My dog has killed 3 cats

[kimC1]

We have a Staffordshire Bull Terrior/Red Nose Pitbull mix, he was three years old last January. This dog has killed 3 cats. I am at a loss as to why.. He was raised around cats. The last cat he killed, he would not even approach if we near. Due to the fact he had previously killed 2 cats, we were very carefull when ever the cat and dog were near to each other. I always commanded him to be nice and to stay away from the cat. In fact we have two Jack Russell's and he is submissive towards the male. We are responsible pet owners and have never had a dog behave this way. Anyways, I was wondering if we were to have him neutered would this change his behavior?? Thank you!! Kim

[BMDLuver]

I'm sorry, this may sound harsh but why the heck would you have a cat after he killed the first one.. do not, I repeat do not, get another cat. This dog will always kill cats and he may decide eventually to do the Jack Russell in as well. I would suggest when you are not home to not leave them together unattended. This dog is not safe to be around other animals so please don't take the chance. He may be very sweet and lovely but the next animal he kills may not be yours and then that will be his demise as most pet owners would insist a dog that has a history of killing cats to be put down. Please don't put him in that position.

[erykah1310]

I agree with BMD. DO not even think of allowing him near another cat.

Also , yes , get him neutered! It probly wont help with his "history" but it will help him with many other things later in life.

[coppperbelle]

Were these your pet cats?
Neutering will not change this behavior but I would recommend it anyways. Please keep your Jack Russels separate from this dog when you are not around and even when you are you will have to be very vigilant.

[LM1313]

He's killing them because it's an enjoyable activity for him. Dogs are amoral, so he doesn't think of it as being wrong. He thinks, "Man, this is way better than a squeaky toy . . . it tries to run away and fight back and it's exciting as heck!" I strongly recommend that you never leave this dog unsupervised around the Jack Russell terriers and, needless to say, never around a cat either.

BTW, are you certain it was the pittie who killed the cats and not one or both of the Jack Russells? Terriers can also be aggressive towards other animals . . . They were bred to hunt "vermin" like rats, etc. Don't let their size fool you, a terrier CAN kill a cat. Unless you're 100% sure, I wouldn't leave the Jack Russells around cats unattended either.

[chico2]

I agree LM1313,I knew of a lady who had 2 cats and a JRT,everybody seemed to live together in harmony.
Then one day the lady came home from work and found a bloodbath,her JRT had killed both cats...

[Prin]

Poor woman! My dad's jack gets along with cats great- better than dogs- but he's meant to live alone. They have crazy high prey drives.

[bmerc]

Unfortunately Pit Bulls were bred to fight to the death, a dispicable fact which says a lot about humans. It is in their genes, an instinct.The best fighters with the strongest instincts were the ones often bred. Many Pits cannot resist the instinct...not all...but some. That's why I'm in agreement with muzzling in public, and responsible Pit Bull ownership...not breed-bans. I've heard way too many stories of Pits attacking smaller animals on the street, to the horror of the victims owners, and the courts do judge the attacker a threat to the community and they are euthanized. They can turn quickly on other animals, even if they were previously fine, I agree that the Jack Russell should be separated when unsupervised. I would much rather err on the side of caution then regret being too trusting. And now that there is a pattern of behaviour involving cats.....never let your dog get near another. As Dr. Phil says the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour.

[Prin]

But pitties were bred to fight dogs their own size to the death. Not cats. (Nor humans)

[kimC1]

The first cat Zeus killed was a long time pet. This cat was an outside cat and he was raised with this cat. Then we had a couple of stray young cats decide to stay with us. We knew there was a possibility that he may kill again so we really tried hard to keep him away from the cats. We have a fenced in yard. This last cat "Phyllis" that was a stray has been with us for about 3 years. We had her spayed and she was our pet. I think she actually knew to stay away from Zeus. She did not like Zeus. She would only let Zeus near her when my husband and I were outside. My heart is broken over this... I have always had cats and never had an animal that killed another animal. I am not a bad person. There is no way that I would get another cat as long as we have Zeus... We have thought about putting the dog down. But being the responsible pet owner, we believe that this is our problem and putting the dog down is wrong and there is no way that I would give him to someone else. Our house has been broken into 4 times. When Zeus killed the first cat, we took him back to the breeder. We were broke into again 2 weeks after we got rid of them. My husband called the breeder back and got the dog back. Thanks for your advice... that's why I posted.

