Caroline Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Hi Folks, Well we have two border collies. Luke is 4 and Peg is 2. They both work stock. Luke is obsessed with squirrels, bunnies etc. I have told him to leave the chickens alone and he does now. He was really obsessed with staring at my mother-in-law's aged cat. Fast forward now to my 7 year old daughter really wanting a cat. Do you think, because I corrected him to leave the chickens and it worked, that I can correct him out of pestering the cat? He would be more tempted with the cat as the cat would be inside with us sometimes. Any ideas, comments, suggestions? Thanks, Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 I think it would work. When I got 2 kittens, my old dog, Jaida (not BC) used to chase all the neighborhood cats. But she LOVED the kittens. I think the difference was she knew they were ours. The cats are now outside only cats who leave the yard but always return at least 2 times a day. Jaida never chases them, but will chase cats that aren't ours. I have taught at least 6 different dogs not to chase my now dog-savvy cats, 2 of them are BCs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 If you make it known immediately, and NEVER let him get away with chasing that cat then yes I think it would be ok. One suggestion is maybe you could get an adult cat. I dont know that I'd feel comfortable with a full grown BC who is already interested in cats goin after a kitten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Actually, getting a kitten is probably better, IMO. The kitten won't know anything different then to not be afraid of the dog and the dog might be more accepting, playing more a parental role. Just takes a watchful eye to keep things happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berocca Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 It really depends on how you want them to interact. If you want them to be the best of friends then a kitten is the way to go and you will really need to supervise them at first. If you just want them to respect each other etc then I would go for an adult cat (at least 12mnths). A few swipes from a cat will generally deter a border collie from herding them; however, a kitten isn't likely to react in that way. Delta was 6 months and Charlie was 2 years old when I got Rose (a 6 year old Siamese who had belonged to a friend's mother). I started off by feeding them yummy treats whenever they were in the same room as each other but ended up giving up on that. Delta simply decided that the only good thing about having a cat is that I fed her cat kibble as a treat, and Charlie just saw it is a time that could be better spent playing fetch All the treats in the world weren't going to change Rose's mind about the dogs anyway. If they get too close to her she gives them a hiss and they take off. They learnt pretty quickly that if they didn't heed the warning then she would scratch them. It means they are terrified of the cockatiels too as they hiss! What you would need is somewhere that the cat could get away. I have a room with a baby gate on the door so that she can get through but the dogs can't. They know how to pull the gate down but they have only done that if I have spent a lot of time in that room and they are sick of being ignored. Generally they leave her room alone. The advantage of having an area blocked off rather than lots of high places for the cat is that it gives you somewhere to put the litter box where the dogs can't go "snacking". Otherwise you may need to put the litter tray up high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 If he is obsessed with one cat he is not likely to be able to live with one 24/7 without being obsessed. It doesn't mean you can't have a cat though. I have a cat obsessed BC. I make sure my cat can get into the basement and other dog free zones for a break from being stared at. I do not tolerate chasing, poking or bothering the cat (including sitting too close). I adopted my cat from a rescue when he was a year old. He was terrified of EVERYTHING (he was feral), but he learned fairly quickly that the dogs were not allowed to chase him. Now he rules the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Maggie is actually afraid of kittens lol. She wants to run up and play with adult cats since she could do that with our last cat, but kittens freak her out because they bat at and chase her rather than lying around like our cat did. The kitten at work (my office mate was fostering him), attacked Maggie's feet and she nosed him roughly and then looked to me for help! Maggie does have pretty high prey drive (i.e. she caught a rabbit and routinely hunts for voles and squirrels); her reaction to cats is different than her reaction to other small furries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.L. Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 I think you will be fine with a cat, as long as you teach your BC that she is not to be chased and terrorized. Willow loves that cat and cleans her from time to time. The cat will go up to her and rub on her until she does. Bailey likes to play with the cat sometimes but otherwise ignores her. Ginger was the one who wanted to chase her and lunge at the cat from time to time. We have worked it out though - Ginger now knows that it is ok to lay and stare at the cat all day, but that she can't chase her and she needs to stay back about 5 feet from the cat and not be in her face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted July 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 Well I thank you for all the replies everyone. I am not inclined to allow the staring even though he isn't chasing. I find that obsessiveness not good to encourage or allow in Luke. Otherwise I think it might work. Thanks again, Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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