# Dog eating...? (SENSITIVE subject!)



## Animal Quackers (Jul 10, 2010)

Those of you with sensitivity issues regarding raw feeding, PLEASE don't read this! I do not wish to offend ANYONE! You have been warned!




My husband and I struck up a very ODD conversation today, and I wanted some input...

We have a 17+ year old cat who is not sure about the newly acquired dogs yet. Hurley encountered her in the hallway, and playfully started barking. Abby hissed, and I broke it up.

Mark and I witnessed this, and I said, "This is why I don't ever want to feed the dogs anything that RESEMBLES an animal - a whole chicken, a whole rabbit, etc. I do not want them to start to think of our cats as prey."

Mark said, "I do not think a dog would eat a cat." I said, "Why not? It is meat!" He said, "I do not think a dog would ever associate a cat as a meal." I said, "WHY NOT?" He said, "Ask the forum!"

SO...here I am with an icky question...Have any of you ever fed cat to your dogs, and I certainly do not mean a LIVE cat, but maybe one that you found dead on the road?  What about WHOLE rabbit, with fur and all? 

We also have two pet rabbits who have a pretty big open pen in the cellar, and our dogs are very interested in them - I tend to think it is because the dogs want to play, but I am not positive...

This is why I never want to offer the dogs anything to eat that does not look like a meat PART - thigh, breast, roast....so that they do not get the idea that any other pet they live with could be considered a meal.

I would love to hear from some of you on this...

THANKS, and sorry for the gross subject!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I have 2 cats that live with my 3 dogs, they DO NOT look at them as prey, and no I have never or will never feed them a cat, this is a domesticated animal.

I do however feed my dogs rabbit, not with fur on but whole rabbit skinned. There are several raw feeders I know of who feed their dogs whole fur on rabbits with no issue, it is a prey animal and one the wolves would eat. I think if the humane society found out anyone was feeding cat to thier dogs they would get in BIG trouble!


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## Animal Quackers (Jul 10, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> I think if the humane society found out anyone was feeding cat to thier dogs they would get in BIG trouble!


PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE know I am NOT advocating this!!! The question came from a place of safety concerns for my cats and bunnies!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

I am pretty sure that if a dog sees a cat as part of its "pack" and family, it is not seen as a potential meal. Just my way of thinking....:smile:


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Oh I know that! But in some countries it probably happens.


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## Animal Quackers (Jul 10, 2010)

I am not sure I asked my question clearly....and I feel kind of sick that anyone would think I have ANY plans EVER to feed my dogs cats or live rabbits...

What I meant was, if you feed your dogs dead animals - say the dead but furry rabbit whiteleo mentioned some here feed, would my dogs then begin to see our pet rabbits as lunch, or even see our furry live cats as lunch...

Really, I have NO DESIRE to feed anything with fur to my dogs, and ABSOULTELY NOT anything LIVING to my dogs...I just want to make sure my cats and rabbits are not seen or will ever become seen as potential lunch to my dogs.

Thanks so much, and again, I apologize for the sensitive subject.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I don't think you have any worries there. Breakfast and Dinner come from the firdge and the humans, it is dead regardless of what it may be, rabbit, chicken, etc. 

Dogs do know the difference.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I wouldn't ever feed a dead cat to the dogs...don't want to give them any ideas


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## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

Simply put no, I don't think your dogs would see your cats as a meal. 

I go by the rule of not feeding animals with pointy teeth to the dog. That means no other carnivores, no cats, dogs, possums, raccoons, bears, etc.

He does eat rabbit, but I don't think he would connect that a real one and dinner are one and the same. 

However, a dog that is used to eating fur or feathers on whole prey might not have that distinction.


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## Animal Quackers (Jul 10, 2010)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU one and all...I feel better!

When my little Abby cat hissed at the dogs, I just got really afraid for her safety for half a second...I have NEVER seen ANY signs of aggression toward the cats from my dogs, but I can not imagine a worse thing than coming home to find my cats were lunch...Oh God, that would literally put me over the edge.

