Malamute and my cats...

[ChrystalR]

Hey everyone! I just adopted (last night) a one year old malamute. She's a beauty and such a sweetie. I adopted her straight from her previous owner, who was heart broken that she had to see her go. She told me that she has lived with cats before and did fine with them. I have two cats and now that she's here, I'm so nervous about introducing them. I know about the prey drive this breed has. I felt fine after talking to her previous owner.... but I'm so nervous now! I did a bunch of research and wasn't going to adopt a malamute (because of my kitties) but when I came across this one and the owner said she was fine with cats, I thought that it might work. I've always loved the breed but I have always owned cats. Can anyone suggest how to introduce them all? I'm not ever going to leave them alone together, even if she does seem to get along with them fine. Any tips or suggestions? Our dogs sleep in dog beds, the cats usually sleep under the covers with us. Would she go after them at night if they're all left to roam the house?

Thank you so much! (I have a lab mix, and after meeting him they got along fine after a couple of minutes, though she did snap at him during their dinner when he got too close to her bowl, but they're playing fine. She's very playful!)

[kian]

Malamutes have a very high prey drive and you need to know if the cats were very docile, not prone to running. Cats that run can trigger that drive, best to give the cats high places. Introduce them slowly, one at a time and by all means make sure the cats have a safe escape route. Keep a leash on your dog incase you need to grab it, make sure your dog knows boundaries with the cats. Be firm!

Another member here had a Malamute with other pets around, hopefully she comes around and can offer some advice as well.

Your smart not to leave them alone together.

[virgilsmama]

Kian, I always love to read your advice, you are succinct and all encompassing. You are a talented trainer! I will be writing to soon about a problem with Buddy!

[Nileska]

I once had a Malemute who we raised with a kitten of equal age..They got along fine and the Mal never considered harming the cat..The cat DID pull dirty tricks on the dog to try to get her in trouble I did notice that the previous owner said she was good with Cats so she must have grown up with them but she must get acquainted the new kitties so as Kian has said,exercise caution and all will go well....Good Luck

My Siberian Huskies allways thought of Cats as "fast food",I would never trust any of them with any Cat..When my OH and I were married ( 30 years ago ) she bought along an 11 year old son,a GSD and two Keeshonden..She had to leave her sweet old Cat with her EX because of my Huskies.They never actually got a Cat but they would go into LUNCHTIME !!! mode when they saw one.Squriels and Possums were fair game however if they were found in THIER kennel yard.

Kian has pretty much covered the subject of the Cat's safety,they need an escape route and a safe place to hide well above the dogs reach ( just in case ) ...Some dogs are fine with Cats but northern breeds typically had to hunt for their own food during the off season since they were not fed when they were not working,only the ancestors of the survivors are with us today.

[1dog1cat]

I have always had cats with my dogs, and never had an issue. I've adopted a 4 year old Rottie that would chase cats , but not HIS cats. (those that lived in the house with him and shared his yard). I have had a German Shep/Rottie mix that never looked at a cat with malice. My pugs were never a problem. I now own a Pit and she will chase kitties. But again, not those in her house. My kitty has had to put her in her place a few times. Which is what she needed.
I have introduced them all slowly to each other, kept an eye on the dog, and always had an escape place for the kitties.
Although I haven't ever owned a Mal. I am sure you can find a way to have peace in your home.
Give string encouragement when your dog shows proper kitty behavior. No lunging, intent staring, stalking, and so on.
Wish you luck! Give your new pup a pat from me!!!

[nezza]

I don't know how i missed this thread. I wonder how the OP is doing?

To "1 Dog 1 Cat" Malamutes and Huskies are NOT like, for example, Rotties or Shepherds. While most dogs can live in harmony with other animals, no other dog has a prey drive to the extent of Mals and Huskies.

Now, Malamutes can live in complete happiness with a kitty friend if they were introduced at a young age. That being said, there still must be steps taken to ensure the safety of all. The kitty must have an easy escape route that the Mal would not be able to access. Something kitty can jump up onto, or crawl under, if she has to get away. There is no possible way of taking that prey drive out of this breed and that always MUST be in their owner's mind. Malamutes are MUCH quicker than they look. And, when they go after something...it usually does not end well for whatever they were going after. Malamutes fight to kill. Period. Yet, they are such gentle giants with their humans.

Willie got along great with female dogs. He did not like un-neutered males. I took a pretty bad fall last year when he went after one of our males. I was trying to break it apart and fell off the back stoop behind the house. If i had not broken it up, it would have been a bad situation. His prey drive was incredibly strong (as those of you who know me here, are aware of that). I would never for a minute trust Willie with a cat because he was not raised with cats.

This is my favorite breed, obviously. If you would like to learn more, you can check out my thread...i think it's pretty extensive with helpful links. It should answer any question you have...

http://www.dailypuppy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=7907

I just added this link on Mals and Cats from my favorite Mal site...i'll add it here, too...
http://omalmalamutes.com/omal/cats.htm

[kian]

Thank you Nezza! To the OP please take Nezza's info and study it, she knows the mind of a Malamute.

[nezza]