Hey everyone! Having a bit of a dilemma and could use some advice....

My husky is 2 and has a very high prey drive, as in going insane is he see's a smaller prey animal...And last year my townhouse neighbor got a new cat, and the thing is he is an out door cat Now whenever the cat comes out or has to get back in side he has to jump onto our deck then hop off, and so if my husky see's him from inside he will go crazy and start to whine.

Here's the issue, this summer I'm finishing up my yard where I'll let my husky run around and have fun, but I been going crazy over this cat issue. Once the fence is up and the cat were to stumble into my yard like he always does, my husky will DEFINITELY try and catch and hurt him.

Even now I'm terrified that if this were to happen they will take my husky away, even though it happened on my property. I've casually brought this up to the neighbor and they sorta brushed it off and said "he'll just run away".

It kind of makes me angry that my husky wont even be able to stay outside without someone's supervision. While my neighbors let their dogs stay out without a single worry.


This cat has even killed a few rabbit's and birds in MY backyard.

I'll bet that if you take the husky out on leash while the cat is out and let the dog lunge at the cat, with a long enough leash so cat will get scared but not hurt, cat will learn fairly quickly it's not healthy to be around that dog.

But. I don't know your townhouse setup but Huskies are runners, jumpers, climbers and burrowers. I would be be leary of letting the dog out without supervision.

If you could even get close to the cat with a leash, I wouldn't try it. There's a chance the dog will catch and maim the cat right then and there. If something does happen to the cat in your yard that's outside of your control, I would just bury it and say nothing. The cat owner is being irresponsible and everyone I know who has had an outdoor cat has had them disappear at some point. I don't want to be heartless to the cat, but I wouldn't want to see your husky unfairly blamed for another owner's careless actions.

We have cat issues also and dont let ours out unsupervised. Of course our cat issues involve mountain lions. But i do have 2 dogs that kill cats. The neighborhood ferel ones have learned to stay outside the fence. Cats are smarter then peolle give them credit for. I would do what amy said about letting the dog chase the cat on a leash. That may save the cats life one day.

Lostmaniac wrote:

We have cat issues also and dont let ours out unsupervised. Of course our cat issues involve mountain lions. But i do have 2 dogs that kill cats. The neighborhood ferel ones have learned to stay outside the fence. Cats are smarter then peolle give them credit for. I would do what amy said about letting the dog chase the cat on a leash. That may save the cats life one day.

That's a lot different. Mountain lions . In CO I remember I never let the dogs stay out on the deck unattended because bears were known to climb up to second story decks looking for a snack.

I've tried the 'let the dog harass a cat on leash' thing and the cat always just sits there and growls which riles up the dog even more. The cats still always came back. I would never let the leashed dog get close to the cat, though.

Bears are easy. Its noise. Lions you wont see until it is too late. Outdoor cats are an issue to anyone with a dog not just huskies. Here its usually coyotes that get them.

So of your husky proofing to keep the dog in, alot of those will also keep a cat out. So does hazing the cat with a hose. Ive seen it work on my cat from hell several times.

Kavik_the_Havoc wrote:

If you could even get close to the cat with a leash, I wouldn't try it. There's a chance the dog will catch and maim the cat right then and there. If something does happen to the cat in your yard that's outside of your control, I would just bury it and say nothing. The cat owner is being irresponsible and everyone I know who has had an outdoor cat has had them disappear at some point. I don't want to be heartless to the cat, but I wouldn't want to see your husky unfairly blamed for another owner's careless actions.

That's a good point. If someone heard that a husky killed a cat, everyone will start to point fingers and label him as an aggressive dog that's a danger to the community.

amymeme wrote:

I'll bet that if you take the husky out on leash while the cat is out and let the dog lunge at the cat, with a long enough leash so cat will get scared but not hurt, cat will learn fairly quickly it's not healthy to be around that dog.

But. I don't know your townhouse setup but Huskies are runners, jumpers, climbers and burrowers. I would be better least of letting the dog out without supervision.

I'll give this a try, and hopefully scare the living hell out of the cat! For his safety!

Thanks for all the tips guys!
I managed to get a video of my lunatic when he spotted the cat a while back.

Just to make sure, this isn't playful behavior right?!...Like he's not acting like this because he wants to go and greet him and just play right?

Lostmaniac wrote:

Bears are easy. Its noise. Lions you wont see until it is too late. Outdoor cats are an issue to anyone with a dog not just huskies.  Here its usually coyotes that get them.  

So of your husky proofing to keep the dog in, alot of those will also keep a cat out. So does hazing the cat with a hose. Ive seen it work on my cat from hell several times.

That's true. I was always way more afraid of having a run in with a mountain lion, especially when walking the dog. I had an idiot neighbor who would feed the deer which attracted bears. They did get a bear on their deck because of this.

My parents are out in the country still, not CO, and some neighbor always lets their husky run loose and it comes to their house all the time. They've tried talking to the owner but they don't care to put the dog up. I'm worried it will get run over, stolen, attacked by feral dogs, feral hogs, or coyotes...Or harmed because they went after a neighbors chickens. The husky even came to my parents house to shelter on their patio when a nasty set of thunderstorms rolled through. It's against the law here to not bring your dog in during severe weather events. It's just not a good idea to let pets free roam.

dinf22 wrote:

Thanks for all the tips guys!
I managed to get a video of my lunatic when he spotted the cat a while back.
Just to make sure, this isn't playful behavior right?!...Like he's not acting like this because he wants to go and greet him and just play right?

That cat has a death wish.

One of 2 things will happen. The dog will attack and kill the cat, or the cat will get away and never come back.

