I have a 7yr old red nose chocolate brindle.I’ve had her since she was 1hr old.She was the runt she was only 9grms when born.She was bottle fed and thinks she’s a human.She’s really spoiled rotten.She’s(Boo Boo) the love of my life. From the moment she came into our lives she’s had cats.She’s always loved her babies.In most of the pictures I’ve taken of her thru the yrs there’s usually a cat with her playing,sleeping,or just cuddling.It started 2 weeks ago she attack a 6 month kitten(Zac). She broke his Jaw and punctured his eye I had to have him put to sleep.He was a sickly kitten but he loved Boo Boo he’d rub on her & I never knew there was a problem.Since then she’s went after 3 more of our cats.2 of them are getting up in yrs ones 16yrs & one is 14.Thank God someone has been around to holler at her before she does any harm.I just don’t understand why.I make her go to our room and go to her bed for discipline.I hope someone can help me understand why & maybe how I can stop it.Shes a loving wonderful pet so WHY?
Why would a Pitbull all of a sudden start wanting to attack her cats?
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Welcome from Libby, John, Carter and Brownie
I have owned 3 pit bulls growing up. I know it is NOT the breed.
Dogs have a natural predator drive. Cats are usually quick and are looked at as something to chase. It’s not that she was a loving dog and now she is not, remember she is a dog, an animal, not human. You can not reason with them. They need structure and boundaries. She maybe frustrated from not enough exercise also. I recommend, Be the Pack Leader, By Cesar Millan. This book is great! Dog training and dog psychology are very different but work hand and hand with one another.
I went to owning pit bulls to now having a 5 lb chihuahua who gives me the same amount of trouble a pit bull would. And he needs the same amount of exercise and stimulation a pit bull would need too. Like I said it is not the breed.
Exercise, Discipline then Affection.
Here is a link to help you get the information I recommended.
http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/products/books.php
Good Luck!
Next victim please…….
I am sorry about your kitten. If the new kitten injured her in some way (playfully scratched or bit her) she might now associate cats with pain.
She is a pitbull, and the instinct bred into her over many generations can "kick in" at anytime. Your cats are now in real danger. You must find a way to keep your cats safe. Also if she just "snapped" you need to keep children and other dogs away from her also. You have some serious decisions to make. You may be able to train her to stop, but you should not trust her to be alone with the cats again. Good Luck.
Pit bulls, like most terrier breeds, are a high prey drive breed and many do go after cats – it’s instinct and very hard to predict when it will show up. Since your dog was raised with them, it may be that she didn’t begin acting this way until a certain cat behaved a certain way that triggered this instinct. There may even have been warning signs you just didn’t recognize. However, once it starts, you usually cannot put the genie back in the bottle. Your dog has demonstrated that it can kill a cat and is continuing to show prey drive and can and will do it again if given the opportunity. You will need to keep them separated from here on out to protect the lives of your cats. She may be a very loving dog, but she now views cats as prey and there is no way to guarantee it won’t happen again.
I really can’t give you an answer because I have no idea how you raised her. It’s like asking why a kid turns into a serial killer with no background info. Could be a conflict issue with you making her feel like she outranks the cats when they think they outrank her since they were there first. Cats don’t necessarily operate in terms of alpha and such either.
I have a pit too and love her very much. I just need a bit more info on how you treat her and raised her. By the way, don’t mind the crazy pit nazi’s and people like that – they will answer this question with things like ‘kill her’ or ‘it’s a pit, what do you expect’ and other mindless arrogant remarks like that.
I don’t consider the prior answers to be related to my previous statement, except for one : )
She’s a TERRIER. Thats what TERRIERS do. They attack and kill small creatures.
It doesn’t matter if she’s been raised with them her entire life, she will do what comes naturally to her.
This is yet another person who has no idea what this dog is bred for, and how to prevent disasters from happening. (NO SUCH THING AS A RED NOSE PIT BULL). (1hr? No wonder is socially screwed up. It has had zero interaction with dogs as a puppy.).
I’m sorry you had to learn first hand that it is the breed and not the owner. Please do a little research and read up on pit bulls. There are several well known rescues (like Pit Bull Rescue Central) that will explain to you that you never trust a pit bull not to fight. It doesn’t matter that your dog was raised with cats, something has triggered her, and a responsible pit bull owner understands that this can happen at any time and at any age. That’s why owning a pit in a multi-pet household includes crate-and-rotate and break sticks. Again, do not take my word for it but go to reputable, pro-pit bull sites and you will see this information. You cannot love and train instinct out of any dog, therefore no amount of training is going to keep your cats safe. You have a horrible decision to make now – what do you do with your animals. If you cannot keep them separated, then you will have to rehome either the dog or the cats. I hope everything works out for you.