Again, I really apologize for the gross topic, but appreciate you all for putting my worst fears to rest!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Don't apologize! We raw feeders are used to controversial topics LOL

Better to ask then leave you wondering!


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

I don't think you have anything to worry about. My bird hisses at my dog if he gets too close to her when she's not in the mood to play. Other than that, they coexist peacefully. He's been around her ever since he came home as a puppy, so I think he sees her as part of the family. It did cross my mind that he might think of her as an edible chicken though


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I wouldn't worry about cats but I'm not so sure about rabbits. My dogs AND cats catch, kill, and eat wild rabbits pretty regularly. It probably depends on the situation. If your dog sees the rabbits as family members, he probably won't eat them.


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

i dont feed raw, i just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

my dogs would DEFINITELY kill and and eat a cat or rabbit outside.
but they wouldnt my house rabbits or my house cat. no way.

i think even if i regularly fed my dogs rabbit with fur and all that they would still be fine with my rabbits that i have. they just seem to know that the rabbits and the cat in the house are pets.
outside they are food.


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## Animal Quackers (Jul 10, 2010)

Thank you all again...I really apreciate the input - and I like the unanimous opinion, too!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I'm going to chime in, and perhaps make enemies. 
I HAVE given a live rabbit to my dogs. It was bred and raised as snake food, and the little thing was a jerk. Was it sad? Sure, if you get mushy about it. They didn't make the rabbit suffer... ohhhh no, it was a very...very fast death. 
So, those who will be mad over it, go ahead, be mad... the rabbit was either going to be my dog's dinner, or a snake's dinner. 

My dogs have NEVER gone after my cat, not before, not after, and none of them were "raised" with cats by any means. Would they kill a pet rabbit? No idea. I know that when I "babysat" my friend's ferret, they showed no interest in it, and that was AFTER the live rabbit.


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## PalmettoPaws (Dec 30, 2009)

If the dogs are taught to leave the cat and rabbits alone then I think you will be fine. That being said, yes a dog will see a cat as a meal. My cousin's dog unfortunately killed several cats in the past and yes she did consume them. So it does happen, but that doesn't mean your cat or rabbits are at risk.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

My dog that is on raw loves and cuddles my kitty and would never ever eat my cat!!! However, I did hve a dog in the passed that killed and ate my kitten. Only left pieces of my poor poor kitty. I was so sad. But I think that was just because my dog had never been around cats and my kitten got in the yard and....it was just awful. So A dog may eat a cat but not because its fed raw, but just because they are meat eaters and they chase what runs. Not all dogs do this of course, my dog I have now loves cuddling my kitty like I said. I think it how the dog is raised that has alot to do with it.


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## k9capture_16 (Aug 23, 2010)

I have a cat and 2 dogs. Both are fed near the cat and not one views them as dinner. Even cats outside he wants to play with. Now..the rats I had he was fine with..Rabbits if I had one I am sure he would be fine with...but as for seeing bugs bunny outside and squirels I dunno if he would kill them. He may look different at them if i owned one and showed him its not food..cats before he would wanna eat..now that I got them in the house he is fine..he sleeps with them..lol


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## GypsyJazmine (Sep 23, 2010)

My dogs eat rabbit on occasion & will kill & eat a wild rabbit but they cuddle with & groom my free range house bunny as they did with the guinea pigs when we had them.:smile:
2 of my dogs are working guardians who guard goats & chickens...Even though they get frequent raw chicken meals they have never harmed their charges.:smile:


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

I do think that a dog would eat a cat because I have seen it happen.

However, I do not think your dog will eat your cat if, as Sara said earlier, they recognize that cat as part of the family. I won't go in to all of that since my reply would then belong on the training portion of this forum but I think if they are trained properly, they'll only be interested in playing with the cat. I think the same can be said of the bunnies. Ultimately, it's about the dog respecting you.


