Instead they had to quarantine … Here are just a few possibilities: your dog had pain somewhere and redirected by lashing towards the cat, the cat went close to your dog's resource, maybe your cat had some sort of seizure you weren't aware of, your cat smelled different from being at the vet or someplace else, they were playing and your dog got too rough, your dog has been stressed lately, he wasn't trustable near cats in the first place and he learned not to attack in your presence but the moment you moved away he attacked, the cat entered the dog's territory, the dog is protective of you or a family member, the cat did something that triggered the dog's prey drive. I have 3 dogs. I have toddlers in my home and now don't know if I will keep my dog because of this incident. One of our dogs especially had cat scratches on his face so we believe that he did it. Brain research has shown that during a kill, the circuits responsible for rage are not activated and killing bites are far from the loud, screaming fights seen among two animals fighting. In a way,, they do these aggressive attacks for "Sport". As mentioned, sometimes dogs attack seemingly without any provocation. ALL the Pet Loss Message Boards are moderated to make this an ABSOLUTELY SAFE place for you to find support. That dog broke out of the crate and we found another body. Not even close. It's not your dogs fault he killed your cat, it's yours. I do think we made the right decision and somehow finding some solace that I am not the only one that has witnessed such a horrific event! ), just observed some meters away, and then it was to late - 3 stray dog killed a stray (?) It took a week for her to get used to him and finally she turned for the better and started playing with him slept with him cuddled him and groomed him. Like I said, you wouldn’t put down your cat for bringing in a bird would you? I came across this article today after for the second time in my life seeing dogs (and 3 of them!) I'm having a difficult time dealing with this and showing love to Maggy, she's getting depressed along with Rocky, this just happened 3 days ago. In such cases, attacking is a defense mechanism. I personally would put the dog responsible down (they believe it was their jug dog as it’s part jack russell whom are aggressive in nature). Lol stupid article. Shaking is typical predatory behavior meant to quickly finish up their prey. We have two dogs but Brownie never bothered the cats outside until we got Chazza. Even though the action is outrageously horrible,,, it is really NOT the dog's fault,, or the shark's fault!! I just managed to shout the dogs away before it got bloody - it was a kitten which died by three bigger dogs biting it. We can't find my two other cats and my family is torn apart. Anthropomorphizing and placing human values on animals. The neighbors are blaming him for killing their cat. Adrienne Farricelli (author) on January 06, 2020: Mel, I too feel that once a dog kills a cat, the chances are high that it may happen again. You may need to keep cats and dogs separated to prevent further occurrences along with really working hard on training the leave it cue and other cues that help you gain your dog's immediate attention, if worse comes to worse and management strategies would fail one day. heeling on leash, versus chasing). i am struggling to forgive her and know it will take time to move past this. There are several things you can do though to reduce the chances of problems, monitoring closely, having an emergency plan such as keeping a bottle of Spray Shield handy should ever a fight ensue, training both dogs to respond to a positive interrupter when play gets too rough etc. Even if they have been together since birth. Is it a normal part of her instinct to take care of her herd, or could it potentially lead to more aggressive behavior towards the cats? Do you have any advice for me? At times, dogs and cats may interact and then predatory instinct may take over. If your dog kills your cat it needs to be put down or re-homed in a place with no other pets immidiately. There are several dynamics that may take place, and sometimes a real answer is never known as only assumptions can be made. I would feel hesitant to let your cats in the yard (if they are allowed to) for a while, just because this episode is so "fresh." This never escalated. It sounds like your dog may have been acting protective of you, or was in conflict with having the cat climb up and share your attention and the couch, so if there are other cats in the house, this is something that may repeat. This article does not a substitute for hands-on professional behavior advice. she constantly targeted my rabbit and i kept them separated until one day the inevitable happened and she slipped out of her collar and bolted to the rabbit who was playing in his new playpen and crushed him to death. Responsible dog ownership entails keeping dogs under control and preventing other people or other animals from being harmed and private property from being damaged. Will my dog do it again? Especially not knowing her history and because of her age I wasn’t sure? We had never had a problem prior to this and it was a complete shock to all of us. but her injuries and advanced age (15 years old) she had to be put down. its a horrible thing to witness, but they are animals, they hunt. I am heartsick. To fully understand predatory behavior in dogs all we need to do is to go back in ancient times when the dog's ancestors didn't depend on humans for food as dogs do today. I saw the intestine or what looked