6 Cats and 2 Greyhounds!

Please send us your stories about how you found the process of homing your new hound to: gallery@rgtwolverhampton.co.uk

When we decided that we would like a dog, we looked at many different breeds. At first we were convinced that a puppy was the best route to go but then someone mentioned Greyhounds. At first the idea of a Greyhound didn't appeal to us, I think simply because you don't really see them that often and it's not a breed that springs to mind.

After much research about the breed we wanted to go and have a look at some, that's where we came across Monmore Green RGT. While browsing through the website we clapped eyes on a great big blue and white Greyhound called Perry. We immediately fell in love with him, even though we had never seen him in the flesh.

We telephoned them immediately on the Friday and by the Saturday morning we went to see him and the other dogs that were kennelled there. When I saw them I wanted to take them all home. At the time of telephoning Monmore RGT we did mention that we had cats - SIX in fact!

One of the guys bought out Perry for us on a lead. He was such a stunner, a gentle giant compared to the others. After spending some time together we knew that he was the one for us. There were a couple of others that had been small dog tested including one that had lived with cats, so they may have been a more suitable choice but there was something about him. The fact that he was an ex-racer didn't put us off.

We had also decided that instead of having just one dog that we would have two together. The following week an unraced fawn female by the name of Fiona came in so we went to see her and Perry again. Once we had decided to have Fiona they were both housed together for a week in the same kennel so they could get used to each other.

We have since renamed them to Murphy and Millie.

To be perfectly honest, we didn't have any real apprehension about integrating them with our SIX cats. We thought the best approach would be to take it each hour and each day at a time. If it didn't work out then we could take them back.

The following week we went to collect them and bought them back home, MUZZLED!

When they first set eyes on the cats, the excitement in their faces was unreal. Obviously for safety reasons they were on a lead and muzzled. The cats didn't know what had come to town and seemed majorly miffed at the arrival of these 2 great big hounds.

We had the dogs on a lead at all times and if we got up to leave the room the dog would come with us. After a couple of days we decided to invest a few pounds and bought some stair gates, the kind that you can walk through. It was a really good decision. We fixed the stair gates across the main doors that lead off our hallway - kitchen, lounge and office. We fixed them about 8 inches or so off the ground. That way the cats could come and go in and out of every room by going under it but the dog could never get to the cat.

What also really helped was a sprayer filled with water, and at anytime they took an interest in the cat they got a spray in the face and a NO. This worked really well, especially for Murphy (the ex-racer). Millie, the unraced dog took more interest in wanting to get to the cat than he did. I was amazed at how quick he learned. From then on he was no real problem at all.

After about 10 days, we took them off the lead but kept their muzzles on at ALL times. We NEVER took a chance. The stair gates were up for several months and they had their muzzles kept on for several weeks. You have to be ABSOLUTELY sure in yourself that when you take that muzzle off that everything is going to be alright, and because the stair gates were up, the cat always had an escape route if things didn't go to plan.

In the early days you have to vigilant at all times, even when they are in the garden because indoors is different to outdoors. If a cat heard us in the garden it would come under the gate or jump the fence, so you have to be on the lookout ALL the time.

There have been a few times when the dogs have got close to the cats and received a sharp claw in the end of their nose, followed by a YELP, but that doesn't really happen anymore. Basically, the cats are in charge. The cats even lie down and sleep with the dogs on occasions and when we go for a walk across our local fields the cats follow us.

On occasions, Murphy is such a big baby that he won't walk past the cats, I think he's a bit nervous of getting the dreaded claw. Millie loves the cats and just wants to play and jump about with them. She gets a bit excited sometimes and has to be told to "leave that cat alone" but other than that things have worked out very well indeed. The animal behaviour is also quite funny to watch especially when the cats tell the dogs off by meowing at them.

Overall, the whole integration process has been trouble free. If you are thinking about getting a Greyhound and have cats, take it one day at a time. The first week to 10 days is the most stressful. You can never tell what will or is likely to happen. Like I mentioned earlier, Murphy (the ex-racer) was less interested in the cats than Millie (the unraced), so you just don't know. All you can do is try and see how things go.

Definitely invest in some stair gates because they will ease your stress levels, especially when they are off the lead, and later when they are off the muzzle. Also, get yourself a water sprayer, it really does work wonders and you shouldn't need it for long, it's just until they get the message. After several days of using the sprayer I would just have to show it to them without having to use it, and boy did they know!

To this day, NEVER have any of our cats come to any harm from our Greyhounds.

On another note, they are amazing animals - soft, gentle with lots of love to give. They have a wonderful nature and adore people. Millie loves toys, especially our youngest son's toys. She goes upstairs to help herself to teddies and any other cuddlies that she can get her teeth around, but she never chews them, I think she just likes to have them close by. Socks, t-towels, scarves, pants, clothes, cushions, slippers and shoes are also just a few more items she takes to her bed.

My parents have a Whippet who loves them to pieces, and they adore him. They go absolutely berserk with excitement whenever he comes to play, and he's half their size - it's so funny to watch them all.

It will be 2 years in June 2010 since we got Murphy and Millie, and we can't think what life would be like without them.

Definitely consider a Greyhound or two as a family pet, they're awesome!

Dave & Rachel