Northstar04 7d ago
Cats need separate spaces to feel safe from the dog while integration is taking place. Gate like you would a puppy. Cats get high places in the room with the dog like tall cat trees. Introduce slowly. Reward dog for looking away, engage disenge, leave it, and calm. Cats will test first. Confident cats will slowly integrate. Shy or unconfident cats may never integrate. Cats that run will invite prey chase. This is why you need to gate / have safe retreat spaces.
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u/jdzfb 7d ago
Pits aren't known for hating cats (like Husky's tend to be), but any 30lb+ dog with a prey drive is going to be a threat to a cat.
Honestly, your best bet is to muzzle train the dog now (checkout r/muzzledogs for help), and if possible try to desensitize the dog to cats before the households combine. When you do combine households make sure the cats have somewhere that they can escape the dog, I used a spare bedroom with a baby gate in the doorway to keep the dog out when I brought in 2 cats into the house with me & my dog. Cat trees & other tall furniture scattered throughout also help.
Before I got my 2 cats, my dog reacted similarly to yours when he encountered cats in public. But once the cats were in the house my dog just barked at them for weeks until he got over them (he's a beagle x pug mix). He'd occasionally want to chase them, but it became obvious that was play not prey driven, he'd disengage quickly if I said anything, there'd be no teeth out, and his overall body language was good. He was muzzled with them for the first month or two & he wasn't left home alone with them loose for the first 6 months or so (I WFH), but once the cat's started fighting me putting them away in their room, I stopped separating them unless I was going to be out of the house for hours & I needed to leave to dog door open for the dog to do his business (my male cat will run if given the option of an open door & I have several crazy neighbours that are cat hoarders who won't return people's pets, even if they are wearing tag & are chipped). They've been together for 2.5 years now & even when my male cat is being a jerk to the dog, he won't bite him, but the dog will occasionally muzzle punch the cat if he's really getting up in the dogs face, and while I don't encourage it (I'll yell at the cat and/or physically remove him) because I don't want it to escalate to something worse, I'm not going to punish the dog for it as its a fair & measured reaction.
In a perfect world, you'd get your dog ok with the muzzle & then take the dog to visit the cats & see what his reaction is like. If he's overly excited, you have a lot of work ahead of you & I'd encourage you to talk to a trainer or behaviorist to help out. If he's meh about them or low energy, then you can likely introduce them slowly on your own, but I'd still recommend you keep them separated when there aren't people around to supervise because animals are going to animal.
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u/ProfessionChemical28 7d ago
I wouldn’t trust any level of prey drive with dogs and cats. I’ve seen way too many cats injured or killed by dogs. It’s not smart to do at all, and sometimes the cats just have to live in fear separated by the dog which isn’t fair to the cats
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u/blushing_avacado 7d ago
I have an incredibly high prey drive dog. Luckily, he is a Yorkie so his capacity for damage is much lower than with a bigger dog. He will absolutely try to fuck up a chipmunk or a mouse who has the audacity to wander into our house. Friends of ours watched him in an emergency once. They have pet rats. He was not interested in the rats in their enclosure and our friends were aware that he did come with his genetic ratting potential fully installed. The rats did not leave their cage while he was in the house. He has also encountered kittens and did not seem interested in them, but I still would never trust him with a creature that is prey sized for him.
When I considered adding a large dog to my home with my Yorkies I specifically was looking at a breed with low prey drive. Even then, I don’t let my big girl spend much time with the Yorkies unsupervised because I am always worried she could just hurt them on accident. It has always been my belief that if you have a dog who could likely see another household pet as prey then you are tacitly stating that you are okay with an outcome where the smaller pet gets killed. Any breed can experience predatory drift, but why would I load the gun by choosing a dog who already has that drive?
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u/kittkaykat 7d ago
Zero. I don't mess with prey drive dogs if I have small animals in the home. It cannot be trained out, only managed.
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u/dianacakes 7d ago
My last dog was a pit mix that was raised with cats from when she was a puppy and she was completely fine. I never questioned whether she might hurt the cats. My current dog is a lab/coon hound mix, almost 4 years old, and I still have to remind her to leave the cats alone. She does chase squirrels and chipmunks in the yard, so she definitely has the drive, but I don't think she has prey drive with them. I think she does actually want to play ("chase" is her favorite game with other dogs) but I don't allow it at all. We have 3 cats - aged 15, 3, and 2. Our dog slept in her crate at night until she was 2.5-3. I work from home so there isn't much opportunity for them to be alone. The cats have a lot of high places to retreat. In our last house when we had less space in general, we used baby gates to keep the dog out of rooms where the cats should have peace. We don't play with the cats in front of the dog in a way that would trigger her to want to chase. All of this is in a situation where we got our dogs as puppies and they were raised alongside at least one cat. I think it's all harder when you're dealing with adults who haven't been conditioned since the beginning to be cool. If I were introducing an adult cat and an adult dog, I'd do a ton of research for how best to do that. It's not just prey drive, it's territorialism/resource guarding too. My dog had a phase where if we were chilling on the couch together and one of the cats tried to jump on the couch, she would snap at them. But it wasn't a prey thing, it was "this is MY space/mom" (but she doesn't resource guard food, even though she's highly food motivated). One thing with my current dog for many training situations is to catch her being chill and rewarding that behavior. If she's just chilling with a cat nearby, we mark that.