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## NatureLover (Sep 28, 2010)

Generally speaking, carnivorous animals don't eat each other. Wild dogs sometimes kill domestic dogs, but they don't eat them. I had it happen to a dog of mine once, the coyotes surrounded him (there was fresh snow on the ground), killed him and ate only the contents of his stomach. Dogs do kill cats, as well, even though they have no interest in eating them. So it's good to be cautious. If a dog is crazed with excitement at seeing a cat close up, or is particularly prey driven, and the cat reacts defensively, things can escalate very quickly and the cat will almost always be the loser. If a dog fixates on a cat without breaking gaze, it's a dangerous situation. If the dog looks away, investigates other things or responds to you when you say his name, you have a window for reconditioning his behavior. Watch for him to look away or pay attention to *anything* other than the cat (but only when the cat is in the room) and reward it with praise and treats. You have to be on your toes and reward the behavior you want to see. Most people tend to ignore the good behavior and punish the bad, which is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

NatureLover said:


> Most people tend to ignore the good behavior and punish the bad, which is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen.


Very true. This is what causes a great many behavior problems in dogs.

I also agree that generally carnivores don't eat other carnivores but they will kill them. Also dogs generally see family cats as members of the pack.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

NatureLover said:


> You have to be on your toes and reward the behavior you want to see. Most people tend to ignore the good behavior and punish the bad, which is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen.


Very good advice. I have one dog that could not care less about the cats and one dog that wants to play, investigate, sniff at them and I've been teaching him to back off. He's been swatted and hissed at by the cats as well. 

I do correct him when he's messing with the cats but I have forgotten, a number of times, to take the time to reward him for leaving them alone when I tell him to...you're right, I need to stop what I'm doing and take that time to reward him each and every time. He's still a puppy, this is when I must do this. Thank you for the big reminder.


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

As there is a warning on the top of this thread i feel safe that I can add my some what gross out comments about cats. 

I used to work for one of the big supermarkets in england where we sold a range of rabbit containing products for human consumption. We imported the rabbit from china. We were sent a memo (all on the hush hush) which requested us to remove all of the rabbit products from the shelves (not to bad)

The reason for this was that we had been shipped dressed cat not rabbit to add to the foods. Apparently a cat when stripped, gutted and strung looks exactly the same as a chinese giant rabbit. 

So even though people may not what to they may have inadvertently being chowing down on a nice bit of feline without ever knowing. 
I dread to think what they would put in there dog food!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think I would feed my dog cat, but then I don't know if becka is able to tell that the chicken I feed comes from real chickens, as she had no interested in chasing live chickens when they have met!


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## mindy (Sep 16, 2010)

i have 2 cats and 2 ferrets along with my 2 dogs. my boys know that the cats are a part of the family and they generally leave them alone. brom has a pretty strong prey drive and would chase blue (my tiny siamese cat) when he was a pup. every now and then if she runs past them they will start to follow but will stop when i call them back. right now blue and brom are cuddled on the couch together. iorek is afraid of my big cat and won't even pass him in the hallway! brom will groom my big cat. a cat outside is a totally different story though. i don't let them get close to a cat outside but they make all kinds of different sounds and really want to "see" the cat.

my ferrets are also a different story. iorek looks at them as playmates, i am sure. they do not interact because iorek is 60 lb and could easily squash them without realizing it. brom looks at them as lunch i am pretty sure. i have tried taking a ferret out and letting brom sniff the ferret while the ferret sniffs him and i talk to him in a soft voice and tell him he is being a good boy. he is tolerant of the ferret stepping on his muzzle to smell his ears and eyes but i could not put the ferret on the floor because it would be snapped up in a second. brom does not look at the ferrets as a part of his pack. he grew up with the ferrets since he was 5 1/2 weeks old and still would eat them.

the funny thing is about brom though, is that he is not interested in the least in squirrels and animals like that outside. only cats grab his attention. weird.

both my boys eat raw but i haven't fed them any animals with fur. but, i am hoping to get rabbits this winter for them. a friend of ours said that he would trap them for us.  (sorry to the bunny owners)

so, all this boils down to, no, my dogs would not eat MY cats but i am not sure what they would do with an outside cat. oh, they don't bother with my inlaws' cats either but they do want to chase them.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

when malia was younger, we lived in georgia....and there were cat owners whose cats regularly had litters......