[jesse's mommy]

Originally Posted by bmerc

Unfortunately Pit Bulls were bred to fight to the death, a dispicable fact which says a lot about humans. It is in their genes, an instinct.The best fighters with the strongest instincts were the ones often bred. Many Pits cannot resist the instinct...not all...but some. That's why I'm in agreement with muzzling in public, and responsible Pit Bull ownership...not breed-bans. I've heard way too many stories of Pits attacking smaller animals on the street, to the horror of the victims owners, and the courts do judge the attacker a threat to the community and they are euthanized. They can turn quickly on other animals, even if they were previously fine, I agree that the Jack Russell should be separated when unsupervised. I would much rather err on the side of caution then regret being too trusting. And now that there is a pattern of behaviour involving cats.....never let your dog get near another. As Dr. Phil says the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour.

Not another one....:sad:

[chico2]

KimC1,nobody says you are a bad person.I really have no answers for you,but I know would any dog kill my 3 cats,whom I love very much,I doubt I would be able to keep him.
In your case,your dog will kill more cats,since you say there are strays hanging around.
I don't think the fact he is a Pitbull has much to do with it,other breeds with high preydrive have been known to kill smaller animals:sad:

[Dukieboy]

Your dogs only purpose is for protection?

[technodoll]

so if you have a cat that lives well with your pet bunny or hamster or bird, say, and then one day kills that little guy... would you get rid of the cat?

[chico2]

TD,no I don't think so,but I would make sure this did not happen again.
However this situation is IMO more violent and certainly bloodier,because of the size of a dog and cats.
I don't like to see any animal suffer this fate and had this been a little dog he killed and not 3 cats,the owner would have been in trouble.

[technodoll]

it just seems all a bit hypocritical to me.... a life is a life, yet we attribute "value" according to size and what we as a society deem a life is worth? a cat killing a mouse is ok. a cat killing a bigger pet, say a rabbit, is not ok but still not terrible. a dog killing a bunny is bad, but not as terrible as killing a cat, but the worst would be killing another dog, because we value dogs first, then cats, then the smaller the creatures the less they are worth?

i'm just being the devil's advocate here... any loss of life is sad, but it seems to me that the severity of the judgement posted on the "attacker" varies depending on the esteem we place on the "victim".

it's an interesting look at our society, IMO

[chico2]

TD,I have saved a few mice from my cats,since I am out with them I can make sure they don't catch birds or kill mice.
I too value any life and respect their rights to live,no matter how big or small.
However,I love my cats just as much as you love your beautiful dogs and I would not be able to keep a dog that would be a threat to their lives,it's up to me to make sure any animal I have is living in a safe environment.

[Prin]

I see what chico is saying, maybe. A cat and a dog are free to roam. Pet mice, birds, rats, etc, are not, which makes them much easier to separate from the cat/dog, so it's easier for them to live under the same roof in safety. A cat and a dog together when the dog has previously killed cats is a much greater risk and somebody has to be removed from the home. And for her house, she is so devoted to her kitties, that the dog (i.e. the newcomer) would go. Is that what you're saying?

[technodoll]

um, no... what i was saying (without stumbling on my words, LOL) is that the death of a dog by another dog, gets much more attention than the death of a cat by a dog, and the death of another critter by a cat is a "fact of life" - talking generally, broadly here - because cats are accepted hunters, but our dogs are not supposed to be (we domesticated them, right?...) does that make sense?

all this speaking from a media point of view (what we see in papers, read on the internet, etc)

[happycats]

TD I think with Chico's situation, she had her cats first, and loves them very much, so if she got a dog and it killed her cats, rehoming the dog would make more sense no? (she is already attached to her cats)

I know if I now got a dog and it killed any of my cats I would have no choice but to rehome the dog.....but then again I would never ever get a dog that killed cats, (and no I'm not talking about Pits, many breeds can and will kill cats) I would research research research, before I bring a dog into my home.

