I’ve had both cats and dogs for most of my life, and mostly they tolerate each other at a respectful distance. But it doesn’t take much for things to go south. My elderly Staffie, who usually ignored the cats, came upon poor old Buster asleep in a spot she wanted and tore into him. Luckily I was in the next room or she would have killed him, a cat she had known since she was a puppy. His wound got infected & required some serious and expensive veterinary attention.
And the OP doesn’t just have a dog, he has a pack, none of which has ever had to share their space with a feline. Sadly, I think this might be a short, unhappy life for the cat.
QFT. When I was growing up, our multi-dog, multi-cat family included a darling torbie cat that for some reason, long since forgotten, we adopted when my piano teacher couldn’t keep her anymore.
This worked well for 3-4 years. But then one day while I was in my teens, my parents weren’t home, and I was vacuuming and listening to music so couldn’t hear any ambient noises.
Turns out one of the noises I missed was one of the dogs trapping the torbie under the couch and viciously chewing her to pieces.
Not a happy moment for anyone in my pet-loving family.
Possibly true. But having had Siamese and also several cats adopted in Indonesia or the US, I feel like there might be a (blurred) line between Asian and Western cats.
The Asian cats I’ve owned/loved/encountered:
Are extremely vocal.
Are opinionated and immediately let you know it (see: “vocal,” above).
Tend to be lanky, slinky, skinny.
Have kinks in their tails, or a genetic history of tail-kinked forebears.
The Western cats I’ve owned/loved/encountered:
Are always quiet, or only vocal in limited, predictable circumstances.
Are mysterious in terms of their opinions. It takes long, patient observation before one can definitively say, “yeah, this cat prefers to sit in the window undisturbed” or “that cat can be coaxed under the covers as long as you chirp the right tones to him.”
Can be chunky, or short of tail/legs.
Never have even the slightest hint of a knot in their tails.
So yeah, I think Siamese are different from American Short Hairs. But other Asian cats are more like Siamese than ASH cats.
Just my personal observation - not a scientifically supported hypothesis.
Well, mine are Asian style. Down to the kink in the tail.
I was led to believe this was the way westerners wanted to see Siamese and breeders developed the thinner, battier eared and more pointy snout style.
My Mother had a big bruiser of a male Siamese cat.
There was no cat ever more mouthy. My Bear is loud and very dedicated to his howling occupation. But he’s not nearly as loud as my Mothers cat was.
Also that boy was mean. Would not put up with kids or people bothering him.
Introducing a cat into a home with four large dogs—especially breeds with high energy and strong prey drives—requires thorough planning and realistic expectations. Breeds like Dobermans, Catahoulas, and Pit Bull mixes have instincts that pose risks to smaller animals, and pack dynamics can amplify those instincts, creating a potentially dangerous situation. While your love for Siamese cats is understandable, it’s important to prioritize the safety and well-being of all pets involved. A cat, especially a kitten, might struggle to feel secure in a house where the sheer size and strength disparity with the dogs could lead to harm. An adult Siamese or Siamese mix with prior dog experience may be a safer choice, as it could navigate canine behavior more effectively.
If the cat were of similar size to the dogs or larger, it would be the dogs who need protecting. Cats are top predators with superior strength, lightening-fast reflexes, and razor-sharp weaponry at their disposal. But domestic cats are much smaller than your dogs, and the numerical advantage (four dogs to one cat) further tips the balance greatly in their favor.
If you decide to proceed, ensure the transition is gradual and well monitored. Creating dog-free zones, providing a secure retreat for the cat, and reinforcing your dogs’ training are essential steps. Initial interactions should be controlled and closely monitored to minimize stress and prevent aggressive behavior. Investing time in scent introductions and rewarding calm interactions can help foster trust. Have a contingency plan ready if integration proves too difficult. With patience and preparation, a harmonious coexistence is possible, but safety must remain the top priority.
