Huskies and cats?

[AC75]

Hello,

I'm considering a Siberian Husky in the new year, but I have a cat. Is this a problem? I've read conflicting opinions on the subject. Anyone have experience introducing a Husky into a home with a cat? Can they get along?

Thanks,

[lauraxxx29]

It will prob be the cat that has a problem is she/he used to having a dog in the house. My cat has always had a dog around she is 14yrs old. When I took Akia on she was not used to cats at all she would chase and peseta her but my cat soon told her who was boss. But if your cat does not like dogs it could cause a problem not just with Husky's any breed dog. I never leave my cat in the same room if I am not there nether my dogs would do anything but there is always that 1% they might. Willow will sleep with our cat Akia gives her a wide birth. I can have both girls either side of me with the cat on my lap. They can learn to live together in most cases.

[Lisa (Fragglebabe)]

Hi &

,

Mine personally would rather chase cats than live with them

There are lots of members who do have cats who would be able to give the advice you need

[Kissu & Aara]

Kissuna was raised with cats with his breeder. When I told her I have two cats she started socializing him with her cat more. He's now a year old and picks on them a fair amount. And he's never left alone with them.

Here's a pic of him and my cat Sohma.

[Laine]

Cats and huskies CAN get along, but it's generally advised that you don't TRUST your husky around your cat. Small furry things = prey to many of them. That said I've known some huskies to have cats step all over them and they've done nothing about it, or licked them and that's it. In the end, it depends on the dog and the cat really.

I know my cats probably will not like the new additions in a couple of weeks, but my pup at least will be taught to accept cats if he can't get along with them. My female will be watched very carefully for a while and never left alone with them.

[Paranormal Wolf]

I think a lot depends on the individual dog but be aware that huskies do have high prey drives and may see the cat as a meal. Also I have heard stories of people having huskies and cats live together for years and then one day they end up with a dead cat. I'm not saying this is always the case and not saying don't get a husky but just don't let your guard down and get too comfortable trusting the dog around the cat. I have 4 outside cats and got out husky when he was approx 6 months old. Kuma my husky is usually fine with the cats and will sniff them and be calm until a cat runs. Then you can see his excitement level rise. After that he is not allowed to interact with the cats. He is always leashed outside so he is always supervised when around the cats. I will never 100% trust him not to hurt one.

Again not trying to scare you away but just be careful and never totally trust them together. It would be best to get a puppy and raise it together with the cat. Even then I would never 100% trust a husky but that's just my opinion.

[sutsibe]

Many of my dogs have been completely trustworthy with my cats - other animals outside (rabbits, possum, squirrels, birds...) are fair game, but cats have been part of the pack, and they've respected that. Once I got to a point where I had too many dogs for all to be inside, especially since one pup showed a desire to eat cats from a very early (weeks old!) stage, the majority of them weren't properly socialized with the cats living inside, as my 2 oldest cats wanted nothing to do with noisy, rude puppies! Tux was in the house as a puppy and very young dog, but spent lots of time out in the kennel while young for marking in the house - while he initially showed some signs of being aggressive toward the cats, he's evidently decided he'd rather tolerate them than be in the kennel. The cats come into the small yard off the house (can't keep them out!), and insist on approaching him - he'll tell them off for being too familiar, but that's it! He's smart enough to know that he'll be in deep trouble if he harms one... Not all will be willing to give up the pleasure of the moment for the long-term gain, however!

[AC75]

Interesting replies. I would rather have all the facts now and know what to expect than have a big problem after getting the dog.

My cat was always used to dogs, but it's been a couple years since the last one. About a year back, I was taking care of a friend's dog, he was about 50 pounds at 5 months old. The cat was ok at first but after a face to face run in - the dog wanted to play - the cat started to hide and stopped eating until the dog had gone again. I was thinking that if I bring another dog into the house it would have to be as a very young puppy so the cat can show him/her who's the boss while the dog is still small. I'm also considering a German Shepherd, but I want to do right by the cat so he's not too put out by the whole thing. If Huskies aren't to be trusted with cats as a rule, it's worth knowing from the start.

Please add any advice or personal stories.