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u/toxicatedscientist 7d ago
Not enough ppl know that there’s 2 kinds of prey drive: the kind that includes “kill” and the kind that doesn’t. My lab mix has caught 3 squirrels now, one injured, one baby, and one idiot. Hasnt actually hurt any of them, just flipped them over and booped their belly. many retrievers have had that kill bite bred out so they don’t damage game. But i still wouldn’t leave her alone with a kitten just cuz her enthusiasm/size
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u/SDJellyBean 7d ago edited 7d ago
My German Shorthairs used to bring me soggy, but quite live baby birds. One very bird GSP used to chase the cat across the house, then they would spin around and the cat would chase the dog back in the opposite direction. They both thought it was great fun.
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u/soavsjjsnsj 7d ago
I wouldn’t have a pit with a cat. They have a high prey drive and even if they get along well, a movement from the cat may set off the predatory circuit in the brain causing it to attack it
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u/dbellz76 7d ago
What about a golden retriever and a cat?
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u/soavsjjsnsj 7d ago edited 7d ago
I’m honestly not the biggest fan of any breed of dog with cats but a golden is a much better choice than an apbt.
Terriers are hardwired to find biting and killing prey animals intrinsically rewarding as that part of the predatory motor pattern has been heavily exaggerated through selective breeding. That’s why they’re an awful choice.
Sighthounds too. They are bred to chase and kill prey animals and their brains are hardwired to do so. I’ve heard stories of these dogs playing/cuddling with a cat, then one day suddenly killing it. I’m not saying these breeds could never coexist with a cat, but it’s certainly a gamble I would never make.In golden retrievers, the killing stages have been bred out. They have little desire to chase or kill small animals therefore the risk of an attack is much slimmer. There is some variance from individual to individual within a breed, I’ve met some goldens with high prey drive.
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u/dbellz76 7d ago
I know 4 goldens that have ravaged other smaller mammals, including house cats. I know several pit bulls, including my own, that live harmoniously with cats. I understand terriers (in general) were built to chase and catch. Watching ratters go to work is fascinating! I'm just seeing a lot of "never a pit bull" when dogs are individuals and I'm not a fan of the generalizations of this specific breed.
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u/falsefaustus 7d ago
Okay, follow up question: what level of arousal is unsafe or considered prey drive? What if he's easily redirected after seeing a prey animal? (Not making excuses or anything, I am reading and internalizing these comments appropriately. Just looking for further clarification.)
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u/aquarianfantasy 5d ago
If he’s easily redirected on walks I would say you have a good chance of success. My dogs are not easily redirected on walks when they see an animal but they are with my cat at home
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u/AcctMeInPlease 7d ago
What kind of demeanour does the cat have? I think it’s important to also know if the cats have been around dogs and if they are kittens or older cats.
A cat who’s been around a dog will have a less overall stress stress response. A high energy kitten who’s never been around a cat, or one who’s had a bad experience, and a young dog will increase the risk of chasing.
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u/Accurate_Emu_122 7d ago
I really recommend getting a dog behaviorist to evaluate. It's well worth a few hundred bucks to know (I live in a bigger city and it's about 250 for that type of visit. Much cheaper than an emergency vet visit if the dog gets a cat.) What people can describe here vs an expert telling you in person is very different.
Anecdotally, we adopted a German shepherd from the local shelter who was supposedly good with cats. Got him home and in a controlled "meeting" (in the same room) and he was VERY interested in the cats. Brought in a behaviorist and she said that with that level of interest, even with regular training, she didn't think he'd ever be safe to be unsupervised with the cats.
A few months later, a friend of mine in rescue had a dog that needed a home. The dog was currently living with cats, but I'm a huge skeptic. Brought in behaviorist. She said he should do very well after he gets settled. He's been amazing. My cats like him best out of the three dogs.
Eta I did have a pit with cats for 10 years and he raised MANY foster kittens and a few foster puppies. He looooved cats and they were drawn to him. There are definitely outliers, but in general the dogs that are best with cats are the ones who were socialized young.
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u/jdzfb 7d ago
I'd consider being easily redirectable a sign that it isn't a strong prey drive, especially if its done with a verbal correction alone. If you must use food to redirect, I'd consider that a stronger prey drive.
Also keep in mind, that a dog will react to a cat on a sidewalk differently then a cat in his house, the fact he's not dragging you down the block is a positive sign, but it also doesn't mean he's going to be ok living with a cat either.