When we first got Ami, we had a cat with major attitude. She really belonged to the neighbors but she terrorized their dogs so they booted her out to be a barn cat. She liked our accommodations better and we sort of adopted her as an outdoor visitor cat.

Ami came to live with us, she started to try attitude, he was on a 12 ft line and lunged as only a prey driven 1 year old husky can do. In a split second, I was in need of a new shoulder and she was up a tree, contemplating the new hierarchy.  Cat lived a long life, died a natural death and learned to avoid dog at all costs. Fortunately, we have lots and lots of trees

Except for the bobcat, I can't picture 90% of this conversation. Avalanche and Sky will chase rabbits - no indication that they've ever caught one. Sasha did until she realized that the rabbits could simply outhop her.

All my dogs, at one time or another, have had the "Back off buster!" routine from one cat or another and now they're all friendly and respectful of the cats. Avalanche will chase but it's obvious he has no ill intent - the cat stops, he stops (maybe that's just experience showing?); Sky and Sasha pretty much just ignore them unless the cat gets too irritating - like grabbing a swinging tale.

I'd love to see a picture of Ami up a tree .... that's got me laughing without the picture!

@aljones Ami. Ami is a he! Pronounced Ah-mee. Hebrew name: https://www.kveller.com/jewish-baby-name/ami/

She... She is cat... Hey name was PC. Short for pussy cat, later prick cat 'cause she had so much attitude.


Ami is an efficient, stealthy killer of small animals. He catches birds in flight, woodchucks. Raccoons. Rabbits. From behind .. Quiet as a mouse, quick as a meteor, gets them by the back of the neck and snap! They're gone. PC had all the dogs in her house totally terrorized, of they wandered over here and PC even looked their way, the ram back home as quick as can be. Not with Ami. The HE Ah-mee ( like the tattoo artist on inked I believe he was named for). One glance at Ami and PC was gone.

I know that!  Just as I read your post, I pictured Ami up the tree ... had to reread it to make sure what you meant though.

Just back from my annual physical ... doctor says I'm gonna die.  He also said he didn't know how or when and probably not soon but I'm gonna die.   Also had the normal comment "I hope I'm going to be in the shape you're in when I'm your age."  He's a new to me doctor at the clinic I use and I appreciate his sense of humor ... get so tired of the authoritive, father figure (they think) doctors.

ETA: To be fair, his answer was to my question of "Well, what's the verdict?"

Mine all eat small animals that come in the yard. But only 2 kill cats. Spider really likes cats, even the office cat at the vet office that beat her up. Sometimes i think squirt is mentally ill. Sometimes she just isnt quite right.

I went to the dr today also. Had a repeat ekg. Same inverted t waves as 3 weeks ago. Combined with the other things ots always great to hear "something is wrong, but i have no idea what it is" she ordered so many labs i have to go back tomorrow because the hospital was afraid to let me drive if they did it all at once. I am a realist, i appreciate honesty much more then false hope. Now i just have to keep my fingers crossed i get accepted by uchealth.

So the realist in me says the dog and cat will work it out, or they wont and there is only so much you can do about it. Even if you are there, and your dog isnt leashed the worst can happen. We had 2 cats, one grew up with squirt. After she turned 3 she killed both of them. Shit happens. I had never had a dog kill a cat before that.

Lostmaniac wrote:

One of 2 things will happen. The dog will attack and kill the cat, or the cat will get away and never come back.

Guess your right.....A while back one of my friends saw my husky do this and said "he's probably really eager and excited to meet the cat and wouldn't harm it". Initially I thought maybe he was right..

aljones wrote:

I know that!  Just as I read your post, I pictured Ami up the tree ... had to reread it to make sure what you meant though.

Just back from my annual physical ... doctor says I'm gonna die.  He also said he didn't know how or when and probably not soon but I'm gonna die.   Also had the normal comment "I hope I'm going to be in the shape you're in when I'm your age."  He's a new to me doctor at the clinic I use and I appreciate his sense of humor ... get so tired of the authoritive, father figure (they think) doctors.

ETA:  To be fair, his answer was to my question of "Well, what's the verdict?"

Glad to hear you are fit as a fiddle, Al.

As for climbing trees...I forgot about Z'ev. I can't tether him to a tree to even go in the house to get something I forgot before a walk. The little bugger has climbed trees, gets his leash tangled and then tries to jump down. That little idiot takes constant supervision

@dinf22 Gotta get back on topic, sorry for my aside. Re your video, I have to agree with the other comments - nope, that's not a request to play, that's a request to be allowed to destroy the trespasser.

Avalanche will actually play bow to my cats, and even when there are growls involved all of my dogs have been treated to the 20 claws method of protection and know it's either play / chase nice or get clawed again.

Squirt has taught me most of my assumptions about dogs were mostly wrong. I watched the vid and yes your dog wants to kill that cat. That cat is not stupid and is already on guard. Once the dog has the back deck the cat will stop coming by. Your neighbors have been warned and i would let the animals settle it. But if you do that make sure the cat has an escape route that the dog cant get through/over so the cat has a chance. There is an inherent risk to owning an outdoor cat and that includes neighborhood dogs as long as the cat is in the dogs place and not the dog going onto the cat property in most places. We have 2 great pyrenees running wild murdering cats and small dogs and we have been told we can shoot them or do nothing, the sheriff dept will only get involved if livestock are killed. Most places wouldnt even hold you liable for vet bills on the cat if your dog did injure it.

Now if that was squirt in the vid it really would have looked like she wanted to play. Thats her ploy. She makes animals feel like they are playing and then attacks out of nowhere. And now my other 3 are not allowed to play with other dogs because i am worried either they will do the same thing or another dog will turn and attack them. I know its squirt, but now i see that potential in every dog.