’Fighting like cats and dogs’ may be a euphemism that has had its day.

Researchers from the University of Lincoln undertook a survey of pet owners wanting to know what makes dogs and cats amicable and the results, recently published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, may surprise some people.

The study found that 80% of dog and cat owners felt that their pets were comfortable with each other, and only 3% reported that their pets really couldn’t tolerate living together.

Homeowners reported that cats were three times more likely to threaten their canine housemates than vice versa, and ten times more likely to injure them in a fight.

The researchers believe the reason for this may be that dogs have been domesticated for longer than cats and they are more easily trained, and therefore able to control their behaviour.

They determined that it is easier for dogs to be happy around cats than for cats to be happy around dogs, and that a cat is likely to be happy living with a dog if it is introduced to the household at a young age (under the age of one).

cattery

The ManxSPCA cattery team do their best to help dog owners who wish to adopt a cat.

When cats are gifted to us, as opposed to coming in as strays, we ask owners to tell us as much as possible about their cat, including whether or not it has lived with a dog before.

The team can then recommend these cats to dog owners.

When we don’t know the background of a cat, and a dog owner is interested in adopting him or her, we will gently introduce the cat to a member of staff’s dog who is cat-friendly.

We can then gauge the cat’s reaction and if he or she is fairly relaxed in the dog’s presence we can progress to the next stage of the adoption process.

Certain breeds of dog have a strong ’prey-drive’ and so are generally less suited to life with cats.

Top of the list is the whippet, one of the fastest breeds in the world which has been used for hunting small mammals for hundreds of years.

A cat running away from a whippet may simply not be quick enough to escape.

Another breed on the ’not renowned for being cat-friendly’ list is the Egyptian Pharaoh Hound and the lovely Amber, who came to us recently, would be the first to admit that she thinks cats are for chasing and not for companionship.

Despite its name the Egyptian Pharaoh Hound actually originates from Malta - in fact, it is the national dog of Malta, and in Maltese it is known as the ’rabbit hound’.

Pharaoh Hounds are still relatively uncommon outside of Malta, and the ManxSPCA has never had one for rehoming before.

Amber

Amber is one and a half years old and a bundle of energy, but once she’s stretched her legs she likes nothing more than to come back to her human friends for a cuddle. Her hunting instincts are so well honed that she will need her new owner’s back garden to be 100% secure with a high fence, otherwise she will be off chasing any small furry animal that passes by.

Similarly, when out for walks her recall will be poor if she is distracted by a rabbit and so she will need to be kept on a long lead.

Amber is used to being a much-loved family pet and she could be rehomed with children over the age of five and she gets on with some, but not all, other dogs.

She is a definite ’head-turner’ with a noble demeanour, huge ears and a sleek body.

Her new owners will have to be prepared for lots of admiring looks and ’what type of breed is that?’ questions from passers-by.