The only other thing I could suggest might not work for your household and set up, but would be wonderful to do:
IF you have a room or a space that can be absolutely 100% a No Dog Zone, get a senior cat who mostly just wants to snooze, eat, look out the window, and have some lap time. That would get you a cat friend and the cat an excellent retirement.
I also have a Doberman and two catahoulas and would like to have a cat! It definitely wouldn’t work with my guys. Sometimes I put my arms around the omega dog and say, “Oh Jack, I wish you were a kitty”, just to see the look on his face.
All I can say is that both I and multiple friends/family of mine have had mixed-species households including both dogs and cats for all of my life, over 70 years now; and never had any such incidents.
The closest I can come, in all of that time, is that a dog of mine, utterly trustworthy with her own cats through all her own life, once killed an intruding cat. And that was possibly because I accidentally shouted the wrong thing at her when I saw her barking at the cat.
I’m not saying it can’t happen – obviously if it happened to your household, then it can happen. I’m saying that, if they’ve been raised together, and if the dogs are used to the specific cat as a member of their household, it’s very rare.
But at least one of the dogs in question in the OP has not been raised with cats; and all of them might at first perceive the cat as an intruder. And, as has been pointed out, four dogs is a pack. (Three dogs is a pack. Two dogs might behave like a pack.) It might work out; but it needs to be approached with a whole lot of caution.
You’ve never met my current Senior Cat. Or a number of others I’ve known.
And most of the not-very-vocal ones have been quite clear about making their opinions known.
I don’t feel that it is, especially considering the number of dogs and the breeds of those dogs. Pit Bulls are known for not liking new members of what they consider their family. I remember one case where a guy got married and brought his new wife into his home. Within a couple of weeks, he came home and found the corpse of his horribly mutilated wife. There have been cases where newborns brought into a home have been attacked and even killed. So, a cat?
My sister has a pack of cats and a dog. The cats and dogs have changed over the years, but it’s always been one dog and 2-5 cats.
The dogs (all German shepherds) have varied. One attacked the cats. She grabbed one’s head in her mouth, in what was intended as a dominance display, not a prey attack. The cat survived, but extensive training followed. Another treated the cats like they were her puppies. The current dog is protective of her cats. The dogs were all rescues and most didn’t grow up with cats, fwiw.
I had a German shepherd who used to pick up my cat by the head and carry her around. He’d drop her if I told him to, but she’d run right back over to him. She loved dogs. When I lost the GSD, and the other dogs just ignored her, she was really upset. Her whole life she tried to buddy up with the dogs.
I agree with you. My anecdote doesn’t involve animals that were raised together; rather, the cat in question was a latecomer to the household. Also, FWIW, the dog that attacked was a breed that has a strong hunting instinct for small prey - a Dandy Dinmont terrier.
The situation the OP faces probably bears more similarity to the one in my anecdote than to a household of pets that were raised together, which is why I shared it.
Dogs and cats recognize each other as members of the same family they pick up on that pretty quick you got to be careful when you’re first introducing it for but after the initial introduction it’s not usually a problem. I’ve always had at least two hunting dogs with a strong crave drive and one cat. Never been an issue. I would introduce the dogs one at a time though
I had a dog and cat who used to play like that. The first time I saw the dog dragging the cat along with the cat’s head in her mouth I ran outside screaming. They both stopped and looked at me – what’s the matter, Mom? We’re having fun!
The cat was never injured in the slightest.
My household has some turnover during any given creature’s lifetime. I had a neighbor, back when I was in my late 20’s, who had three cats – all from the same litter. They all died within months of each other, leaving her catless. I didn’t think I could stand it; and since then have always had cats of varying ages, to reduce the chance of that happening as much as possible.
I don’t have more than one dog at a time, though; except once briefly when I got a puppy while the old dog was still living. The old dog wasn’t really happy about that, though; I think she’d have been ecstatic when she was younger, but she wasn’t up to it any longer.
My cat says “Fiddle I fee.” 