Cat Owner Afraid Neighbor’s New Pit Bull Would Pose Threat To Her Kittens, Asks Dog Lovers If She Should Be Worried

Dog lovers then started discussing the common misconceptions surrounding pit bulls.

May

• Published in Interesting
• May 8, 2024

Pit Bulls often get a bad reputation, but there’s so much misinformation out there that it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. With their wide smiles and adorable floppy ears, those of us who adore Pit Bulls know just how loving, playful, and silly they can be.

The term “Pit Bull” officially refers to three breeds: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Any dog with traits or looks resembling these breeds might be called a “Pit Bull.”

Sadly, because of human actions, this label often comes with unfair assumptions of danger and aggression. Some think they’re naturally more dangerous, but studies show mistreatment and mishandling are key factors in incidents, not their breed.

Also, while some believe they’re more aggressive, it’s often fear-based behavior that can be addressed with proper training and care, just like with any other dog. Understanding and love can really change the narrative for these lovable pups!

Over at Quora, a cat owner who's worried about her cats asked this question after she saw what breed her neighbor got:

My neighbor just bought a pit bull. We have 2 kittens, and a 4-foot fence separating our property. Should I be concerned?

Let's see the responses of some dog lovers.

Pit bulls are chill and friendly.

My experience with pit bulls is that they are pretty friendly and laid back . Unless someone makes them mean, they are very sweet.

However, if you are concerned, keep your kittens inside. There are worse things outside to worry about than dogs.

A neighbor of mine will shoot any cat he sees close to his property.

One user wanted to specifically know which kind of pit bull the neighbor took home.

Now did your neighbor buy this kind of a “pit bull”

She showed to types of pit bulls.

Or this kind of a Pit Bull:

The discusses which kind of pit bulls can be considered risky to the original poster's kittens.

It’s a very common misconception that these big, blue shelter pibbles are Pit Bulls, when in reality they are far from that. The shelter dogs are not Pit Bull Terriers, shelters mislabel their dogs constantly.

Most are bully mutts, American Bullies, American Staffordshire Terriers and other bull breeds / a mix of them. So it’s really important to know what kind of a dog we are talking about here.

Those shelter bully mutts can be unstable, and it’s naive to deny that. Due to lack of socialization and training, since shelters won’t do that, it will cause reactive dogs. 

But if the dog is an actual American Pit Bull Terrier, there is a very high risk that it’s an animal aggressive individual, and that combined with a high prey drive is not good. And that’s the case with most bull and terrier breeds, even in Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terrier.

Genetics can’t be changed but can be managed.

Now it shouldn’t be your responsibility to worry about your kittens safety, since the dog is not yours. Maybe try informing your neighbor that you have kittens and would appreciate some space.

All the cat owner needs to do is keep her cats inside. If they're outside, they need to be supervised at all times.

If you allow your kittens to have unsupervised access to your yard, you should have ALREADY been concerned about hawks, owls, raccoons, possums, skunks and other cats.

That Pittie is likely the LEAST of your problems…

One Quora user shares a tale of a brave pit bull.

Friend, tell you what. Google: pit bull cat coyote Arizona

I heard the story, seemed almost too good to be true, but it made the local news.

Family has pitbull and cat. They get along.

Cat walks to edge of yard, pitbull is sitting by door watching. Coyote grabs cat — guess what happened to that coyote (?). The dog then picked the cat up, laid her on a pillow, laid next to her for two days as she healed.

BTW that coyote will never be grabbing a cat again.

A dog is a reflection of the owner's personality.

A dog owner shares their views based on experience.

I’ve had many pit bulls and Rottweilers none have ever attacked anything or anyone on my property unless they we’re breaking inn or we told them to protect.

She can even trust her dog to be around her granddaughter.

My 6 year old granddaughter takes a 150 pound Rottweiler for walks in town never had a problems.

It's hard to answer the question without getting to know the dog. So it's best to be friends with both the pit bull and its owner.

No. The best thing you could do is get together with your neighbors and your kittens and their pittie and have a meet and greet. Pitties are really sweet dogs and there is no reason to fear them.

It would be best to hold your kittens the entire time for the first several meetings. Eventually you will let the kittens down but kittens freak out on dogs, hissing and swiping.

The kittens need to feel comfortable around the pit so THEY don’t go into full attack mode. All dogs have instincts, lol. And cats seem to entice the chase.

They need to be friends. Ask your neighbors if you can give their dog a treat when you see him and ask what treats they prefer and buy a bag of those.

You will find the love and adoration a pit bull gives is a bit addictive and maybe you will have one of your own someday. I honestly can say I would have one but they are far too strong for me.

I am a small, older (nearly elder) woman who has a chihuahua, lol. It’s always best to have a dog you can control physically just in case it decides to chase that rabbit or squirrel.

To sum up, make friends with your new neighbor dog and be sure it gets to know your cats. Once he makes friends with your cats, he or she will protect them to the ends of the earth.

There's no way of knowing whether the pit bull will be a threat to the cats. Just because it's a pit bull doesn't mean it's dangerous like the misconceptions say.

If the cat owner doesn't want to deal with the neighbor, then she needs to ensure that her kitties will stay indoors.

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