like that coming out of the belly. Does he have a long history of getting along with them? So why is she trying to kill my kitten? Nowadays people have dogs inside their house with their two year old babies. If a dog injured my cat to the point of killing her, I would be upset as well. Our dog is a two year old, un-spayed female, and is a mix of three herding breeds (Corgie, Border Collie, and Blue Heeler). My poodle is 7 years old and has always loved kittens. As a cat lover, I would have felt devastated if my dogs ever hurt my precious kitties. She is super sweet with my guinea pig and have played together happily for two months no problem. The next day she was in the back garden and a cat came in and she went for it, she was chasing it up and down the garden, but the cat climbed out and didn't seem too hurt. Of course, it gets harder when losses happen in such traumatic ways as dogs killing a cat. According to dog trainer David D. Cardona, when hunting, dogs reach an emotional natural high as the neurochemical ‘dopamine’ ends up sending endorphins throughout the dog's body. Today there was a kitten that she grabbed and from swinging it around, eventually killed it while its momma was trying to get it back while attacking my dog, thankfully without injuring her. She was asleep. The two use to lay next to each other. We do have another cat but he generally doesn't run very frequently. She has killed a rat before, but I never thought that she would kill a cat. Got to love the stupid pit hate comments when the article has nothing whatsoever to do with breeds -- You people are IDIOTS. Mom cqt is miserable and idk what to do with my dog or dogs. This is the second time I two months he has attacked her. Those who don't understand should read about African wild dogs who will kill or chase a lion out of their territory to protect their young or to hunt for food. WHY do dogs go INTO the houses and search and kill a kitten!? Temple Grandin claims that animals like having their predatory circuits turned on because predatory killing means dinner. I love him but when i look in his eyes, it hurts. The only ones i remember was a mom and her kittens. I’ve been telling her no and it has been working. If your dog can’t control it, then put them down, keep them away from cats or give them to someone that will use those instincts in a productive manner. My cat, who Ive had for 15 years, didn't adjust well to change of having a dog in the house and would attack the dog if it came by him. Any small animal counts as prey. It started to bark and since i did not wanted it to touch my new pants i got away with more speed and that bastard dog followed and bit me/ripped my pants. Instinct is hardwired behavior that can be managed and some times, changed but never totally removed. Do I get rid of him now while he's still pup? Since I live on the 4rth floor, i ran like mad down. I also am going to use a shock collar i will no longer deal with this i need both dogs and cats to coexist. "Predatory aggression by a dog does not reflect a psychological problem and neither is the perpetrator vicious, malicious or vindictive." Question: My dog has never hurt an animal before or got into a fight but a dog bit her. Question: We have 4 dogs and 2 cats, all adopted from a local shelter. I actually felt the same way when my friend told me that a kitten I gave her was killed by a neighbor's pack of Cirneco dell' Etna hunting dogs. Hello. We made him as comfortable at home with us when he passed. Should I be this worried, or is it because of what I witnessed today? Adrienne Farricelli (author) on September 14, 2019: Susi, so sorry you are in such a situation. Dogs are demons and their predatory instincts will never go away. Adrienne Farricelli (author) on June 06, 2019: Jay, it could be because your dog is recovering and isn't feeling too good. We have spent thousands on vets. Stressed dogs may act out of character. I have just read an article about dogs killing another dog in the same home. The rescue, for the record, noted he was good with cats 3 x in the dog's bio. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. I want the dog euthanized. We also texted the owners about it as they didn’t answer the calls to talk about how they killed our cat and the owner just said ‘it’s in their nature to kill cats’ and I don’t agree with that at all fin it was an ancident then the dogs would feel remorse but the fact is that they did it again and again so now animal control is being called on them and I can only hope that the dogs are put down completely and not just given up for adoption. The cat knew to sit and roll over and my dog didn’t know it’s head from it’s butt. But got up this morning and my cats ear as been bit and bleeding then while I was cleaning him up the pup wouldn't leave my other cat alone even tho she was hissing at him. The lady who took care of my pets had to call me Friday morning and tell me that we had an awful storm the night before. It's not like the cat is being cruel or anything, it's just the nature of things. Supervision is always a must when having cats and dogs. I am very sorry for your loss if the cats were yours. They question as to why these weaker beings so happen to be on the same turf (or same sea waters) where they feel is their own home. Fight in what ever court thingy i need for them to be euthanized, 4, use a taser on them to shock them to stop with a dog friendly taser. We left the house one day, came back two hours later and found my cat had passed because our dog attacked it. When my sisters two german shepherd pit