Needle Noses
&
Murder Mittens

I volunteer for a local adoption (mostly) greyhound adoption group. The hounds that find their way into our adoption group can come from the track, from an owner whose health has made it difficult to care for their hound, or from a shelter. Often the hounds that find their way to the shelter are sighthound mixes.

Sighthounds can have a high prey drive. We do a quick test to see how they react to a cat-shaped toy and, if available, a very patient testing cat. Those who pass aren't necessarily ready for the cat life, but they are ready for our Kitty Boot Camp. They'll get used to home life and living with cats ... we hope. Not all graduate. Some may not have a prey drive right off, but some develop it later or develop a "play drive". Neither are healthy for the cat.

If they get used to my cats and can be trusted, they're ready for their new home. Not all will end up spooning and being the ideal hound-cat social media phenomenon, but many end up happily ignoring their cat siblings.

We can't ignore the real workers here: the cats. I have two cats that pull the weight here. The patience. The tollerance. The hiss of dominance. TimTam and Spicy Pie have these in spades. Their home is invaded; their space is not (in their minds) safe. But they present themselves to the new foster to give them a chance to get used to them. When the new hound gets too close, the mittens come out and more than once they've been a bit murdery. Nothing tragic, but boundries defined. Usually in the end, there's harmony. The cats know they are still top dog.

I've been fostering greyhounds with cats since the early 00s when I got my first greyhound from Greyhound Adoption Program Queensland (GAP QLD) in 2002 and started fostering within a year. Previous greyhound trainers were Zuni, Sierra, and Fat Bastard.