Cat used by Dogs Trust to test suitability of rehoming dogs with cats

[Liz]

Nice to see that you have taken the name out

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Just realized this is public area so removing names and would appreciate others doing the same, cos not right for Purrs

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I live down the road from the rescueand they do not do good work with cats...............they are far more knowledgeable about dogs and it was the owner who did this!!

As far as I know they know a lot about dogs and thats where the money is in Wales and now know that they have people in other parts of the country homechecking for them . maybe wrong but think this is just for dogs.

Dont get me wrong cos I know the background to the rescue and that they care fanatically about dogs but I have actually been there and the cats were not in good surroundings and they were very lacking in knowledge. The cats were very secondary to the dogs and only taken on as a side issue they told me.

We are extremely short of cat rescues in this part of the country and havent seen a good one yet. Cats tend to be farm animals or kittens just dumped.

[snarf]

The black and white terrier type dog at the end was lovely and the cat clearly thought he was lovely too

 i so want that dog! Pogo didnt look at all stressed and i wouldnt adopt a dog that hadnt been seen to have a non aggressive reaction to cats because its just to big a thing to risk. better to for that to be handled by experiences professionals in my opinion

[Liz]

Also training lead for the dog works did in our house both the current boys had an indoor lead usually attached to my foot so they could wander and look but get the message if the looked to much - crate training for dogs also helps this to we have tried to remove Sky's crate as he is now a good boy and doesn't eat cat food so he has a bed as does Sunny but he had a hissy fit when his Daddy went to dismantle it so I still have 2 crates in situ in the lounge with matching fleeces and cat beds on top of them

[souffle]

Even a dog who is unsure or barking at first can be trained with patience and time to accept a cat as part of the family. We have always had both dogs and cats together and provided the introductions are done properly it should work out.
Of course an older cat who has had dog issues in the past may not ever react well by normally you can get at least a truce!
That is how we would do an intro - using a cage to protect the cat at first, swapping blankets, allowing cats in the room then dog so they can smell each other, allowing sniffing under the door, then door cracked open to touch noses, dog on lead and eventually short periods together.
They don't speak each others language at first so it takes time for both to learn!

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I saw this when it was first shown on the telly a couple of weeks ago.  It looked to me as if Pogo takes his job very seriously and he's very good at it too.  He's a big enough boy to voice his opinion if he wanted a career change. 

I also think unless you have known and/or lived with a dog friendly cat it's easy to become alarmed at such a thought and worry about the stress factor, but in truth no one can make a cat do this kind of activity to the frequency Pogo does it unless the cat was anything other than totally relaxed about the procedure.  Almost all rescues that I've come across that deal with both dogs and cats do it and they choose the most laid back and relaxed dogs/cats for the tests because there's no point picking one that doesn't get on with the other species, is there? Defeats the object...  Can't comment on the situation you saw, Gill, but I've a lot of time for the rescue too and I'm sure they'd want to know about your discoveries and concerns. 

[Elanor3]

I presume they have other tests leading up to the one shown here?  I would be concerned if the cat appeared upset by this process but I have to say how chilled did he look strolling out of the cage 

It's a good job Ember isn't a dog tester, I think they would have more than sore noses  fiesty one that little black furball 

[Ellen2010]

I saw this article when it was on the news and they tested the dog with the cat in an indoor kennel first and if the dog showed any aggression at this stage it was not allowed to the next stage and the dog was kept on the lead unless the dog totally ignored the cat when it was in the cage.

At times the cat just turned its back on the dog when the dog was brought in on the lead and the cat was in the cage.  You could tell if the cat did not trust the dog such as the boxer as the cat kept watch of it at all times.

[Liz]

MT rescue does some very good work with both cats and dogs and I have homechecked for them up here .

I hope you reported the incident Gill and had feedback from it if not it is something you should do rather than give folks a bad impression of a great rescue

My 2 Boys are both 30kgs and seeing them with kittens makes it worth the vets visits both boys had when they were shredded to bits in the nose area by the ferals for being a tad to personal - now these same ferals share their crates and love both Sky and Sunny to bits

Have to sday that we did careful introductions with the puppies on training leads and they had time out in their crates it a bit OTT now I have cats who chase the dogs round the garden and dogs who may have a wee chase back but it is controlled by us as both the dogs know No means no!

[JackSpratt]

As JS said, it broadens possible homes for a lot more dogs by doing this. The black and white terrier type dog at the end was lovely and the cat clearly thought he was lovely too

And of course, vice versa. I have a friend who has five flat coated retrievers and in recent months has homed two cats...(she works at the PDSA and both were unwanted) Clearly, before she took the cats into a home environment with five dogs she needed to know they were OK with canines.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Well you have now Den cos I saw a lot of stressed cats and I was terrified of this dog being brought in behind me.

[Den]

Most rescues do this sort of thing, a) a lot of people have both cats and dogs so they need to know if the dog will be suitable and b) there is no way a rescue will rehome a dog that is iffy with cats to a home with cats (unless of course the person is highly experienced).

There are also a lot of rescues out there who 'borrow' cats like this one. If it helps, I have never heard of things going wrong or cats becoming stressed from the event.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Oh sorry thought you meant xxxx

[Feline Costumier]

I think your experience Gill was unfair and stressful for all concerned but the cat in that video didn't look terribly bothered to me. The fact it happily wandered out of the crate with a dog in the room showed that.

I'm sure the dogs they test have been behaviour tested already and this is one of the final steps, so are keeping the risk factors and stress factors as low as possible.

As JS said, it broadens possible homes for a lot more dogs by doing this. The black and white terrier type dog at the end was lovely and the cat clearly thought he was lovely too

[Kirst]

Ah I meant the Dogs Trust - I think they are usinig just one cat!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

They didnt cos all cats are kept together!

[Kirst]

I am sure they choose they cat very wisely - better that than risk rehoming when you have no idea what a dogs reaction may be!

It also means hopefully lots more doggies get lovely new homes!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I agree with you Mark and I was at a rescue when they just brought a dog into the cage where all the cats were, I was terrified cos I was in there with the cats, let alone the cats.

It was all abouit the dog with no thought about the cats!

[JackSpratt]

A lot of rescues do that. Find a cat that is totally unphased by dogs and then in a controlled environment, check a dogs reaction to the cat. A lot of rescues have people who are "up" on posture in both animals to gauge if they feel it would be safe.

I know what you're saying though Mark, I have visions of a cat trying to unwind after a hard days work with a cigarette....

[Mark]

But does that make it fair to repeatedly expose the same cat to potentially aggressive dogs?

I know the cat can't be physically harmed  but I'm sure some dogs are aggressive.

[Liz]

Mark it is all done very well supervised and is helping dogs find homes

A lot of folks wanted kittens/cats from us when I fostered in a big way as they had dogs and is our home all the cats are well in charge of the dogs due to a lot of shredded noses for the dogs and any cats.kittens soon took over the house and the dogs learned their place

[Mark]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12106609

Not sure what I think of this. They say Pogo isn't stressed by it