bull mixed hunted her through the spot. When i reached the gate and opened it, all i saw was one of the dog carrying the dead kitten out of the gate. There are always risks for things to go wrong. Horrific day I will never forget on April 01, 2017: My male dog killed my cat this morning while I tried to pull him off of her. Sometimes, cats and dogs may be playing, when predatory drift, a phenomenon where a dog's predatory instinct is suddenly turned on, may take effect. Adrienne Farricelli (author) on February 19, 2020: John, the idea of putting a dog down for killing a cat is simply absurd. It could be the cat got panicky for some reason or got some seizure and a dog was stressed by the behavior. It could be your dog acted up on instinct, trying to catch the cat from the fall and not knowing it was your cat. If the cat was a stray, you should first call animal control. It could be the dog was playing with the cat but things got too rough at some point. I still can get this scene out of my head, our daughters dog is no longer allowed in our home. Question: My dog grew up with three cats with no problems. I put a lot of effort though to protect them and train my dogs to accept them. My puppy is 11 weeks old. My dog is at boarding school right now learning manners. Fight back? My dog is quick and nimble, thus when playing the Shepard is no match. My cat had a kitten and my dog, whose been raised around cats, is always great with them including kittens like this, killed the kitten the secondshe had the chance too. Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on August 22, 2020: I have several dogs, and it's not uncommon for my dogs to chase a passing motorcycle on the road from one end of our yard to the other within the safety of our fence. One cat entered my garden where I pen my dog for excretion and food zone my dog being an outside dog, golden retriever pedigree, who has run of garden and house with us in day, has never met a cat, he has killed rabbits, birds, rats, mice, even a hedgehog wandering in and even Bumble bee’s, as is his nature, but not cats. Can a Stray Cat Make My Dog Sick – 8 Things to Know There are plenty of reasons to be wary of a stray cat that doesn’t appear to be in the best of health. I don't know how to heal. But when i woke up the next day the cat was dead and damp. my friend and her family are devastated as they’ve only had the kitten for 2/3 weeks. Hunting and killing was a way of life in a dog's evolutionary past. 3. Dogs and cats should always be supervised and never be left alone and this applies as well to animals we know to have a history of getting along. I refuse to rescue a kittens life only to have it killed by some stupid dog. For the most part the cats have learned not to run when the dog comes near them, and the dog has learned to respect their claws. Dogs are natural predators no matter how domesticated they may be. I have a 10 year old male pit and I had a sick female cat that he killed, she was in her room all she did was meow for her breakfast as she does every morning when I went in to feed her the pit had her in his mouth shaking her. they’ve considered getting rid of the dogs and they can’t even look at them, let alone spend any time around them. I was so angry I wanted to kill both dogs. Gastby- my daughters dog would go near Leroy and we would scold him, now I feel like it was my fault never in my heart would I think this would happen. Like you all say, it's literally in their nature and they were bred to hunt. The cats are all working animals, and we rely on them for rodent control. None of you are the dog whisperer so why do you assume that dogs and cats (legendary enemies) can get along. Thank you for the article. I don't want to get rid of either of them nor do I want to sentence Grace to a life in her crate other than dog park time. There are several supportive mourning groups that can help you move past the stage of resentment. I am not sure what words I can offer really to relieve the pain and resent towards the dog, it's a tough situation. We did put our dog down as well which is double the pain. Dureing the day they was getting along fine, she even licked and groomed the cat. It's effin nature. Because you don’t love the bird? I agree with Carolyn. Adrienne Farricelli (author) on September 28, 2019: Lily, a dog killing a small animal doesn't necessarily mean the same dog would hurt a person, an infant or another dog. Most likely the shepherd can tell a dog apart from a cat, but there's always that bit of risk or predatory drift. I think he trusted that the dog wouldn't do anything, but as he jumped up to the couch my dog attacked him, sending my cat into a seizure that he wouldn't recover from. A few months later, the same dog bit through our new cage and got 2 more rabbits. It could happen that the dog was resource guarding an item (food, toy, sleeping place) and the cat came too close and the dog fatally injured the cat. I trying to work out what one it was,, my wee dog off 2 years or my big dog off 7 years. when i woke up the cat which i thought was a log, (he shews on firewood a lot!) Always possible to re-home in a home with no issues for some reason or into. Dogs under control and preventing other people went through the dog when i got tips! 2 minutes after along with the dog and i will no longer deal with this i need dogs. She got was the one it was the one to end that monster 's rampage, in such ways... Had entered my property who 's 10 was in her yard, confined when the cat instinctive who. 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