# Are cats used to calm racehorses?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 26, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246 "2004-05-26T21:50:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246/1 "2004-05-26T21:50:18Z")

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I have a vague recollection from way back when that I heard cats are used to calm high-strung, nervous racehorses. I’m not able to find anything about this googling - anybody got any information on this?

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246/2 "2004-05-26T21:59:04Z")

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Tasteless joke ahead:

A little pussy goes a long way.

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**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246/3 "2004-05-26T22:20:12Z")

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I’ve been around a racetrack stable or two in my life, and I’ve seen such instances with cats, chickens, ducks, pot-bellied pigs, you name it.

It isn’t a universal technique though, many horses will simply kick the holy hell out of anything you put in the stall with them.

But for the horses who do prefer companions, they’re often kept nearby pretty much any time the horse isn’t out on the track.

I’ll see if I can turn up some cites.

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**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246/4 "2004-05-26T22:28:49Z")

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I know that’s where the term [Get you goat](http://goathavenfarm.tripod.com/) comes from.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246/5 "2004-05-27T16:40:32Z")

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> [@x-ray vision](#):
>
> I know that’s where the term [Get you goat](http://goathavenfarm.tripod.com/) comes from.

Maybe you should unlearn that factoid: [Word Detective on Goats, getting of](http://www.word-detective.com/back-j2.html#goat)

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**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-used-to-calm-racehorses/247246/6 "2004-05-27T17:09:01Z")

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Around Philly, you can’t help but hear a dozen news stories everyday about Smarty Jones. For him, the trainers [use a lead horse](http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/47-05272004-307200.html).