GSP's and cats?
 

I got engaged last month and in talking with my fiancé she as expressed a desire to have cats in our lives. I am not a fan of the cat as a pet but I am willing to compromise to make her happy. However, I know that my current GSP (a house dog as well as my hunting partner)likes to chase cats, a lot. I have taken her to a farm with lots of cats and she goes crazy until she has every cat in the yard treed. Then she comes back to me and waits for any other cats to try their luck. as long as I have had her she as never caught a cat. I have also heard many guys say that this is a trait of GSP's, I am sure due in no small part to the versatile breeding of the breed to be a sporting dog of fur and feather. While out hunting she has even pointed at den holes.


my question to you guys is this.

Is there any hope to be able to introduce a cat into the house with out it being suicide for the cat? If we wait until my current GSP goes to the hunting field in the sky will we be able to introduce a GSP puppy to a cat with successful results?

Any opinions or experiences would be appreciated. Thanks!

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

The dog that you currently have, you may as well play tapps the day you bring the cat home. It will be dead or forever live in that tree. Now, if you got a new pup, and a kitten, they will be okay, as they will get to know each other at an early age. The older that either one is, the harder it will be to get them to get a long.

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

With having barn cats for years I found out the major factor in this was the cat. My one dog use to love the chase cats but we always had a few cats that were not scared of him and he would not even chase them. At times when it got cold they were crashed together inside the barn inside the dog house. If the cat is not scared him it might be a good thing but it runs from him then I would say it is not going to be fun time. For our dogs if they did not run that chasing instink did not pop in.

That is just th luck we had.

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

German dogs + cat = dead cat. It is one of the perks of owning a german breed!

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

If you start with a kitten it might work.

It is pretty basic - if the cat runs, it kicks in the chase instinct. If You start with a kitten and don't give it a place to run (and providing your dog doesn't eat it the first day) they may make friends, or at least tolerate one another.

My hunting dogs just ignore the farm cats at the farm (but then these cats don't run from them).

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

Jashoffa,
I have a DD and a brit. My DD was introducedto our adultcat when he was a pup. In fact the cat still beats up on my DD and Brit when they are sleeping at times. As my DD has grown his prey drive has increased dramaticlly. I will not allow the two to be together alone. If the cat gets outside and runs from the dog the cat is quickly mauled by my DD but I am right there to call him off. This is the last cat we will own. It is too much work to keep an eye on the two of them all the time. Eventhough you want to please your girl(same reason my wife got her cat) I would highly reccomend against it. The lastthing you want come home to isyour fianc'e crying over the dead cat your good ol'e hunting partner thought was game for himto dispatch for you.
The Best of luck
Huntermag

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

jashoffa,
I have a 7 year old male GSP, I got him when he was 1 1/2. He seems to like cats alot, however they justdon't seem to like him all that much!Like some of the others said I think it depends on the cat!

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

My GSP, who loves every dog she comes across, does not like cats and they universally avoid her. I have heard if there is a cat around when they are a pupply the can co-exist, but the breed in general is known to be rather anti-cat. Which, in my humble opinion, is another advantage of this fantastic breed.

RE: GSP's and cats?
 

I have a 10 month old GSP and i can't imagine having her around a cat full time?I think if we had a cat when she was younger she could have been taught not to eat it, but i think she would torture the poor thing because she always wants to play or hunt??? She has a very strong prey drive and it seems to be getting stronger. I dunno? You might have luck with a puppy around a cat, but not an old dog that allready has the taste of fur and feathers in it's mouth?