they would be outdoor cats and malia ran with a pack of lab mixes....whilst she never ate a cat that i know of....she was part of the group who killed lizards, cats, rats, and i believe the pack took down a baby boar....

when we moved back to washington, she was at my sister in law's house who has two cats....and she never went after them. if anything, they went after her. she just laid on her back.

she does eat rabbit...although after that story, eternal student, i may not buy rabbit from china again...

my friends in philadelphia owned a chinese restaurant and i used to eat at their house....they ate cat...so i'm pretty sure i've had cat.....

we may keep them as pets....but they are food sources in other cultures....

and we do eat bambi and thumper....nothing finer than rabbit stew....

sorry to the bunny owners, but i've eaten rabbit, my dogs eat rabbit...and i guarantee if i let them off their leashes, they would chase down and kill rabbits outside.....probably eat them...

don't know about cats...anymore...since we no longer live around them.

maybe feral cats....


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## bumblegoat (May 12, 2010)

I have two cats, and I we had another one until quite recently. I also had a stray kitten I found around a year ago, and she was here a week or two. I have never had any problems having my dog and cats together.

My dog respected my previous cat, and he was quite old when we got the dog, around 10 years, and had no prior experience with dogs. They never became friends, but they tolerated each other.

The second cat though, who was a kitten when we got him, did not like my dog the first day or so, but after that they have been the best buddies ever. They love to wrestle and chase each other in the yard. It's really fun to watch!

The third cat, which I got almost four months ago, is 9 years old and she does not like my dog. The dog would love to play with her, but when he gets too close he gets slapped in the face. Like our first cat, these two don't like each other, but they can peacefully co-exist.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Back in college I rescued a starving, tick infested female Rottweiler. She was chained up in the back yard next to where I lived. Unknown to her "owners" I had been feeding her through the fence for days. I had also sprayed her down with Frontline several times in an attempt to relieve her of the ticks that were eating her alive. The day that finally brought me to my boiling point was that the chain had got caught up and wrapped so many times around the tree that she could not move. She had not had any water for days and she was laying in her own poop...she had no where else to go. I walked over and told the people I would pay them for her and to let me have her. They did. Thank god.

This dog was a walking skeleton.

Anyways, I kinda got off track.....

So she (Annie) came to live with me and my pack. My pack consisted of my male Rottweiler, my GSH Pointer, and 2 cats. I had to house train Annie, teach her how to behave in a house (she had never been inside before), and teach her basic obedience. I didn't know her history...at all. She was a wonderful dog. So sweet, so loving. She adored my dogs and adored my two cats. Just loved them.....

A few weeks after I took in Annie we were out in the back yard playing. My backyard at the time backed up to an alley. Annie spotted a stray cat in the alley. She jumped the fence. She chased down the cat and killed it. I was in shock.

I totally trusted her with my cats, yet in a heartbeat she killed a stray cat. Even after this happened she was just as loving and playful with my cats. This just proves that if your dog knows the cats are part of the pack they are not seen as prey or food.....:wink:

ETA: And, no, I never left the dogs and cats together unsupervised....


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

I have cats, rats, pigeons and chickens here. One day my landlord was over and accidentally let Frankie and Romeo out in the main yard while the chickens were ranging. Frankie had a grand old time chasing them around, but stopped when I called her off. I'm certain that she would have killed one if she caught it, even if only by accident. However, I have had chickens in my house while being treated for illness or injury and none of the dogs bother with them. They also get along very well with the cats, and the few dogs who have seen the rats (they stay in my bedroom) did nothing more sniff and check them out. I have found a dead opossum in the dog's yard and I've seen Maggie catch mice, which I've gotten her to drop and they escaped unscathed. Would she have eaten them? Who knows. But I agree that animals running outside are fair game in the dogs' eyes.


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