I,ve just got back from holidays and our friends had 5 cats. They were house cats but in Florida where they had access 24/7 and we fell in love with two of them, they slept on their bed (they will not in ours) and they were given access to the enclose pool area.

My two do chase cats when you ask them to clear out the garden when we get home - makes them feel wanted, but they are also very weary when one stalks them - they beetle off with their tails between there legs.

Now the question do you think I could mix a cat with my two? Ive got a big garden, large inside area and Whistler is a Cocker and Jake a Border Collie.

Any suggestions or advice welcome.

Go for it !
I had a collie cross with 2 cats and no problems. They would cuddle up together.
The cats ruled the roost !

Just do the usual advised things like having a place for the cat to escape to if necessary. We never needed it.

Another yes here we are upto three cats now and sure I may slip in another couple at some stage !

I'm another yes :-)

I have two border collies, 9 and 7 years old, a 2 1/2 year old silken and an 11 year old borzoi and got two kittens late last year. The 3 'small' dogs are absolutely fabulous with them, no problem at all and so entertaining as they play so much together. My collies like your dogs would stalk and chase cats outside but seemed to know right from the start these were different. I've had to warn the oldest collie a couple of times to 'be nice' but to be fair to her she only shows her teeth at them when they are either stealing her bone or swinging from her head :-)

The borzoi (the infamous Mr Beastly) well that's another story. He catches, kills and eats small animals out the house and would very much like to do the same to the kittens!

My last dog was terrible for chasing cats, luckily he was never as nimble as them and the closest he got to causing damage to one was getting a mouthfull of fluff as he snapped at the disapearing tail (we never encouraged this behaviour, it was deeply ingrained when we got him as a rescue, but we were never good enough at training it out of him).

However, we got a kitten. When the kitten arrived it was kept seperate from the dog, the dog never even set eyes on it for the first couple of weeks. I would move the kitten around the house, in different rooms, so gradually the dog got used to the smell of the kitten allover the house and the kitten also took on the smell of us/our home.
After a couple of weeks, I'd bring the kitten into the room with the dog, but leave her in a pet carrier. Again just to get the dog used to her more.

Slowly the kitten was given more freedom and the dog never treated her the same as he did with strange cats, he treated her as part of the family. They got on great, they would even play together and sleep together.

It can work, but do remember a little kitten is not very good at getting out of trouble like an adult cat, so supervision for the kittens safety if very important.
If you are thinking of bringing in an adult cat, then supervision for your dogs safety is equally important - a cat scratch can cause the loss of an eye and can happen so very quickly.

> The cats ruled the roost !

Oh don't they just!!
The cat I have now is a tiny little moggy, but she rules supreme over Buster. He knows better than to irritate the cat, LOL

I can't wait to move so I can look at getting another cat!! I'd say go for it x

Oh yes, another one here whose cats DEFINATELY rule the roost :-)  They even walk round the dogs trying to get them to clean their ears.....:-)

My lot just accept the cats as part of their household and know they don't chase them.  Doesn't stop them chasing other cats though, well our springer used to anyway.  The cockers.....well, why chase a cat if you have no hope in catching it.  They just conserve their energy! 

Go for it.
2 dogs, Rottweiler and Am cocker who both chase Cats!!!!
I have 2 cats now, but do have a stairgate so the cats have somewhere to escape to :) :)
My dogs will now mainly walk past the cats now, we have had them about 7 months.
Lea :)

So much depends on the breed of dogs, and I'd say breed of cat as well (or lack of breed, as moggies are generally sharp enough to fight back). A Cocker and a BC I would not worry much about. Dogs chase cats outside even if they live with other cats.

Malinois are NOT known for being good with cats, and the two of mine that arrived as adults absolutely cannot be allowed anywhere near cats. I learnt that mistake after one of them caught a cat and would have killed her (she was seriously injured) had I not got there within seconds. That's despite living here for weeks before it happened. Much the same with the second -she'd been here a few weeks, had looked at the guinea pigs, then finally managed to get the cage down (NOT an easy feat) and despite my husband being there within 10 seconds, both guinea pigs had been killed. The other Malis I can trust with cats and small animals no problem at all. They grew up with them from day one. The Golden Retrievers I've had (10 during my life) have never been a problem.

