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I have a rescue mix who is a great dog. We have had a rat and mouse infestation in the neighborhood, but she hunts them in a certain portion of our backyard that includes a fern garden hiding a storm drain. So far she has killed more than a dozen rats and mice, and we are the only home in the neighborhood without mice and rats in the home. So far, so good.
Yesterday a feral kitten (we have a huge feral cat population/problem - and they don't seem to eat mice!) came out of the drain and Taffy caught, and killed the kitten in a lightening quick grab and shake from under the ferns. This was the first we knew about the kittens. It was an all grey kitten, slightly larger (but not by much) than the last couple of rats she has caught and killed. My wife believes there are two more kittens living in the drain - and we have had a mid sized cat in the yard in the evenings (I know all the pet cats, this one is feral) that I supect may be the mother.
Taffy does chase cats in play, but she also play bows and interacts with the neighbor hood cats, goes into garages and sniffs them and leaves, and in general behaves like a dog raised around cats. I have never before seen her interact in a way indicating she thinks cats are prey, and I supect she was attacking a "rat" from her perspective.
We had hoped to add a cat to our managerie in the next year, but are obviously rethinking that plan.
How careful do I need to be going forward, or was this a case of mistaken identity (cat for rat)? Several of the neighbor cats play with and interact with her when she is walking on leash, do I need to discourge the cats from coming over to her?
Appriciate your thoughts and suggestions for how to deal with this going forward.
Last edited by Tuck's Dad; 05-01-2014 at 03:39 PM..
id say prey drive kicked in she likely mistook it for a rodent and if you plan to add a cat in the future go with an older kitten or adult cat and introduce slowly (only supervised interaction until you know shes trustworthy.
I think context was huge here. But I also think you don't get a kitten when you get a cat, and you make sure they're always separated when you're not home.
Thanks for the responses. I am also inclined to think it was a mistake attack, but don't want to be guilty of ignoring a potential problem, or put Taffy at risk of being labelled "vicious" or "aggressive" if something goes sideways with another local cat because I think I can explain the event as a one time unique thing.
It caught us by surprise, but I do think in her mind she killed a "rat."
I think it's obvious she thought it was a rodent. It was obviously a mistake.
I hate to say it since my own beautiful kitten is a feral I rescued from starvation at 4 weeks old, but that's the life of feral cats. They have a low survival rate. We saved one. We can't save them all. I'd simply keep your dog from "hunting" until the mother has a chance to move the kittens or the kittens are older.
I'd also start motivating the neighborhood to fix the rodent problem. They're there because there is a food source nearby. All of the neighbors need to work together at eliminating the food sources. The rodents will leave if there's nothing to eat. Unfortunately, since you have ferals I suspect you have a neighbor or two feeding ferals and it's likely the rodents are eating the cat outdoor food at night.
In addition to eliminating the food source, the neighborhood needs to be baited for rats. It's not normal to have a rat infestation in a neighborhood. It's okay to get one, but it's not okay to keep one. Try to get your neighbors to work together on this. Call your local government to see if someone will come out and bait the neighborhood. If you don't get any action there, call your local health department.
Please don't get a kitten when you add a feline to your household. Kittens are so little and excite the prey drive in some dogs.
Get an adult cat. In fact, get an adult cat that is known to have lived with dogs and is known to stand up to dogs. You want a cat that stands its ground and gives an inquisitive dog a good hard smack across the nose with its claw. Most pushy dogs quickly learn to leave such cats alone in the house. Often they become fast friends as boundaries are quickly established by the cat.
What you don't want is a cat or kitten that runs from dogs. That's danger in the making. You don't want to tempt the prey drive. Good luck
willow wind - not sure we will get a cat at all because of this incedent.
We have always had cats, and when the last one died about 2 years ago, I got my first dog in about 15 years (Tuck), and then about 6 months later, we adopted Taffy.
Both my dogs are good with cats when we are out and about, and my wife likes having a cat around, so we figured that at some point we would add a cat. Obviously, I now have reason for concern, but more immediately is the issue of cats on walks. The neighbors have some, and there is a "cat lady" on our walk with some males that are raised with dogs, and like to engage mine in play when we are walking.
I am thinking I want to re-evaluate ALL Taffy/cat interactions, even though I do think she thought she was killing a rat.
Hopes - we are the end of the neighborhood, and have undeveloped raw land behind us, so I think the mice and rats are seeking water, although, I agree, there must be a feral cat feeding location somewhere in the immediate area that serves the cat, mouse, rat, and mongoose populations.
Most of the houses have bait traps (Terminix serviced), but we do seem to have a spring rodent population problem every year. Even with the traps, two neighbors have asked to borrow Taffy for their back yards for a couple of days!
willow wind - not sure we will get a cat at all because of this incedent.
I would be wary about it.
It's one thing when cats and dogs are raised together, and there are some breeds of dogs with strong prey drives that really can't be trusted around cats. It's not their fault! It's the way they are wired.
It's possible that the kitten smelled like a rat. Still, I'm not sure I would add a cat under those circumstances. There's nothing wrong with an "all dog" household if there is any doubt.
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