Opinions Please

[chuckandsteve]

We lost our cat recently in very sad strange way. She was 15

It was the Friday we had the massive rain storm in Melbourne. We were going out so my husband decided instead of locking the dogs out he would leave them in. Anyway when we got home there was cat fur in the front driveway all down our hallway and our cats bed had been peed on. We found her on our back decking passed away. I think she must have been attacked by a neighbors male cat that is undesexed and followed into the house and sits inthe front yard. Later the same night he came up howling at our door. However she has saliva on her obviously from the dog. No bite marks just saliva so we can't rule out the dog being involved.

Some time has passed and think eventually I would like another cat. My husband thinks we should never have another one too big a risk. Our dog has never shown any aggression before and obviously I would never leave him with another cat unsupervised. Do you think another cat is out of the question?

[Aphra]

I'm very sorry that you lost your old cat, it's always sad when old friends pass away, and even worse when its in such a sad circumstance.

I have to say that while not impossible, it's not that likely for one cat to kill another one, especially without leaving any wounds. The other possibility of course is that your dog killed her. From my own sad experience I can tell you that a dog can kill a cat without leaving any bite marks. Their instinct is to grab prey and shake it hard, usually breaking the neck. You can see dogs do it if you feed them a piece of chicken, they pick it up in their mouth and shake their heads hard, it's an instinctual movement for killing prey.

If your dog has lived in harmony with your cat for a long time it is possible that the intrusion of a stray cat into your dog's home excited his prey drive, and if your cat got into a barney with the stray cat (hence the cat fur) your dog grabbed a cat in all the excitement. Dogs in high arousal can behave very differently to dogs under normal circumstances, but it only takes once for a tragedy to occur.

I'd think long and hard about getting another cat, unless you are sure that you are disciplined enough to keep them separate when you aren't around to supervise. If you do decide to get another cat, I wouldn't suggest a kitten; even for dogs who like cats the darting movement of a kitten is just too exciting.

We lost our cat recently in very sad strange way. She was 15

It was the Friday we had the massive rain storm in Melbourne. We were going out so my husband decided instead of locking the dogs out he would leave them in. Anyway when we got home there was cat fur in the front driveway all down our hallway and our cats bed had been peed on. We found her on our back decking passed away. I think she must have been attacked by a neighbors male cat that is undesexed and followed into the house and sits inthe front yard. Later the same night he came up howling at our door. However she has saliva on her obviously from the dog. No bite marks just saliva so we can't rule out the dog being involved.

Some time has passed and think eventually I would like another cat. My husband thinks we should never have another one too big a risk. Our dog has never shown any aggression before and obviously I would never leave him with another cat unsupervised. Do you think another cat is out of the question?

[megan_]

Good post Aphra.

Just wanted to also highlight that a dog can have a very strong prey drive and not exhibit "aggression" in every day life (re: the OP's remark that the dog isn't aggressive). This doesn't make the dog bad, it just means that it needs to be managed properly.

I'm not a cat person, but even if I was I'd never get one as I have a mini schnauzer who would try to kill it the second they came into contact (and I wouldn't want to lock the cat up seperated from the family 24/7).

[Jed]

Condolence on the loss of your pet. I agree with Aphra. I presume that the dog and the cat were both inside and outside at the time? Although the dog may not have been responsible, he would be my main suspect. I don't think the male could could have done it. And sometimes, the damage done by dogs' teeth looks ok on the skin, but a lot of damage is done to the organs - or the neck.

It is possible that a fight between your cat and the male erupted, the dog was drawn into it, something unfortunate happened and your cat died ... I think it is entirely possible that your cat may have been damaged accidentally. However, not having the detecting skills of Hercule Poirot - I dunno. You could maybe take the cat to a vet for an opinion.

If you do get another cat, simply ensure that the dog and cat are never together when you are out. Obviously, there is no problem when you are home.

[persephone]

I am sorry you lost your old girl like that

If you get another cat ..please also build a secure, dog/cat proof enclosure ...so the cat is NEVER in danger from roaming toms, or dogs at your house/in your yard.

Edited March 1, 2011 by persephone

[chuckandsteve]

Thanks for your thoughts.

She had been quite unwell in the lead up to this she had skin cancer and was due to get her nose removed the following week which is why we thought the fight might have been too much for her.

They were seperated probably 95% of the time when we were out so if we had another one we most certainly would seperate 100% of the time. Our dog has been very stressed since she died which is another reason I am considering another cat. We foster so it would be a foster we have that suits the dogs and the life style