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[Home] [Hints, Tips and Articles][Links][cat-training] Cats vs Badger
As for the cat thing, well I started looking for a Greyhound in about February 1999. I made weekly trips to the Blue Cross at Burford, where they had quite a few, but unfortunately none were cat friendly. Then we found a lovely fawn male at the RSPCA at Aylesbury, but they wouldn't even discuss us homing him as we had the two cats, even though he has lived with a cat and was finally rehomed through the Retired Greyhound Trust with a small baby and a cat. We did manage to find out where he had been rehomed and met his new owners and even walked together, he (Rumble) and Badger had a great time running about up at Wendover hills. We felt very let down by the RSPCA, but at least he had gone to a lovely new home with people who love him very much. So we continued our search and finally found that there was a rep of the RGT living just five miles away from us. I contacted Tara and she came to do a home check, we passed !!. Thankfully. Tara told us that we could have a dog within two weeks, we did, and Badger was delivered on a very hot Saturday morning. Tara told us that she was cat friendly but we must take special precautions. Within 2 hours of Tara leaving I had committed the biggest sin. We were all in the garden, Badger had her muzzle on but not her lead and my smallest cat came over the fence and before I knew what was happening Badger gave chase. I have never been so terrified in all my life, also someone had left the front gate open and we naturally assumed that she had made off up the road. Luckily she had chased the cat around the house rather than out of the gate. The poor cat did not come home for about 24 hours, I was at my wits' end. I felt that I had made a grave error by adopting this dog, all my friends and family had told me that the cats would leave home but I was adamant that it would be OK. What was I to do ? The first two nights I had slept with Badger in our conservatory and she asked to go out during the night, having come straight from her trainer's I was very impressed. I knew that I couldn't give up on her, I had to make it work. From then on the cats kept their distance and Badger was very keen, but as the months went on she seemed to be OK in the house but again she chased Holly in the garden. I felt I was going backward and should really have asked for help from someone in the know. However we continued on and after quite a long time the cats became braver and would walk through when Badger was on her sofa. It really was a case of being very patient and always being there when they were in the same room. After 18 months I feel that they will never be best buddies, like these pictures that you see of cats lying snuggled up with a Greyhound, but they tolerate each other. Now the cats come into the house and Badger just lifts her head and drops it down again. She knows that she is no longer expected or allowed to chase anything whether it be a cat or a rabbit up at Wendover hills . I feel that we could have made this transition much sooner that we did , had I had some professional advice, which of course I should have asked for, but didn't.. Next time I will ask, but also next time I will ensure that the dog has been properly cat tested and not just take one's word for it. Read Badger's Story comments to Elaine Rossiter This page last updated 24 March 2002 |
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