Labrador Retriever & Bengal Cat - Will They Get Along Together? - Page 1

I am wanting to get a dog and a cat, preferably a puppy and a kitten. I want to get the puppy first and I already know that I want a Bengal cat. I have read that Bengal cats can get bored if they do not have a lot of toys to play with while the owner is away at work for 8 hours and can resort to breaking things in the house for entertainment. And people recommend that Bengal cats can be kept with other Bengal cats, regular household cats, and dogs so that they do not get bored and tear up the house.

So, I was wondering how well do Labrador Retrievers get along with cats? Could there be any problems with them; and I would be better off keeping the Labrador in a crate or a separate room while I am away? Or could I keep the Labrador and the Bengal together without having to worry about them?

Edit: Sorry for 3 separate posts, I thought that these posts would show up under separate pages for each breed of dog and not all 3 under the same page.

 

Every dog is different. This must be decided upon on a case by case basis, not by breed.
Vonrivera

... and, whether its a Labrador, a Schnauzer or a G.Spitz, if I know
anything about Bengal cats it's that the cat will rule the dog.

One of my cousins got a bengal cat, was the cat from hell. Destroyed so much stuff. Climbed and shredded the drapes, snuck into the spare bedroom and pissed on the mattress every chance it got. Refused the litter box. Attacked them. Stole food. Was damn near feral.
Get a dog and forget the mostly feral cat. Like wolf hybrids they really do not make great pets. In fact i'm sure there is a really nice cat at the shelter that would be a great pet and much less trouble.
Fry

"...if I know anything about Bengal cats it's that the cat will rule the dog."

 

Fixed that for you HM 

Thanks, Dawulf !  You are right of course, in general. But IME Bengals (being, as noted above by 'Fry, on the more exotic and expressive side - having been based on a wild cat anyway) have all that 'catiness' in spades.

The Doberman that I now have is because the lady who owned him also owned a dachshund and thought it was cute because little Thurston would bite the Doberman around the face and the Dobie would just walk away. She let this behavior continue because she "loved it when the little guy exerts himself and rules". When the dobie was about 4 1/2 he had enough and almost killed little Thurston. Now the dobie was the bad guy and had to go "NOW". Obviously it was the owner who was the bad guy. All I can say is sooner or later, you will see the results. Maybe not right away but eventually.

Can they be the best of friends?  Yes.  Will they be?  That depends on many factors and on the temperaments of the individual dog and cat.  Bengals can be highly social, particularly if well socialized as kittens.  Still, I would not be leaving any dog and cat together unattended until I knew they got along, without conflict, reliably no matter the circumstances.   Here's my bengal with my black lab and again with a client's yellow lab.  Both dogs have been taught to be respectful of cats.  My bengal does well having the companionship of other animals, particularly my other cat.  He is very playful and entertains himself with toys each night.  Bengals are certainly not for everyone.  Mine is extremely vocal, climbs everything and is pretty busy.