My 3-year-old Malinois keeps killing cats. She’s already killed three of them.
I’m absolutely desperate and don’t know what to do. My vet told me there’s nothing that can be done about it, but I wanted to see if anyone here has been through something similar...
Every time it’s been a family cat; twice it happened indoors and once outdoors. It never happens in front of us, of course.
We’re obviously taking all the necessary precautions (keeping them on separate floors — cats upstairs, dog downstairs). At night and when we’re out, she stays in "her room" so there’s absolutely no contact. Unfortunately, it still isn’t enough and it always ends in tragedy. 👈
Thanks in advance for any help.
Translated from French
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I’m still of the opinion that at this stage and age, the best thing to do is just avoid cats altogether! My own dog killed one once, and she lived to fifteen without ever killing another.
It’s definitely the most sensible route. And as I mentioned, it would be heartbreaking to use other cats as guinea pigs just for the sake of this dog’s rehabilitation.
But at the same time, this Malinois isn't happy in herself. She’s anxious and probably frustrated. She’s a very powerful dog. She’s only three years old, so she’s barely a fifth of the way through her life.
Of course, I can’t realistically hope she’ll ever be allowed off-lead outdoors (right now that’s totally out of the question—she’s like a guided missile), or that she’ll be able to approach most living things like small dogs, cats, or babies without us worrying, and so on... but all of that is really for the benefit of the humans.
If we focus only on her own happiness, we have to admit it would be brilliant for her to be free from these frustrations and anxieties—from everything causing the current imbalance in her life. Now, that’s "striving for an ideal". Fair enough. But if this dog kills another dog or hurts a person, we’ll be in "trying to keep her off death row" territory. So, to a large extent, rehabilitating her when it comes to cats—which is the most obvious part of the problem—is a better safeguard for every living being, including people.
Attacking cats is a symptom, not the core problem. If she were a Husky, I’d be a bit more worried. But this dog’s fundamental instincts are rooted in protection, not "predatory drive". So, once the sources of her imbalance are sorted out, it shouldn't be that complicated to help her reconnect with those natural instincts.
Ideally, she should be protecting those cats from potential intruders, not killing them.
Hi,
I’m so sorry to hear about the ordeal you’ve been going through.
I wouldn’t be quite as definitive as Misantrope regarding the "no one can help you" comment. I’m not sure how much help this will be, but I know a dog trainer who specialises in predatory drive, and she’s had some great results with a Siberian Husky belonging to someone I know. After the fourth cat was killed, they reached out to her, and it’s been three years now since he last went after one.
Mind you, that husky didn’t live with cats… I think that makes things even trickier. Personally, I think it’s worth doing a bit of digging to find a trainer or a behaviourist. Maybe start by making a few calls to see what their take is on the whole thing…
It’s definitely a lead worth following.
Hi,
I’m so sorry to hear about everything you’ve been going through.
I wouldn’t be quite as definitive as @Misantrope about the "nobody can help you" part. I’m not sure how much this will help, but I personally know a dog trainer who does a lot of work on prey drive, and she’s had some really good results with a Siberian Husky I know. After it had killed its fourth cat, they finally turned to her, and it’s been three years now since it last got one.
Mind you, that Husky didn't actually live with cats... I imagine that makes things even more complicated in your case. Personally, I think it’s worth digging around a bit to find a trainer or a pet behaviourist. You could start by giving a few people a ring just to see what their take is on the whole situation...
I think, unfortunately, you've just got to keep it simple! A behaviourist tries to fix the communication between owners and dogs—there’s no point wasting your money on that! A dog trainer? I don’t really believe in that either! All you can do is what I did a long time ago with my beloved dog Tara: AVOID CATS! For thirteen years, I never had cats in the house! Have a good day!
When I say she was "left alone", it’s a bit of an overstatement because, as I mentioned, she’s kept in her own room whenever we aren’t there.
The first time, I’d only gone to the front door to pick up a pizza (it only took 5 minutes). When I came back, she’d gone upstairs—clearly with the intent of finding the cat to have a go at it—and she’d killed him.
The second time was a year later; my partner had just popped upstairs for 5 minutes, and my cat came into the house through the cat flap. I’d blocked the flap so they couldn't get back out because I had a sick cat at the time, so the poor girl ended up trapped, and my dog went for her again (I feel so incredibly guilty about that!).
The last time happened in the garden while we were inside the house.
When we're around, the cats are downstairs with us, and she knows it's off-limits. She watches them and is dying to go for it, but she’s never actually done it. She often tries to go to the bottom of the stairs to see if a cat is coming, and I don't even let her do that.
Just so you know, she’s a dog who has had socialisation issues with people since she was a puppy. About two years of training has improved her behaviour a bit, but she still bolts if a stranger tries to touch her.
I’ve also thought about using a muzzle.
I’m going to try calling a few different behaviourists to see what they think.
Well, look. You never know what someone’s financial situation is. If you can afford a three-week trip to California, covering the cost of two return flights between the UK and the States, and so on... plus the rehab costs, then I reckon it’s doable.
The big question—and I’m not trying to rub salt in the wound here—is that he’s banned in France, and perhaps from practising there too. Grrr... But as he often says himself, his way isn’t the only way. But wow, it’s a tough case because it’s happening while you're away. You’d need to completely transform this dog and make him perfectly balanced. Deep down, at his very core, those "impulses" must no longer exist, because they’ll have been replaced by a totally new perspective. The dog won’t see his environment or the people around him in the same way anymore. That’s the kind of transformation that’s required if you’re going to have any confidence in him when you're not there.
But it’s true that there are preliminary tests, specifically introductions to llamas and so on... And depending on the results of those meetings, I’d say maybe 1% of dogs are flagged as being unable to live with the species causing the issue. In those cases, they offer the owner an exchange, and the dog stays with its pack for 2 or 3 years before being tested again, and so on...
Anyway, that’s just to say that it is a thing, and that’s how it’s done.
It doesn’t solve the current situation, though, and I’m with you 100% on that. You need to keep those animals separated. If you’re absolutely certain nothing can happen while you’re there, then it would just be for when you’re out. But phew. That’s quite a gamble.