[yukongirl]

Ok, my two cents for what it's worth. I'm on my third husky Yukon and yes each is different. Mine have always had a cat in the house no problems. For Juneau's and Kodiak's life they lived with a cat named Nu. (a lab and an American Eskimo) all in one house. We got hit by Katrina, lost most of our trailer and then Katrina layed claim on my pets, the lab first, than the American Eskino (Tasha) finally my 18yrs cat NU and that left Kodiak alone with no friends. I took a throw away kitten named her Sage, that was in a cardboard box on my vets doorway, finally a friend for Kodiak. Kodiak passed away now the cat was alone, (another victim of Katrina, she is part feral). The cat I never saw, she was that feral. The house was just so empty we have always had a dog and it took me 8mos to find an add in the paper for a husky breeder in my state. Yukon was 2mos old when I got her, I told her when we got in the house, Sage was here before you. Haha She chased that cat from morning till night, I would have to crate Yukon just to get the cat out so she could eat and use the litterbox. Again I had a missing cat hiding, but Yukon is now 2yrs old and they have this odd friendship (Sage if full grown and is about 2lbs) she will meow, and meow for Yukon to pin her to the floor so Yukon can put the cats neck in her mouth, all I see now is a happy cat with a wet neck. I say that they came to an understanding when Yukon stopped that puppy stage.

[Removed #5]

Since you're looking for experiences ... a lady friend of mine had a cat and kittens. Misty, my Husky and the cat NEVER got to first base - cat saw Misty and ran which was an invitation for Misty to chase. On the other hand the kittens could literally play with her tail, walk between her feet and she never bothered them. Would I trust her loose and unsupervised around someones cat - no way in hades!

[Arooroomom]

Starting from a puppy it's usually OK.

All of my dogs are fine with cats. The cats aren't kept with the dogs when we're not home however, just to be safe. It is made clear from day 1 that there is to be no mouthing of the cat or chasing.

[RedJasper]

Rusty will chase his two kitties and bark at him when they swat his face (they are both declawed). He loves his kitties as they are part of his pack and when he is away from them to long he will pout. Once we get home he runs into the house and has to find both of them. They usually meet us at the door unless they don't hear us pull up. They are stil after a year and a half completely comfotable with him. They let him know they are in charge. He has stepped on ones tail once when pouncing. He drops and sulks for a while until they approach them again. All 3 will lay about in the livingroom together in close prox. It has taken over a year for them to feel that comfortable with him. Due to his nature (personality) I do trust him with them. I am possitive that he would not purposly hurt either one. I am aware that accidents do occur though.

Now my first husky Sasha would have killed both of them. He had a very high prey drive. When he was a small pup 8 weeks he cought my female in his jaws and began to "gator roll" her. Of course we got her away from him right away, but he was NEVER trusted with the cats after that.

It certainly depends on the animals. We thought Sasha was trainable to not hurt them. After his training was complete he still saw food. All comands went out the window. He had been exposed to the cats from 8 weeks. Rusty on the other hand came to us at a year and a half and had never been around a cat in his life. Starting with a puppy does not mean that they will be able to control their prey drive if it is high. It is certainly a chance wether or not any dog will hurt a cat or any other small household animal.

I wish you the best of luck.

Oh BTW:welcome:

[lynnmw1208]

I had 3 cats when we got Pongo as a puppy. NONE of them really got used to him. One of them has since passed due to old age, but the other 2 just tolerate him. Pongo is constantly chasing after them like a game. Sometimes he can get too rough so he has to be watched. Him pouncing on a cat is his way of playing but they are much smaller than him! I don't leave them alone together. Just make sure the cats have a retreat away from the dog. mine have the basement to run to if they've had enough.

[yukongirl]

I can't sleep so on the board and I forgot that when I took my printer out of the box, I put the box on the table to throw away. That plan was soon changed when one day I kept calling for Sage (like a cat comes when called, they take a message and get back to you) she was in the printer box hiding from Yukon. To this day I have to live with a printer box on my kitchen table, she likes the box. Sage has her own crate where her food is put and at first I would crate her at night and Yukon got crated at night as a puppy. Yukon still gets crated if we leave the house, but we watch the time like we have a newborn at home, she needs to be walked and to be honest I miss her. Like everyone is saying it is the dog and the cat and something for you to decide, Wishing you good luck.

[AC75]

Thanks everyone for posting. It's helped a lot. Will post back if and when I get a SH.

Cheers

[Morpheus]

Yes, most defentely they can live together!! The most important thing is to introduce them when the puppy is young, and teach the puppy that chasing is not allowed, I used a spray bottle with water whenever they started chasing. Also giving the cat a space that he/she can go to where the dog cannot. Cats will let them know who is boss. Trust me from experience, we have our 2 huskies and 6 cats, one of which is just a kitten, who has to be locked up to a part of the house till his is a little bigger but they have all met and get along. As long as there is supervision all should go well. Before you know it they will be playing together.

Good Luck!

