Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys.

I am new to here. I am still learning how to care for Siberians. I've found a lot of informative sites, but very little forums, so if there are any forums for Siberians please let me know. Thanks.

I just adopted a 2 1/2 year old Siberian. He is supposed to be good with cats. So far he seems extremely interested in my cat. I tried holding her up high but once she escaped from my grasp he chased her. Fortunately he can't fit under the bed.

How do you guys introduce your Huskies to cats? I know most Huskies are terrible with cats. This one is known to get along with them, so I assume it's a matter of getting them to know each other. It does not help that my cat is not used to dogs at all. She scowls at him and threatens him so I think he's reacting poorly to it.

My cat has not been around dogs all 15 years of her life. So I am going to take it very easy, a few minutes a day. Give him treats whenever he remains calm.

Any other tips?

Thanks.

With older animals. Its best to start with a sibe puppy with cats.
Sibes chase small animals that run (this includes small dogs), they have about the highest prey drive you can find among dogs (many want to eat the animals they chase).
My cat came to our sibes and our sibe mix on his own terms, but he acted sure of himself, and secure in the dogs presence.
One thing that helps alot, teach the dog that the cat outranks him in the pack, feed the cat in front of the dog at first with the dog made to sit, then after the cat is done feed the dog. In no time at all the dog will gladly sit and wait for the cat to eat.
Be very careful at first, once you are sure that they are safe together they can have time alone. And dont increase the frustration on both by making the dog more excited at the cats rare appearances, and the cat insecure at the excited dogs presence.
Try to make every expereince between them for a few days completely positive. The intros are a great time to train your dog to sit, and listen to you.
Good luck, most large northern breed dogs are dangerous to cats, huskies are notorious cat killers when they are not taught to see them as something other than a small animal and prey.
But some cats know how to handle large dogs, even huskies.
This is 75 lbs of large dominant (with other dogs) male sibe being whipped into shape by 13 lbs of orange tabby. Notice how gentle Duke is with our cat Scooby. Duke loves cats, Scooby (our tabby cat) dislikes other cats.

The thing here is.. he was good with cats. The rescue group tested him with cats and he was completely fine. He gets very excited when seeing the cat in the crate and claws, barks and runs in circles around the crate.

So what you are saying is, I should have the cat eat in front of him while in the crate? Then feed my dog afterwards?

I took him in (then later the younger dog), and made the husky lay down 2-3ft away from the cat as he ate, no getting up, no looking away, no inching towards the cat or his food, no begging, I did not give one inch. After the cat is done eating the husky was fed a few treats, in 2 days he was waiting to sit and watch our cat eat on his own, after 1 week we stopped, this was again reinforced a few times when needed, in a pack of canines of any species those who are of higher rank eat first, and the alpha enforces this.
Just the same if the cat was trying to avoid the dog, and the dog is harassing him excitedly, without any hesitation you make the dog stop and calm down for a minute, reward the dog for behaving around the cat. Eventually the cat and dog will see each others presence as a positive experience.
Huskies love to chase small furry animals, if you can get rid of the anxiety, and replace it with positive experiences it goes away, if they calm down around each other they may become friends. Usually one day the cat just approaches the dog on his own terms and they start to socialize.
Next, and very importantly, wear the husky out big time before you take him in the house near the cat, this will make a big difference, get the 2 on or near the same energy levels. Take the dog out for a long walk, then if needed relay with someone else for another long walk, over and over until the dog is tired and does not feel like chasing the cat, then put them together.
Time this with the cats most active times of day so that he is more interested in playing with the dog.