[Kensi]

My dog knows not to engage with the cat. She redirects herself to a toy sometimes, but other times just watches. However, today, the cat was taunting her, and she growled. It was not her "mean" growl that she uses when she feels threatened/protective/possessive, but it wasn't the "talking" "growl" she uses with me either. Should I be concerned, or was this just communication?

 

[parus]

That's not an "or" question. The answer to both is yes.

 

[BKaymuttleycrew]

What I would be most concerned about is that the cat is 'taunting' the dog & the dog is expected to 'know' not to engage. If that situation is not changed & continues to repeat itself, I expect this will not end well.

 

[Lillith]

Taunting how? Like batting at the dog's tail or sitting on top of it's cat tree staring at the dog?

If that cat is batting at the dog, remove the cat. If the cat is taunting the dog like a squirrel on a tree, remove the cat. Cats are, well...less trainable than dogs, so it might not do anything to change the cat's behavior, but at least your dog will know that if the cat is being a butt you will take care of the cat.

 

[Kensi]

Taunting includes bating her tail, jumping out from behind corners, chasing her, or just running circles around the room. (She runs around, then watches the dog for a few seconds, then runs off, then goes back to watching. It seems like she wants to play, but that's definitely not allowed) I do try to remove the cat, but I admit I don't always. She's playful and energetic, so it's quite common for her to be running around, which doesn't seem to bother Z, unless the cat is directly trying to engage her. (They are NEVER unsupervised alone.)

Thank you, everyone! I will try to be better about removing the cat.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Just a thing to know. If you have a high prey drive dog that running cat can be in danger. I know of people who have lost cats and small dogs to a dog that has high prey drive.

Drive is genetic. In the case of the dog the two animals had been together quite awhile. They were opposite sex (the high prey dog was male). They were out in a fenced yard.. the small dog started running and zooming. The large dog simply grabbed, shook without thought.. and the small dog was dead.

Dog savvy cats do not zoom around dogs. Not all cats are dog savvy.

 

[Kensi]

My dog is not particularly high prey drive- but the cat, unfortunately, is not particularly dog-savvy. I do watch them very closely- and whenever the cat is in her crazycat mode, the dog goes on leash or the cat is put upstairs, as safety precautions