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The Silent Helpers!

© Judy A Tomlinson

There are some volunteers working in greyhound adoption groups that rarely get any recognition. I am talking about the cats who help us decide which greyhounds can live in a house with cats and which can not! These cats play a very important part in the placement of greyhounds. These stalwart little balls of fur face their jobs with great determination! I feel that I can write about this subject with a tiny bit of knowledge since my cats are members of this prestigious club!

I can assure those of you who are worried about the safety of the cats that they are in absolutely no danger. The greyhounds are muzzled and on lead when they first enter the house. The person holding the leash usually has it wrapped several times around the hand — in other words, they have a good hold on the dog.

Let's back up a bit. I'd better explain why cat testing the greyhound is necessary. Greyhounds — all sighthounds — have a drive to run. Ex-racers might have a more pronounced desire than AKC greyhounds, but the drive is there. What we should realize is that they usually have a purpose in mind — to catch what they are running after — be it a real creature or an artificial lure. This prey drive is instinct not aggression. Instinct is defined by Webster's as "an inborn tendency to behave in a way characteristic of a species; natural, unlearned." Being "aggressive" is defined by Webster's as "starting fights or quarrels, ready or willing to take issue or engage in direct action." Back in the days when sighthounds were used for hunting, their prey might be rabbits, gazelles or even deer. Today, as a pet, it could be bunnies, cats or small fluffy dogs.

There are different levels of prey drives — high, medium, low or nonexistent. A high prey drive greyhound will be fixated on the cat. It will be impossible to break his concentration. These greyhounds should not be placed in a home with cats or small fluffy dogs. A greyhound who falls into the high prey drive category is as loving and gentle as a greyhound with a nonexistent prey drive. They just cannot live with small animals.

A grey who shows interest in the cat but also is interested in the books on the coffee table or the basket of flowers on the floor is considered to be in the medium category. This dog's concentration is taken away from the cat easily. He might watch the cat until something else catches his eye. If the cat moves, his attention might return to the cat then return to the human for petting. The fact that the concentration can be broken is the real deciding factor in putting this dog in the medium prey drive category. The medium area is a really gray area. These dogs might need to be checked a second time at a later date, or the group might just take an extra 10 or 15 minutes to watch the dog at the time of the first testing. We usually call these dogs workable. In other words, they will probably be fine with the cats, but should be muzzled for a time — until the owner feels secure in removing the muzzle. Even then a watchful eye is needed.