[efinley]

My lab mix has always been a cat chaser. My little on has also started chasing because he does and she bites them..never bad, but still not something I want her to do. So just about an hour ago my mom tried to let some of the cats in for the night and the dogs raced out the door and got one of the cats cornered. The little dog was biting as usual but my lab started biting too which he's never done before. He grabbed the cat and started shaking him and wouldn't let go of him. We had to yell and him and my mom grabbed a pole and tried to push him off. He ignored all of that (as we knew he would because we try that if he gets into a fight with another dog) and I was able to grab him by his neck and pull him his head up. He still held the cat and my mom hit his nose until he finally let go.
The cat is shaken up and we have him in a crate for the night to let him calm down. He's bleeding somewhere a little but it doesn't seem bad so I'm letting him settle down overnight before we try to examine him.
That cat put up a good fight and Ti's got scratches on his nose, around his eyes and one down his ear...nothing bad.

My question: please tell me a good way to stop this cat chasing!!!!! I don't know if he'll bite one again but I bet he would so I want him to stop all interest in cats! In him AND my little one.

[StarfishSaving]

First thing's first- you need to take your cat to a vet. Shaking can actually detach the skin from the muscle it's attached to, or cause internal bleeding. Your cat may also be in shock. This kind of incident can be very serious.

Next is management- it comes before any training. You need to have safety places for your cats to get away from the dogs. Cat furniture, shelves on the walls, baby gates that the dogs can't get through but the cats can go over/under in a hurry, etc. You need to not leave this dog unattended with a cat, EVER. I would go so far as to keep the dog on a leash.

Training- this Patricia McConnell blog post covers the basics better than I could: dog chasing cat » TheOtherEndoftheLeash

[PapiMama]

OMG! How awful. That poor kitty. I totally agree with Star, you need to get the cat to the vet ASAP. And she gave you solid advice about keeping the cats safe and away from the dogs. Not being a bit@h but honey, you should've stopped the little one right off the bat when she started going after the cats. Now you have 2 cat aggressive dogs that are only going to feed off eachother and you're going to end up with a dead cat or two.

I really hope the link Star posted helps you.

[StarfishSaving]

A friend actually recently had one of her dogs- a great dane/shepherd mix- pick up her papillon for no good reason and shake it- she was right on top of the dogs when it happened, she had just finished brushing the pap's teeth and set him down on the floor, and the other dog just grabbed him. He needed reconstruction surgery. She now keeps her big and small dogs separated all the time, especially the offending dog. If any single thing had happened differently in that situation, she could have lost her pap.

[PapiMama]

That's just terrible Star. I am so very happy that the lil pap is OK. But, that story is why I don't really trust bigger dogs around Mabel. No matter how sweet or harmless they might be.

I read a story about this lady that let her pap's run and play with her friend's bigger dogs. I think they were lab's or golden's. During play one of the bigger dogs caught the pap with a paw and broke the papi's back. She had to have her pap put to sleep.

Sorry, didn't mean to TJ your post efinley.

[Lucille]

Originally Posted by efinley

That cat put up a good fight and Ti's got scratches on his nose, around his eyes and one down his ear...nothing bad.

The cat should feel safe in its own home, plus a cat can easily scratch the eyes of a dog.
My dogs do not have free roam of the house, maybe that is an idea for your situation? They congregate in my office with me, and I take them outdoors numerous times a day and there are walks, but they can just get into too much in my home that might hurt them, and the cat. At night they each have a crate in my bedroom and the cat sleeps in the living room. She knows exactly where they are, when I put them to bed for the night she will come into my office and hop on my lap for cuddles.
I'm glad you came and asked for ideas, many people have both dogs and cats and maybe something that has worked for us will be something that might work for you as well.

[Lola2010]

Hope your cat is doing ok. My gang live together and will all even get into the same bed at times - and one of them is a beagle! However, my cats are not at all reactive to my dogs. They can't chase them because the cats don't run. The dogs do occasionally pounce at the cats as they would another dog but even then the cats just play back. Puppy can get a bit rough but I know I can call her away and she leaves them alone. They are never unsupervised together though and there is a babygate on the stairs which the cats can fit through but the dogs can't. Apart from anything else it stops the dogs eating cat food and litter!
What I would suggest is that the cats need to be boring to the dogs. This is going to take some time but the dogs must never be permitted to make the cats jump or move. I have seen somebody do this with chickens (maybe on this forum) but basically by never being able to make them react the dog loses interest in them and stops trying to provoke a reaction

[efinley]

ARGH!!!! I just typed a response and then I accidently closed the page without submitting it!!

The cat is fine. He's been loving all the extra attention!

Ti is not being allowed to even look at a cat if it comes through the room and haven't had any more problems. Sophia is still interested, but Titan is my priority right now. She's lost a little interest because no one else is joining her. The bloodhound tries to play and grooms them so I ignore him if he chases them and reward him if he doesn't.

Ti has this weird thing: If another animal is in it's "place" then he's not interested in them. He would only chase the alpacas if they were loose. He doesn't care about them when they are in their pasture, I can even take him into the pasture with them and he won't bother them. Goats and chickens are the same way. If they aren't in their pens, he'll go after them. Cats are usually ok if they are in the house or sitting on a chair or something, just not outside. I really think it's only because they run. I NEED a cat that just swats dogs across the nose when they bother them. We used to have one like that but he died just about 2 years ago at the age of 17. (My family had had him longer than they'd had me!!)

I took this picture the day after the cat attack...he's back to normal!

[StarfishSaving]

I'm so glad that your cat is okay.

It sounds like you're doing good managing him, that's great! I would really consider working on impulse control training with him, though; it is important for the safety of the other animals and it will also help him make better choices!

[PapiMama]

Maybe a muzzle on him at all times when you're not in control of him? Use that in tandem with the behavior modification.