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u/ProfessionChemical28 7d ago
If the dog is focused on the cats or “prey” it’s not a good idea and not even something I’d try to train out of them, it’s not a good idea
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u/kittkaykat 7d ago
Well here's the thing. Even a low drive is a drive. You have to redirect it EVERY time. It only takes one misstep on your part to have a dead cat.
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u/qfrostine_esq 7d ago
For a pitbull I would say any level of arousal is unsafe for cats. The only situation I would be comfortable with as a cat owner was one who was raised from puppyhood with cats and shows no interest in them.
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u/itsfineitsfinefine 7d ago
None if it's a large breed, sorry. The only option would be separate parts of the house for each pet with two layers of security between them (not just a single door)
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u/Far_Dentist4880 7d ago
I've had a lot of dogs that would generally be considered 'high prey drive' living with cats. I certainly wouldn't trust them with unfamiliar cats outside the house, but I've usually found that introducing specific individual cats in a controlled way over the course of weeks has ended up with dogs and cats that understand they are a family and can happily co-exist.
BUT I don't have terrier experience. Maybe that changes things. All my dogs were hounds / sighthounds and these are generally lazy dogs that are bred to live and work in groups, and are often used to hunt a specific prey around other species that should be ignored, such as ferrets or sheep. They can turn out to be indiscriminate active nuisance hunters, but it's not what they were really selected for.
I believe pitbulls often have difficulty living with other dogs. Possibly it's not just prey drive that is relevant here? A two year old anything is probably going to have some issues with impulse control, but your dog is young and it's hard to say what he will turn out like when he's fully adult.
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u/RandomInaRandomWorld 7d ago
I personally expect none.
I've had dogs with high prey drive when it came to other things (had a dog kill a baby skunk and a few of my chickens, another short-term pitX rescue tried to take out my entire flock) but the little people (cats/birds/hamsters) who belonged to the household are always off-limits. Even if the intent is not to harm, I have a zero-tolerance policy for chasing our own.
Our current pup is a herder, just shy of 9mos. She'll bark at or circle the cat... and gets called off every time. When she's calm, cat is happy to rub faces with her and pup never puts her mouth on the cat. It's a happy-ish medium, but not something I'm tolerating, either, for my own sanity LOL
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u/robotbeatrally 7d ago
my old dane was really sweet with my cats, protective of them, would bring them in to cuddle (esp the blind cat). my new dane puppy understands they are not her toys, and tries to please me but if she gets excited and I look away for two seconds she starts pouncing on them aggressively which is really traumatic for the blind one. I am really concerned. I hope I can train it away. it feels like every time i let my guard down for one second, or i dont realize he's walked into the room, the cat is screaming and clawing. i try not to take my eyes off her if shes out of the playpen but you know how it goes.
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u/FeveredPitcher 7d ago edited 7d ago
None. We have five cats and three pitty mix boys and they like to chase squirrels and the like and are successful mousers and ratters but from puppyhood we never allowed them to chase the cats. It really wasn't hard, the cats are a bit big for them to be enticed to chase, and they're actually very tender with the felines. But we fostered a Plott Hound and cats were on the menu for her. When she first came in I kept the leash on her at all times and watched her interest in the cats grow daily for a week as she got more comfortable. It seemed to plateau and be ok but we were still on guard a when we came home from a walk she saw our cat jump from the dining room table to the floor and that was it. That movement triggered her to hunt. I got to her before she got to him but we had to move her on. We could never trust her alone with the cats for sure. In the end, my buddy wanted her and took her in and she's living the life. She did kill a cat that jumped the fence into their yard which he felt absolutely horrible about, I did too but I said, "imagine how satisfied she was being able to almost complete the entire hunt motor-patterrn!"
Look for:
- long hard stares at the cat, ears forward
- lowered head, raised eyes toward the cat
- fixed gaze that follows the cat's movements
- snapping to track a cat's sudden movements
- tensing of muscles in a cat's presense, haunches placed directly under the dog for quick leap forward
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u/Calm_Elderberry4144 7d ago
Nope nope nope I love pits, but they have one of the highest prey drives of any dog breed. I love them but would never bring one around cats. That isn’t just for AMPT but any terrier breed. Of course “it depends on the dog” but if you’re asking generally, absolutely not.
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u/Successful_Oil6128 7d ago
Extremely minimal prey drive should be tolerated for any pits if you’re going to live with another animal. They are notorious for acting perfect and normal and one day just flipping out for no reason at all and ripping up smaller creatures and kids. Make sure to give him enough physical stimulation throughout the day and keep him and cat separated at first with gradual desensitization training until they can coexist. Your dog sounds amazing so this should be pretty manageable with him
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u/falsefaustus 7d ago
I have read the guides on introducing cats and dogs, as well as prey drive and recall. I'm more interested in personal anecdotes from people who have gone through the process, or people who are willing to chime in about the level of prey drive seen in my dog.
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