[samantha-jayne]

I think it depends on the can and the dog, my Kaylo loves any animal but when we introduced oreo to him oreo took a disliking and attacked Kaylo then obv Kaylo got a bit upset ans chased her now he hates cats, every experiance he has had with them has been bad but we are still trying with slow improvement they can be in the same room together now, sometimes with a little cuddle

[hypers987]

Kale grew up with our two cats Dusty (4 yrs, grey) and Tabitha (12yrs, orange) and he has never shown ANY aggression towards them. They are apart of his "pack" and I trust him completely alone with them. He does chase stray cats out of the yard however, so when introducing a new kitten I will be extremely cautious.

Dusty is less than pleased with Kale taking over his "spot"

Tabitha stole Kale's bed... I don't think he minded haha

[Lucas]

My puppy and cat don't get on at the moment, mainly because he wants to play and she's grumpy!! lol

They have their own space and the relationship seems to be calming down.

She follows me when I take him for a walk!! She doesn't avoid him and always meows when she's in the same room as him, so he knows she's there!!!

We'll see how it goes xx

[Ravenwolf]

It's much easier with puppies, but older dogs can still learn that we don't eat kitty. A predatory response can be corrected, but it takes a lot of time, dedication, patience and is not without risk. I think Wyatt was pretty well a worst case scenario, and if he can come around I think any dog can!

I first got Wyatt as a 6 year-old, and he was convinced that cat = meal to go. He would stalk the cat and was in complete silent hunter mode anytime the cat was anywhere in sight. We tried many different methods of introducing them, and all failed. He saw the cat as prey and nothing more. No joke. The cat once slipped outside unnoticed and Wyatt actually caught him - fortunately by the hind leg! I had to put the boots to him to get him to release the cat, because he was shaking him like a rabbit, determined to kill him.

What finally worked was that I didn't allow Wyatt to so much as look at the cat. He was so locked onto the cat that if I physically grabbed him and turned him away his head would stay in place and full on Exorcist to keep his eyes on the cat. But I got after him any time I caught him looking at the cat and did whatever it took to break his gaze - standing in the way, physically turning him away, leading him to another room. Eventually just a vocal reprimand would snap him away, but he couldn't be trusted outside my line of sight.

It took almost a full year (and a few near misses!) of consistent work before Wyatt could finally be trusted with the cat. I knew we finally had success when one day I heard Wyatt give a high-pitched bark of protest. He rushed toward his food bowl where the cat was stealing a snack. I wasn't able to get to him in time but the cat didn't move away in fear. To my surprise, Wyatt turned his head away from the cat and very carefully shouldered him out of the way and off his food. Now, 2 years later, I have no concern about Wyatt suddenly reverting and going after the cat, but then my dogs are also always outside when no one is home.

When Scout came as an 18-month old, he more wanted to play with the cat. He learned quickly how to behave with him and there has never been an issue.

I think the most important rule will be to make sure the cat has a "safe" place to go where the dog is not allowed. A room at least (in my case I used an entire floor of the house as off-limits to the dogs) where the cat can escape to that the dog is forbidden to go in.

For introductions, I think the first time should be very cautious - with one or the other in a crate, through a fence or baby gate to protect the cat from a prey response and attack. You should be able to tell through the dog's body language how they're going to react; tensing up, closing the mouth, total silence, gaze fixed on the cat, tail still, etc means predatory instinct is in full operation and attack is imminent. If they seem okay, let them be together under close supervision, but do not take the cat and force it to be near the dog. If the cat is fearful to start out this will make it worse, and the dog - who might have been fine to begin with - might switch to thinking its prey when the cat behaves as such. The cat, when left to its own devices, will come check out the dog and assess for itself the threat level - your job is just to keep an eye on the dog and make sure it behaves appropriately. Invitations to play are fine so long as they stay polite (no striking or biting if the cat doesn't want to engage in play).

[Charley]

Hello,

I'm considering a Siberian Husky in the new year, but I have a cat. Is this a problem? I've read conflicting opinions on the subject. Anyone have experience introducing a Husky into a home with a cat? Can they get along?

Thanks,

We got Millie (Husky) at 18months old and brought her into a home with 2 cats, at first she would try to chase them but now doesn't bother (unless she's in a really hyper mood lol). However, she is never left alone with them, they are kept in seperate rooms while there are no people in the house and also when we're sleeping, just incase. She does still try to chase other cats in the garden/on walks ect.

We got Little Nel (Collie) at 3 months and introduced her to my cat (16 years old), the cat was very wary of her and still doesn't go too close. Little Nel tried to get him to play for the first few months but when she realised he just couldn't play she gave up They are left in the same room together (kitchen with a dog door to get outside) when we're out and as far as I know there haven't been any problems. Again though, she will chase other cats

[CircaRigel]

I've not had a husky until now, when my boyfriend and I adopted Nanuq from the local shelter a month ago. I don't think I'll ever trust Nanuq alone with cats, but I think I can teach him to leave them alone... I hope I can, anyway. We're starting to make progress, although he had a rather rough start- one of the cat's fault of all things, rather than Nanuq's.

