I might be getting a Siberian Husky!

In My Humble Opinion
1

And I’m pretty nervous about it.

Background: Very good friends of mine are about to have their second child, and have decided that they have been neglecting the poor fella, and it’s not going to get any better with another rug rat around.

They have asked around about someone to take him, and have turned down 2 offers to take him already. My wife and I are going to take him for a weekend and introduce him to our cats, and see if they get along. I know Frost (the husky) will be fine, since he’s a great dog, not alpha at all surprisingly, and just wants to be friends with everyone.

Now, I’m familiar with Huskies as a breed, and well aware of their particular needs and quirks. Any advice on introducing them to my cats? I’ve heard there are ways to do this, but my google fu is weak today.

2

I had several of their larger cousins, Alaskan Malamutes growing up. They were great dogs and not overly aggressive or anything like that. We had cats as well and I often had to introduce new dogs to our cats. You can do a first exposure with a leash and let the dog get fairly close to the cat. Stay with them and keep them sperated while they smell either other out. Let them know you are in control. Repeat a few times as necessary. It is very likely the cats will be the bigger problems. Cats hold a grudge whereas dogs don’t usually hold one against them.

It is likely the cats will be really pissy for a while but it is a rare dog that will actually attach a cat in the house (or the yard). From there, it just takes time.

I have a sled dog now (a Samoyed) as well as a semi-feral cat. The cat isn’t phased in the least by the dog.

3

Pretty much what Shagnasty said.

Walk the dog around like it’s no big deal, nothing to see here, walk past the cat a couple times. Since the cat most likely won’t come to you, holding a short leash (not taut, no tension on the leash but short enough that if the dog lunges/ cat attacks you can pull back quickly) walk up with the dog in a casual way. If at any point the cat looks like it is going to break and run (which can trigger a predatory response from the dog) turn around and walk out with the dog, praising him for being a good boy or whatever.

If the dog is rigid/shaking or pulling hard with excitement to meet the cat, take the dog out like you just wanted to take a walk around the yard anyway. Speak in a soothing voice throughout, don’t make the cat the main objective in the room, because it can set up the expectation of the cat as a target. Take it slow and easy.

It’s a fine line–some dogs are completely disinterested, but when the cat runs, it’s snacktime. Others can seem overstimulated and excited but as soon as the novelty wears off, the cat is just the thing which produces delicious little clay-crumb coated sausages & nothing more.

In the first month when the cat and dog are together in a room, you’ll need to be there and the dog should be on a leash, it can be a nice long training lead so you don’t have to hold it all the time, just step on it if there’s a problem, or you can hook a 6’ to you and work on the bonding and heel. A new dog in the house should be started from square one just like a puppy anyway.

The two should never be left alone unsupervised together until, well, time values are a bit arbitrary because everyone’s different, but two months. That should be plenty of time to assess how much potential for trouble there is. Some animals are mischief-makers while they’re home alone, so better safe than sorry.

I used to do dog-cat safe testing at a rescue and adoption counseling. I hope this info was helpful. I love SHs; high energy but worth it, the ones I’ve known were big hairy lovey clowns. A blowing coat is quite a sight to behold.

Good luck!

4

sorry, but I somewhat doubt that you are familiar …

a.) your husky **will eat your cats ** (period) … I know for sure that the 2 huskies of my friend ate mine - in front of my eyes

b.) huskies will also eat your car or motorbike - another friend of mine got his honda literally eaten up by his huskie … (including the tires! - that dog eats TIRES!!!) … they even found metal parts and bolts in the dogs stool … damage - about $3k

c.) huskies are more “escapists” than hudini - my friend (the first one again) got into serious troubles when his husky escaped, ran over to a park and ate a little rabbit in front on a kid who took the bunny to the park to play with it… police/lynch-mob w/ torches… well you get the pic… VERY embarrasing
I have had about 20+ dogs in my life, from toy-poodle, plenty of street-dogs, german sheppards to Rottweilers and consider myself rather knowledgable on the subject… and I can HONESTLY say that the huskies have more wolf-blood in them than any other breed I have seen. Be prepared for 5x5ft holes in your garden (hip-deep), next to the fence and the problems I mentioned above

I dont “dislike” them, I just tell you that they are the highest maintainence type of breed there is… their big problem … if they see a critter running (anywhere from hamster to cat/small dog) the go to instant killing mode.

food for thought
alfred

5

add on …

None of them had shown any signs of agression towards people … so no worry there … but small animals somewhere near - and they go berserk

6

I practically grew up with a Husky mix in the house and she had absolutely no interest in eating our cats, hamsters, mice, or vehicles. She even adopted an orphaned baby possum at one point. I submit that your friends didn’t train theirs very well.

7

Yeah, I have to agree with this, Al128. Sounds like your friend had a training and socializing problem, not a husky problem. I’ll be more inclined to take Tortuga’s advice (and thank you for it, Tortuga!).

FYI, the dog is coming from a house that has 2 cats already. He finds them mildly entertaining, and plays with them sometimes. The bigger cat is a bit aggressive though, so the dog tends not to play with him too much. He’s not fond of nose scratches.

8

Anecdotal evidence notwithstanding, Al128 is correct about Huskies and cats/small animals, generally speaking. (The “more wolf-blood” comment, on the other hand, … :rolleyes: ) Let’s just assume he meant something more like “have been less selectively bred to deviate from their ancestors than other breeds.”

However, since you say that Frost was raised with cats and has shown no signs of regarding them as “prey”, he may be an exception to the generality, as may be the other examples given. That doesn’t make the generality unfounded or incorrect. Most or all dog breeders/fanciers will back up the statement that Huskies are not generally good with cats and small animals.

I would add a small bit to Tortuga’s and Shagnasty’s advice: before letting the animals see one another, put them in separate rooms with a door between that allows them to sniff & become familiar with one anothers’ scents. Then, try bringing an item with the cats’ scents in the same room as the dog, and vice versa, before actually putting them together. And whatever you do, don’t rush the introduction! This whole thing should ideally take a few days at the least before they are actually in the same room together, even with the dog on a leash.

9

I had a husky growing up. He was an outside dog for the first 8-9 years of his life, but never bothered any of the local wildlife that we knew of, with the exception of a couple of rabbits that strayed too close. He benefitted greatly from being trained at a very young age that he was not the alpha dog. He was wonderful with us kids, and never bothered the cats when we moved into an apartment. They do require lots and lots of exercise (my dad used to walk Kody for about an hour a day) and brushing. Good God - you’ll be shocked at how much hair comes out of these guys when they’re shedding.

Hey - how come nobody’s clamoring for pics yet?? I wanna see your new furry baby as soon as he comes home!

10

i agree. i want pics. they’re beautiful animals and, dammit, we always need more puppy pics.

11

It’s been almost 20 years but I still miss ours. :frowning:

12

That reminds me, we had a dog run in the back yard for ours until we moved to houses with fenced yards. She still got taken out for a walk every night by one of us.