The Papillons are little gits actually. Bobby who had his eye punctured by a cat as a pup has learnt his lesson, obviously. Ginny a spayed bitch has decided that Roswell, a neutered male Cream Persian, is her humping toy. She never does it to any other cat, only him. The two 9 month old Papillons love to chase cats. They get away with it with the Persian and Exotics. The moggy and the Maine Coons -no chance. Then there is my eternal problem with calling queens. Not a problem for anyone who isn't a breeder at least. I have several queens calling at the moment. And I have two male Papillons going round trying to mate them -and the queens just LET them and in fact encourage it. It's never ending, me trying to get the dogs off them, because let's face it, there could be some serious injuries here otherwise! (A dog's anatomy being VERY different to a male cat's!) And being in call, the queens will allow themselves to be dragged around and manhandled any way without protest.

Yea go for it. Our Boxers lived with 2 house cats, they even shared the same beds. ( the cats spread across the centre and the dogs perched on the edge !!) Although I must admit that they would still chase any strange cat from the garden, but never their own. One Boxer would even climb the apple tree with the cats.( lower branches anyway)

we have two cats they come for a cuddle with the akita , torment the rottie, and chase the pug, but one of our dogs is a chaser and one of the cats stands his ground with the little madame and she has stopped chasing him, but the other cat will run and she thinks that is part of the game but we have now stopped her but the instinct to chase him is there because if she thinks she can get away with chasing him she will so we do watch her when he is around.

I agree with the others, with your breeds, I would do it.. (some breeds I wouldn't)  I have Labs, who sleep with the cats curled up together, one indoor cat, the other two go out... while outside, the dogs do see them as fair game, but never chase with intent, and the cats never really run away, just jump out of reach... mine are just moggies (one is an oriental cross) very aloof and vocal, and still gets on with the dogs..

Marianne my cream ragdoll is called Roswell and he thought he was the only one lol :-)

We have 2 cats with 2 bull terriers and a st bernard x.
they all live and get on great. Go for it, theres nothing better than a purring kitty on your lap while watching telly.
:)

Marianne my cream ragdoll is called Roswell and he thought he was the only one lol :-)

Oh that's a co-incidence!! It was because he looked like an alien as a kitten -we never found out what was wrong. At 3 weeks of age he stopped growing and lost all his fur! His heart was beating at twice its normal rate and the vet said we best keep him, as he'd never live long. Then all of a sudden when he was a few months old he started growing, the fur grew out and the heart settled.

Exactly why we called ours roswell, he'd lie on my chest in bed and when I'd wake up it was like a alien on my chest. What a funny coinkydink :-) I'll have to pm you his scrawny kitten picture

go for it,i have 8 in door cats,pointer,2 gspx springers,one of my cats thinks he is dog he lies upside with my pointer cpt jack the cat is best of friends with 3 dogs if puppy gets to over playful the cats will give him swip with paw,

I have 5 cats and 2 dogs, Curtis my older LM is used to cats now but he was never reared with them as I didn't have a cat when he was born.   Melody, my FCR, wasn't bred by someone who has cats and although she can get a little bit spirited with them there's no malice intended, just puppy exuberance.   My cats are all pedigrees though so I don't know if that has some bearing on dog/puppy acceptance and are breeds which are renown for being fairly laid back.

We have a 17 week old Boxer and now an 8 week old kitten.

Early days yet, but hopefully they will be ok.

Boxer - Reg
Kitten - Ronnie

= the Krays!!

>both guinea pigs had been killed

My Toy Poodle grabbed a lovely longhair youngster in show coat.  I was too late.  She had her straight through the jugular.  And she also killed a rat (not pet.)

Yet my Beardies love cats.

And she also killed a rat (not pet.)

This is what I was telling myself -and my very upset husband!- when the guinea pigs were killed: A few weeks earlier we had a problem with a rat in our loft. It was keeping us awake at night chewing, ruining things we had stored up there. We didn't dare to use poison in case it died where the dogs could get hold of it, and it was too clever to be caught in a trap. Well it must have gone outside for food now and then and one day ended up in my male dog's kennel run. We found the rat dead inside the kennel, and were EVER so pleased with clever Z who got rid of the rat we didn't manage to kill ourselves. So how could we really blame his niece (who had just been here a few weeks) for killing the guinea pigs -they don't know the difference.

Yes we have a cat (Dave the kitten ) who has developed very dog like behaviours.

I have just had him in bed with me ( that is why I am up at silly o'clock ) pestering me to have a tummy rub so he was on his back legs out purring his silly head off ! He used to be bed buddies with Moose and copy all of her funny habits !