My pit bull mauled my cat. Is my small dog safe? What to do?

You should not have her put to sleep just because she attacked your cat, don't forget this is a natural behaviour and death punishment is really not a logical thing to do. I would recommend contacting the RSPCA they will take her and rehome her.

The first thing you need to ask yourself here is whether or not you believe the bite to you occurred intentionally, or accidentally while you were trying to separate the two dogs. If it is the former, keeping a dog within your home that you only just adopted that is already ready inflict harm to you is going to be difficult if you don't have a ton of experience with dog behavior and training. While I love pit bulls (I have three), I readily understand that they are large, powerful dogs that can do some serious damage. If you live alone, or if you have children, my recommendation would be to relinquish the dog unfortunately, If the latter is what happened, there may be opportunities for addressing the issue. I would keep the dogs separated for at least the next 24 hours and let things cool off. I would reexamine the entire situation and try to identify what could have happened that brought about the fight the first time. Examine it from every single angle possible, in terms of people in the room, dogs in the room, items in the room, what the dogs were doing, anything at all that could be a variable. This is going to be the most important thing to figure out. You will ultimately need to keep Jazzy on a leash until you are completely confident that she isn't going to hurt your little one. The process may not be short and will definitely not be easy. Either way, I am going to suggest you hire a dog trainer and / or speak with a veterinary behaviorist. If this sounds like all too much, I don't blame you. I think that you have not had her long enough where you should feel terribly about having to relinquish her. I understand it is difficult, but this is not a great situation for you or your dogs. I do quite a bit of behavior consultation and I would be happy to talk some more if you'd like. Either way, I hope you are able to come to a decision. Stay safe.

Hi there. Without being able to evaluate Oreo in person and watch her behavior with the cats, it's hard to say why she is doing this. It may be play-related behavior, fear-based aggression, or predatory aggression. Specific treatment recommendations will vary depending on the underlying cause. This is a very dangerous situation for your cats because Oreo is such a large, powerful dog, so I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for one here: www.dacvb.org or here: www.ccpdt.org In the meantime, I would recommend keeping the cats physically separated from Oreo (in another room with the door closed) at all times to prevent any further problems until you can get a professional in to help.

Oh dear! This is potentially a very dangerous situation for your cat, so I would definitely recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist if you want to keep both pets - he/she can evaluate your dog in person to help determine the level of risk involved, and will put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. Generally, treatment for this problem would involve rewarding the dog for calm behavior around the cat, while also managing the situation carefully to ensure that there are no injuries - this may mean that the dog needs to be on-leash at all times around the cat, or they should be separated using a baby gate or some other physical barrier during training sessions until things are calmer. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Hi there. I'm sorry to tell you this but Huskies are notorious for killing cats. It is unfortunately in their nature to chase and kill things that run from them....... This is going to be VERY difficult. If Villian did not run from him there may be a chance of getting some resolution but if Villain is scared (which is understandable) and he runs, the higher the chance your dog will eventually catch and kill him. I'm not trying to freak you out but I want you to be realistic. They are not a breed known to be good with cats or even small dogs. Of course there are some that are fine but if you have to play the odds.......most are not. That being said I feel like your only real shot is to have a dog trainer come to your house, assess the situation with all the family members and pets and then hopefully they can help you try to modify your dog's behavior and response to the cat. I will tell you, instinct is a hard thing to overcome. I recommend you try BarkBusters. They are really good. I don't think there is a trainer right in your city but call/email them anyway and see if they can help you or recommend someone in your area that can. http://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-pennsylvania-experts You can also try UPenn Behavior service. They are not close to you but sometimes they do phone consults or Skype. https://www.vet.upenn.edu/veterinary-hospitals/ryan-veterinary-hospital/services/behaviormedicine This is a veterinary behaviorist you could also try calling for advice: http://www.reisnervetbehavior.com/ Remember, this is not going to be a quick fix. This is going to take a lot of money, dedication and time. This is a very tough issue. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you guys!

I'm so sorry you experienced something so scary last night. I'm glad your older kitty is doing OK. I certainly can't tell you that Ellie will ever be safe around cats. Often dogs that attack and shake cats in the way you described have a strong prey drive and will always be a risk to be around cats. If you are interested in keeping Ellie, I would recommend consulting with you veterinarian and consider consulting with a veterinary behaviorist ASAP. A veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian who has additional years of training in behavior. They can also prescribe medications if needed. Hopefully you can find one near you here. http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/ In the meantime, be sure that every member of the household (including your children) are committed to keeping Ellie away from the cats. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I am sorry to hear of your loss, some dogs will never acclimatise to cats and will act as a predator -prey species regardless of age or infirmity. I would not recommend another cat or kitten as he is likely to attempt to attack again.