First Time Killing A Cat

[GaleSW]

Hi Friends ~
I often read a lot of the advice here, but don't post very often, just when I have something I am unsure of, but everyone is always a huge help. I really need your advice now! I have a male Norwegian Elkhound, he will be two in August and is not neutered. I have had dogs of all breeds all my life & he is without a doubt my very favorite ever. He minds well, mostly.... just not so much when he is "on scent", but he's a scent hound & I expect that. He has never been aggressive in any way! Two weeks ago, he killed a black snake & this morning he killed a cat. Both were in his run, he didn't go out of bounds to get them. I have never had a dog kill a cat & I am completely lost and concerned. It wasn't one of those, trying to play with it kind of things, he was, scarily determined to hurt/ kill it. When he came back inside & went back to his kennel as normal; when I let him back out later, he was fine until he got back outside & then started barking & trying to get it again, he could see/ smell it outside the fence (my husband leaves for work at 2am & we didn't have time to bury it yet... but will). I hope I have given enough info for someone to help me.... I'm not afraid of him, Rambo, but again, this is something I have never experienced and admittedly need guidance.....
Thank you,
Gale

[Pawzk9]

Well, dogs (and particularly hounds) hunt. That's what they do. Most of the literature I've seen on Elkie state that they are likely to not be good with cats. That has nothing to do with how they relate to humans or any kind of human aggression. My dogs (who are not hounds) have 86ed a few cottontails in the yard, and while I don't like cleaning up bunny or squirrel parts, I recognize that is part of who they are. And no doubt, if there was a strange cat in the yard, they'd chase it. Might kill it if it was slow. If it was one of my cats in the yard, they might STILL chase it
At a time when my cats went out in the yard (we now have a screened in "cat porch", my old ragdoll tom worked it out. If the dogs tried to chase him, he'd just lie down, and they'd realize it was Bubba and go do something else.

[Nettle]

He's just being a dog. Enemies went into his home and he disposed of them. You really have nothing to be concerned about. Obviously you would prefer that it had not happened, but it would not have happened if those creatures had not chosen to go into his pen.

Dogs are predators, dogs are hunters, and that is what dogs do. Nobody turns a hair if a cat catches a mouse.

[Mattie]

Merlin has had a cat, it boxed his ears and he let go but he would have killed it if he could. He has killed hedgehogs voles and jumped up and caught birds. He was the most gentle dog I have ever had the pleasure to meet with humans, was wonderful when he went into the hospital to visit my husband and gave a lot of pleasure to other patients.

He is a dog doing what dogs do, cats can kill birds, mice etc and people just say it is a cat doing what cats do but when it comes to a dog doing it, somehow the dog is labelled aggressive.

[jacksdad]

I think we have forgotten what dogs were bred for. I know I did until I got Jack.

[GaleSW]

Thank you all so much! Everything you said makes sense & I guess I probably knew it, but it was such a shock to me that I was really at a loss. Thank you again for taking the time!!!