My dog killed my kitten

M
Magnolia-rima Icon representing the flag French
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Hello,

I’m absolutely devastated. My one-year-old Border Collie has just killed my three-month-old kitten.

We had followed the trainer’s instructions to the letter: first scent swapping with items they'd both touched, then introductions through a baby gate, and finally meeting face-to-face.

It all went so well; the kitten and the dog were even "buddies", and there hadn't been a single issue for three weeks.

Then yesterday, tragedy struck. It all happened so fast; the kitten was exploring the living room as usual, and the dog was lying on the floor. I was busy with some paperwork, and a momentary lapse in concentration meant the kitten got too close to the dog’s toy, and he bit him. The kitten was dazed, and I rushed him straight to the out-of-hours vet. The duty vet gave him a steroid jab and said all we could do was wait, and that the next 48 hours would be critical.

Sadly, this morning, the kitten took a turn for the worse. On the way to the vet, he had a seizure in the car and passed away. According to the vet, his brain had been affected and he’d suffered internal bleeding.

I feel dreadfully guilty; I’ve been crying all day and I’m unable to do anything else. I didn't see it coming at all, and yet this isn't my first dog. I know about their prey drive, but everything was going so well that I just stopped being vigilant. I’m so distraught that I haven’t been able to eat anything today and I’m having dark thoughts. I don’t deserve to have pets.

I can’t even look at my dog anymore. Of course, I know it’s all my fault and that he just had a predatory reflex, protecting his property, but when I see his face, I can’t help but think of my poor kitten. We’d been fighting for a month to save him from cat flu, and he was only just starting to recover. He was so full of life. And because of one stupid accident, I’ve ruined everything. I’ll never be able to forgive myself, and just looking at my dog reminds me of the horror of what happened.

We have two other cats, and there’s never been an issue with them.

I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to react to all this? How can I keep living with my dog when I see a monster every time I look at him?

I don't want to rehome him—that would finish me off. But I also have to think about my other two cats, to make sure this tragedy doesn't happen again.

Sorry for this desperate post; I’m really at rock bottom...