I think the only answer for you KimC, is to try not to attract stray cats, and don;t ever own one. I don't think your dog will change, and no I don't blame your dog, this is just something he does, instinct.

[Prin]

Originally Posted by technodoll

um, no... what i was saying

No I mean, what chico was saying.

[Prin]

I'm still not convinced it wasn't the Jacks though.

[phoenix]

TD, I think Chico is saying that for HER, she could not keep a dog that killed one of her beloved cats. I brought home a dog once from the humane society and the dog killed my sister's kitten. I had to bring it back because I knew that a) my sister would forever hate the dog and never forgive it! and b) I also knew that part of living at my house at the time was living in harmony with lots of cats and horses and other dogs. I don't think it's a judgement on the value of a life... if I had birds and I adopted a bird-killing cat, I'd probably have to rehome it because it didn't suit my lifestyle... see what i'm saying? The OP's loyalty are to her dog, and so she's keeping it and trying to change their lives around it (ie- no cats!).

[technodoll]

oops sorry guys, i was not aiming my comments at anyone on this forum just sharing some random observations, about how the media (and just plain folks...) react when a pet kills or hurts another pet... dog kills dog = media fodder, but dog kills cat = no media attention at all... aren't cats as valuable as dogs?

[happycats]

Originally Posted by technodoll

oops sorry guys, i was not aiming my comments at anyone on this forum just sharing some random observations, about how the media (and just plain folks...) react when a pet kills or hurts another pet... dog kills dog = media fodder, but dog kills cat = no media attention at all... aren't cats as valuable as dogs?

Unfortunately to many "it's just a cat" :sad: they say it like it's vermin or something.

[chico2]

I did at one time have a dog and cats together,Mishka was a GermanSheperd/Collie mix,the thought never entered my mind that she could kill the cats,she loved those cats.
I always thought a dog would know the difference between animals he lives with and wild animals,but then again,I don't know very much about aggressive,preydriven dogs.
Happycats and Phoenix,you are right,although I would love to have a dog,a big lumbering sweet dog,were I to get one and he killed either Chico,Rocky or Vinnie,he would be gone.
Little Bailey(Cocker)whom I walk every day,loves to chase squirrels and anything that moves,but the one time she could have caught a squirrel,she just stood there,as if thinking"Now what do I do"??
I of course shooed the little guy away.

[LM1313]

When I was researching dog breeds, I specifically steered away from anything with prey drive or "chase and grab" instincts . . . Even though there are plenty dogs from those breeds who live peacefully with cats, the additional risk from those instincts, small though it might be, is just not worth it for me. My kitty boys mean the world to me and I would be crushed if an animal I brought into my home killed them. Not that I'm trying to blame the OP or anyone else . . . I'm just making conversation.

I, too, would have a hard time keeping a dog in the house if it killed one of my kitties. But techno has valid points too . . . I think most people would keep a cat even if it ate a pet rat. Society does seem to have a "sliding scale" regarding the value of the lives of our pets!

[kimC1]

There is no way that I would "rehome" this dog. He will be 6yrs old in January and has not been raised around small children. He has never shown aggression towards children, adults and the neighbor's dogs but I could never forgive myself he he hurt someone. I would be afraid if we gave the dog away, he would end up being used for wild hog hunting or even dog fighting. We live in the county and in the past have had stray cats show up. I know if any stray cat shows up, I will take it to the humane society. Hopefully they would take it. Its is so hard to get the humane society to take cats or kittens in my area. There will be no more cats as long as we have him. So, I appreciate all of your comments.

[technodoll]

he is a beautiful boy... and i, too, could never give my dogs up no matter what. they are with me for life, for better or for worse

[chico2]

KimC1,he is a very good looking dog and I can understand your sentiment,you love him.
Rehoming him would probably be his downfall.
There is not much you can do,if stray cats wander in to your/his yard.
There is always a danger for stray/outdoor cats to be killed by a wild animal or loose dog.
That's why my cats are never out on their own.