Only one of our 5 cats has ever lived with dogs, and Pilgrim was Rigel's best friend. Rigel was probably a Malamute mix. My previous dog to him, Kaiymun, was full malamute. Both were also shelter dogs. KAiymun was 8 mos. old when I adopted him. Rigel was about 5 years old. Nanuq is now 15 months old- surrendered to the shelter for being "destructive" (just misunderstood, IMO. All pups and adolescent dogs will be destructive, particularly w/o proper training). Rigel was very protective of Rhumbah, one of my old cats, who passed on at the end of September, when I was hospitalized for severe trauma (my bicycle and I had gone over a 30 ft. cliff, landing on granite boulders). Rhumbah loved Rigel, but if she didn't like a dog, she'd let them know. She had a pitbull cowering once, and often had my brother's Australian Cattle Dog cowering. Pilgrim would join her in these attacks, but has thus far been afraid of Nanuq. In my current household, he's the only cat with claws (I had to move in with my boyfriend after my accident, unable to fully care for myself for several months, given the severity of my injuries, including 9 fractured vertebrae, 3 in my neck, and spinal surgery). Pilgrim used to sleep with Rigel, knowing he was completely safe with his friend nearby. In fact, even strange cats seemed to know they could trust Rigel- often following close to him, even rubbing on him- on our walks through the neighborhood.

Oreo is ancient, toothless, and clawless- and he alone of the cats has stood up to Nanuq. In fact, for the first couple of weeks, Nanuq had to be protected from Oreo, who would actively stalk and attack Nanuq, having him cowering. Even a month later, Oreo still holds his ground, staring down Nanuq, not even hissing, as if to say, "you're no match for me, even at more than 10 times my size." Nanuq doesn't seem to remember the lesson Oreo tried to teach him, though, and still tries to get the cats to run, tries to chase them, and occasionally snaps at them- playfully, but dangerously to them.

Nanuq's initial training has been to teach him not to pull, not to jump, and some of the more basic commands, mostly because of the real risk of him injuring me in my healing condition. He's caught on quickly, though. Now we're starting the cat training. It's always done with him wearing a Halti head halter. When he sees a cat, I'm saying, "Leave it!" before he has a chance to lunge. If he shifts his attention away from the cat, he gets a treat. It's only been a couple of days, but his response has thus far been positive. It's my hope that this will eventually make him safe with the cats when we're around.

I doubt Nanuq had a very positive start in his previous home. He's very affectionate and eager to please, but also very nervous, often peeing when scolded, and chattering when he's clearly nervous or excited. Sure, he's destructive- digging and chewing, and he has to be on a lead in our yard, as we can't trust the fence to hold him. However, he's very smart and eager to please. I suspect he wasn't really trained before, and rather may have received more negative attention than positive attention, with the focus on his less desirable behaviors. Whoever had him before didn't understand the independent nature of huskies, and the tendency for ANY puppy or young dog to have some destructive behaviors. They didn't know how to be patient, and how to curb undesirable behaviors with positive alternatives- and positive rewards. Now that this is being introduced to Nanuq, he's coming along nicely, even now a different dog than he was just a week ago.

I'll still never trust him alone with the cats, though.

[Ravenwolf]

I should add to this thread that while Wyatt is still great with my cat (to the point where I have to get after the cat because he bullies Wyatt!), he had only learned that we do not eat this kitty. All others are still fair game. He proved this over the holidays when staying at my parents' place - he killed one of their cats and severely wounded another. A harsh (and expensive!) reminder that their predatory instinct cannot be defeated, only suppressed.

[ponder85]

I have a German shepherd and a husky. The gsd, who we got at a yr and a half, had never been around cats. She does fine with our declawed, indoor cat. Sometimes the gsd even licks him to clean him. Our husky, despite our best efforts, sees the cat as a mobile four legged chew toy. Don't assume that you can extrapolate a single experience with single dogs to breeds with numbers ranging into the tens of thousands. I'm sure you realize that. All dogs will behave differently. Bottom line, in my experience, is my gsd is much better with the cat. There are probably many who are not.

If it has not already been answered, why did you settle on these two breeds? They are very different. They are both awesome dogs, and I love both of mine like children. Let me know if you have any other questions about the comparison of the breeds and I'll be more than happy to offer my opinion.

[ponder85]

After reading through the thread, I would like to point out that this thread was basically dead in October, and brought back today. Ts only had three posts, all in this thread, and will likely not be back to see anything else.