The other evening, while out for a walk with Murphy and Belle, I stopped by Proud Hillbilly's house to visit her and see how her new cat was doing. I liked this cat and had briefly entertained thoughts of bringing it back to the Lair and adding it to the family. But I was pretty sure that Murphy was just not going to play nice with a cat.
Sure enough, when I had the dogs on a leash, PH brought the cat out. Belle was mildly curious but didn't seem to be too aggressive as PH held the cat but it was obvious that Murphy's prey drive was kicking in big time. He really wanted that cat and I couldn't see that cute, sweet gentle cat doing well in a house with Murphy. But neither could the cat, apparently. He hissed loudly and the claws came out as he took a swipe at Murphy; it hadn't even dawned on me that the CAT might object, too.
Oh well...it was a thought.
Murphy would go after a Tiger if you let him. Probably best to keep the dogs and cats separate :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, no joke. I still remember one time in Florida that Lagniappe tried to take on a six-foot alligator in a roadside ditch. Shepherds don't have much of a sense of mortality or common sense when they're fired up.
DeleteYeah, that ain't going to work... Just sayin...
ReplyDeleteIts POSSIBLE to have a cat in a household with a high prey drive, cause I'm doing it right now. But it requires MASSIVE amounts of time and work to keep the cat safe, and to train the dog that THIS cat is not to be chased....
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've heard that. But I lack that time right now, and Murphy is a seriously hard-headed Shepherd with a long list of documented cat kills to his credit. Not likely to work out well and the cat would be the one to pay, so ain't happening.
DeleteYah, better safe than sorry. Its not a process to take on lightly!
DeleteWe have had much of that here. But, with Gracie (aka BAC - Big Ass Cat) keeping the chi-hua-huas in line, they have a healthy respect for her and the kitten Belle.
ReplyDeleteEveryone mostly gets along, but it's taken 6 months and constant monitoring. And the dogs and cats are roughly the same size.
YRMV.
:-)
gfa
Murphy and cats will not be a good match
ReplyDeleteI hear ya!! Kira has also made it known loud and clear that we will remain a one-animal household. Even the caged birds I had had before I rescued Kira lost the battle. She studied that bird cage for 3 months and then one night figured out how to open it, let the birds out, caught each one, and ate them. Then came the black kitten we found outside a dumpster. Poor kitten had to stay locked in the bathroom until I could find it another home. Kira was determined to do to the kitten what she had done to the birds. And then we tried to rescue 2 other dogs in the past 5 years.....and each one had to go as Kira tried killing them both. Yup. Somebody doesn't want to share her mommy!
ReplyDelete