Huskies are gorgeous bundles of fluff that grow into beautiful wolf-like pets. They adore living in packs, which is why they love you so much! But what happens when you decide to get a cat?
Are Huskies good with cats? No, but if socialized from a very young age a husky might be able to tolerate a cat “in their pack”.
But you will always have to monitor them because you never know when those hunting instincts might decide to take over and put an end to a lovely friendship.
Maybe you already have one and you are worried that your new husky is going to take an instant dislike to it.
In this article, we are going to talk about what sort of pet a husky makes and get to grips with what sort of dog they will be when faced with another furry member of the family. So are huskies good with cats? Read on and see.
Whether you are introducing your dog to a new kitten or you are welcoming a new puppy into your already cat inhabited home, there are a few husky traits that might create a little bit of tension between the two furry camps.
But before we find out about this, we need to understand the husky a bit more.
Characteristics of Huskies
Huskies were (and still are) originally used as sled pulling dogs in Siberia. Born into a pack, these dogs would pull in teams of 5, 7 or 9, working alongside each other and living together.
Not naturally used to the home comforts that they live in now, these dogs are very much pack animals meaning that they work well in a team but also look out for one another.
This includes hunting together, fighting for top dog and keeping others in their place. Nowadays many huskies that find themselves in domestic settings don’t feel the need to use their pack mentality as much.
They don’t need to hunt because their food is always provided, they don’t need to fight for their place in the pack because it usually only consists of one or two dogs and they don’t need to keep other pack members in their place unless they are a cat.
Are Huskies Good With Cats?
Huskies naturally want to chase cats. It isn’t their fault, it really is in their genes.
As said before, they are hunting pack animals that have it in their genes to chase furry animals or keep the balance of their pack.
When a cat comes into this dynamic, it can be very confusing for a husky and they usually let their natural instincts take over.
And as far as there general tendencies and aggression, you should read our article on are Huskies aggressive.
How Can You Help?
While huskies are very intelligent dogs, they are also not as domesticated as people believe and that is why it is really hard to encourage a husky to get on with a cat.
From our research on this topic, you Huskies are not good with cats generally. And if you do get a Husky and also have a cat you should probably constantly monitor them and create a safe place for your cat to retreat to.
While it may not be what you want to hear, we can’t answer “are huskies good with cats” for definite.
Our recommendation is to try and socialize them as early as possible and always monitor contact with them.
Resources:
https://www.thesprucepets.com/siberian-husky-dog-breed-profile-1118000