These are pictures of our brave Test Kitties. Sable and Echo.

Cat testing involves putting a leash and muzzle on a greyhound, and holding on tight. Then, turn the cats loose. It's that simple. It's what happens next that gives us an idea of whether or not a greyhound will be "cat safe" or not. The cats usually don't want to move, but we try to get them to to gauge that reaction as well.

What do we mean by...

Cat safe: The greyhound showed little to no interest in the cat, maybe sniffing a bit. Greyhounds with this reaction are generally also small dog safe. Even if the cat moves, a "safe" dog will generally show little interest.

Cat Correctable: The greyhound shows a slight bit of interest whether the cat is sitting still or moving. A good swift correction and a shout of "MINE" is given. If the dog immediately shows no interest in the cat, the greyhound is deemed "Cat Correctable". This usually means the dog can learn to be around cats, but would not be trustworthy with a cat it didn't know. For example - the kitty that strays into the yard could be in danger.

Not Cat Safe: The greyhound shows quite a bit of interest even when the cat is sitting still. And if the cat moves, you better be hanging on tight to the leash. This type of reaction means kitty (and usually small dogs) would not do well to be with a greyhound that reacts in this fashion.

Below are several pictures of a cat test in progress. This particular dog sniffed a bit but didn't seem too interested and we almost deemed him "cat safe". But then Echo moved, and the reaction was too fast to be captured in a picture. In the end, this dog was deemed "unsafe" for kitties and small dogs.

The cats are in no danger from this process. And we would rather test compatibility with our cats who live at the kennel and have lots of experience with dogs both friendly and not, than to place a dog in a home and have your cat be in jeopardy.

While these tests give us a good idea of a greyhound's reactions to cats and small dogs it would be wise to introduce your greyhound to your cats and/or small dogs in the same fashion. Never, ever, leave a new dog alone with your current pets until you feel comfortable that it is safe to do so. This might mean days, or weeks, or months. Be vigilant when introducing your animals to each other. If a cat were to hiss at or claw the dog, the dog might react differently than it did during our cat test.

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Site last updated: May 15, 2008