Translated from French
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17 answers
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    • Q
    Quelquun Icon representing the flag French
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    I’m feeling exactly the same way as you. My dog has just killed our little kitten that my daughter and I rescued. I dropped a bit of meat on the floor and my dog tried to shove the kitten away, but she slipped and her fang went into its ear as she fell. I’m so angry with her; the poor little thing wasn’t even 3 months old. We’d managed to save her and now this! I feel so guilty, I can’t get what I saw out of my head, the image is just playing on a loop. I’m so heartbroken. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m bothering you with this, but I think you’ll understand. Sending strength your way 🌹🌹🌹
    Translated from French
    C
    Colincolineaire9457 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi everyone, I really don't know what to do anymore. I have a dog who is 11 months old (nearly a year) who has killed and shredded two kittens within the space of a month. In the beginning, I didn't realise that you had to keep a kitten and a dog separated. Because of that, he killed the first one and ate its head. Then, with the second kitten, I forgot to close the door—I had been keeping them apart, and nothing like this has ever happened to me before, but it happened that day. He ate the kitten's body entirely—the whole thing. For context, they were both female kittens. I have an adult cat who is the same age as my dog and nothing has happened there; he doesn’t attack adult cats. Well, I haven't seen it happen so far. But he has massive, massive frustration whenever we leave the house. He has toys left out for him as well as chews, but he still destroys the house even though we’ve had him since he was four and a half months old. We’ve been forced to tether him and put a muzzle on him just to make sure he doesn't put himself in danger, especially since he's already broken glass and cut himself in the past. He jumps right over baby gates—he’s a Malinois cross Husky, with some Beauceron and German Shepherd in his bloodline. Several trainers, behaviourists, the vet, and even the RSPCA all say the same thing about his reactivity, but I just don't know what to do anymore. I’m at the point where I’m ready to rehome him so he can be better off. I’m lost and terrified that he’ll kill again. Please help me 😔
    Translated from French
    M
    Marina Icon representing the flag French
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    MOMO1014, I’ve just been through the exact same tragedy. We took in a little two-week-old kitten we’d found on the pavement; people were actually shoving her away with their feet... we managed to get her tiny blue eyes open and sorted out her diarrhoea with some eye drops and rice water. She finally had her eyes open, was wagging her tail, and charging around the house. She used to sleep on me at night, poor baby... I held her lifeless body in my hands and just sobbed over her. I even feel like digging her up sometimes... it’s just so hard...
    Translated from French
    Docline
    Docline Icon representing the flag French
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    A dog is a predator, with predatory instincts that can surface for no particular reason. Just as a cat doesn’t need a ‘reason’ to kill a small pet rodent. These aren’t premeditated acts; they are primal instincts. Our pets aren’t murderers!!
    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Did the dog show any warning signs before attacking? Did he have any reason to kill her?
    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi, I went through exactly the same thing. I had two cats and then got a puppy; at first they were mates, but their relationship deteriorated until the day she killed one of the cats. It happened in less than 10 minutes. My cat crossed her path, but because he’d had some health issues, he couldn't jump very high or run fast enough to get away. My mum, who’s a vet, carried out an examination and he had a broken jaw, a shattered pelvis, and internal bleeding. I truly believe this is NOT your fault—it’s nobody's fault. I know what it’s like to feel as though you’re looking at a monster after something like that. Give yourself time to forgive yourself and the dog. But if you find you can’t, I’d suggest rehoming your dog for the sake of both your mental health, as dogs can really tell when you’re holding a grudge. Sending you so much strength, as I know how shocking and painful this is to go through ❤️‍🩹...
    Translated from French
    M
    Momo1014 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there, I’m sharing my story under this post because I’m looking for some answers. Sadly, my 3-year-old Husky (whom we’ve had since he was 8 weeks old and who went to training classes until he was a year old) killed my 3-month-old kitten on Sunday evening. I never left them unsupervised and they were always kept separate when my partner and I weren’t at home (we have two other cats, aged 3 and 12, and everything has always been fine with them). We found this little kitten on the side of the road and rescued her when she was only two weeks old, bottle-feeding her every three hours. Like you, I feel incredibly guilty because I didn’t suspect a thing; I was in the living room, she was playing, and he just killed her for no reason. I didn’t even have time to react. Obviously, the guilt is massive, but I also feel so much shame because, like you, I don't feel like I deserve to have pets after this. I never would have imagined my dog would do something like that; only a few hours before, I was filming him while he was licking her. I’m hoping for some answers because I just don’t know what to do anymore. My partner can’t even look at the dog now, even though he never originally wanted cats. I was so happy to see him love our three cats, and now I'm just lost.
    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Kittens are still fragile little things, even if they are absolute daredevils. It doesn't take much for a dog who isn’t used to controlling their strength to seriously hurt a kitten—just a misplaced paw or a nip. I don’t know your dog, but from what I’ve read here, I don't get the impression he's a danger to your adult cats. Maybe you could keep them separate for a while to give yourself some peace of mind, take a step back, and get a better handle on the situation. Surely that’s better than panicking every time your dog gets near the cats? As for the toys, has he always been a bit protective of them (resource guarding)? You could try putting them away in a box once he’s finished playing, just so there isn't anything left out that might cause more tension.
    Translated from French
    Martau
    Martau Icon representing the flag French
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    I feel absolutely terrible, I’ve been crying all day and I can’t focus on anything else. I didn’t see it coming at all, and it’s not like this is my first dog. I know about their prey drive, but everything was going so well that I just let my guard down. I’m in such a state that I haven’t been able to eat today and I’m thinking about hurting myself. I don’t deserve to have pets. That part of your post is really worrying. Do you think you’ll be able to get through this on your own? There is absolutely no shame in reaching out for help when you need it. I think it’s important to process the emotional shock of this before you make any decisions regarding your dog.
    Translated from French
    B
    Bangdji Icon representing the flag French
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    "I’m also not sure if it would help with his alpha tendencies, but we’re considering getting him neutered. Even though the vet thinks it’s unnecessary, our trainer told us it might help to 'calm him down'.

    You mentioned the tragedy with your kitten, but this part of your message suggests there might be other concerns as well?

    Why do you feel he needs calming down? Is he an aggressive dog? Towards you? Towards your other pets? Aside from this one incident?

    If your dog is usually as gentle as a lamb and there’s only been this accident with the kitten, I don’t think there’s much to worry about other than resource guarding... It’s quite normal for him to be touchy about his things if he never had anything of his own while being locked away in a dark room in the past. That doesn’t mean it’s not something you need to work on, though.

    However, if your dog is threatening towards you, barks at you, bares his teeth, or growls at you or your other pets, that changes the whole context of the accident and the kind of advice we should give.

    Is that the case? Is he an aggressive dog? Threatening?"

    Translated from French

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