Most greyhounds will instinctively lunge at cats

I used to live in a block of flats with my cat who I allowed outside. Nearby, in another flat was a man who lived with two greyhounds. He admitted to me that his greyhounds liked to chase cats. He had to be particularly vigilant. And so did I.

A quick search on the Internet confirms that of all the dog breeds, it might be fair to say that greyhounds are a particular threat to domestic cats who are allowed outside. They can lunge towards a cat instinctively. There's one man who says that "my newly adopted greyhound goes mad lunging when she sees cats. She's very strong. I have to be constantly looking for them as we walk."

Gizmo a domestic cat was recently killed by a greyhound. Photo: Carla Hunter his owner.

And this is the problem. People will go out with their greyhound on a lead and in the UK it is commonplace to see domestic cats outside because they are indoor/outdoor cats. Unless the dog owner is particularly vigilant it is possible that a greyhound might pull hard enough to release themselves from their owner's control leading to an attack on a cat which would almost certainly be fatal.

I think it is a matter of being vigilant and I'm referring to dog owners because when domestic cats go outside their owner has no idea where they are.

Just today, reported on the website Leicestershire Live, an owner watched as her pet cat Gizmo was killed by greyhounds. Two greyhounds attacked her cat outside her home in Loughborough, UK. Carla Hunter heard a group of young boys shouting "get off" outside her home on August 12. She went out to check what was going on. She saw a group of children with two greyhounds. Her cat Gizmo was in the mouth of one of the dogs.

The other dog was trying to attack her other cat, Pebbles, who happened to be sitting on top of her fence. By the time she got there, Gizmo were dying. She contacted the police but they did nothing. She contacted the RSPCA and is waiting for them to get back to her. The dogs' owner has not apologised. They've done nothing about it. That sounds typical of modern-day UK. It has become a very selfish and difficult country to live in.

Carla Hunter has lost one of her cats and I would bet my bottom dollar that nothing will happen. She will simply have to cremate her cat and move on. She is very distressed by the whole event. It's a good example of the greyhound's urge to lunge at and attack domestic cats. They are trained to do this kind of thing. I guess that they can be untrained.