Huskies and cats

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Booboos

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My friend's brother (they all live together in the family home) is intent on rehoming an adult Husky (possibly cross with something else, but no one's sure) from a rescue centre. He's never owned the breed before and I have tried to point out some of the issues which make this breed quite challenging but he seems to be beyond discussion.

My friend has a cat who is allowed free run of the house and garden, I am not entirely sure whether they are intending to kennel the dog or allow it free access in the garden and/or house, but how good/bad are huskies with cats? I know they have a strong hunting instinct and if allowed will worry/kill sheep, etc. but do they stand much of a chance of getting the dog used to the cat?
 
its dependant on the dog (like all breeds to a degree) ours have never ever shown any issue with the cats & our "special needs" cat was raised by our bitch & treats her as mum.

also the rescue centre (if its not a back alley one) wont let them rehome unless they are confident on the dog/cat thing
 
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Thanks, that's encouraging!

My brief experiences with rescues in France is that they might not all be as scrupulous as British ones! The other day someone was posting on a French forum about their dog problems: mum with two young children under school age, whose husband works away and who is trying to balance a new business with everything else, first time dog owner, with no fenced in garden, was advised by the rescue centre to take on two GSD puppies. Unsurprisingly, a year on she is really struggling to cope. I don't think the rescue in this case even asked my friend's brother about cats.
 
When I went to pick up Dax she was lying on the sofa next to a cat; however, she has since shown an extreme reaction to all other cats and I've no doubt she would chase and kill one given the opportunity. I think if you introduce them from pup/kitten stage then it might work but the idea of introducing an adult sibe to a cat, possibly for the first time, makes me very uncomfortable.

As much as I love mine I wouldn't recommend them to anyone, does he have any idea of what he's getting into?! :o
 
agree with black cob...makes me v uncomfortable.
our husky previously lived with a cat
but whilst on a walk on a flexi lead he sniffed a bush and in a
split second dragged out a kitten and flung her about and killed
it almost instantly :{
it happened so quick there was nothing i could do.
he didnt want to play. he went straight for the kill.
please think v carefully.
 
misterjay said:
These breeds are hard enough if you take on a pup, let alone a rescued adult.
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I have a rescue Malamute (a bit different I know) I'd never had a Mal before only spaniels/a GSD and a Border Terrier!!! But she was really hard work at the start- very defensive but now is so easy- spends most of her life off lead and is so well mannered and pleasant- she does chase cats but can be re-called off them even mid chase- I wouldn't however have a cat in the home. As long as he is a calm (your brother) but firm person who is very strict with practicing commands and always using the same word when training and doing pleanty of walking he may be ok. (oh and having a really good hoover!!)

But I would really feel sorry for the cat- it would not be a fair situation.
 
I entirely agree with all of you guys, it's a really, really bad idea! He's not my brother though, he's a friend's brother and although I have tried to point out all the possible problems, everything I said was greeted with a smile and a "I have owned big dogs before" comments. There is only so much you can say to other grown-ups before you give up!

My friend is worried about her cat so I was hoping to have some better news for her. THey will just have to live and learn I suppose...
 
Put it this way, if any of mine were let loose near a cat, the cat would be killed very quickly. I can guarantee that. I wouldn't even trust a husky that was brought up with one as a puppy unless 100% supervised and even then it would depend on the individual case. Their hunting instinct is just too strong and any recall they have is unreliable. Some small animals have made their way into runs or enclosures with our dogs before, birds, a rabbit, a rat, toads, mice etc. None have ever survived. You also need to be carefull when introducing puppies. I have heard of huskies killing puppies (of the same breed) before, and know of someone (not a friend - and it was completely their own fault) this happened to.
 
Thanks. The friend visits me a lot to help out with the horses, her brother drops her off and picks her up, but I think I will need to find a nice way of telling her the dog is not welcome to visit. I just don't trust that he knows what he is doing to control it around our dogs/cats/horses.
 
No! I've seen my sisters in action, They can be sauntering around then suddenly pluck birds out of the air, they even figured out how to kill hedgehogs (turn them on their backs so the spines stick in the ground, then aim your paws with all your bodyweight behind them at the middle, the rest I will leave to the imagination!).

I wouldn't trust my two adult Cattle Dogs with a cat, so nothing with Husky in it. The dog could appear to be ok for a while then suddenly something clicks and poor cat.

I do hope that the dog he gets favours the other breed in it but is usually the Husky wins out, their instincts to survive are very strong.
 
blackcob said:
Basically speaking if it's not on a lead there's no hope of controlling it in any way. :o Recall is hit and miss at best and you will never call one off if it's already running.
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Yes, sorry that's what I meant. I have tried to explain to him that the breed has a poor recall and a strong hunting instinct, but he didn't seem to take me very seriously and I can see him just letting the poor dog off the lead and getting into trouble. Oh dear, poor dog, let's hope that this dog will be the exception to the rule!
 
blackcob said:
Basically speaking if it's not on a lead there's no hope of controlling it in any way. :o Recall is hit and miss at best and you will never call one off if it's already running.
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I've always wanted to know HOW different are husky's to mals- are their recall abilities that bad? or have I just been lucky? ;)
 
shadowboy said:
I've always wanted to know HOW different are husky's to mals- are their recall abilities that bad? or have I just been lucky? ;)
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Their recall is atrocious. For mine, in a controlled environment with no distractions it's about 95% (i.e in a training class after months of training); in a normal everyday situation about 50/50 and when chasing something small and squeaky 0%. :o

Basically, a loose husky is just counting down the hours until it's run over or shot for worrying stock.
 
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