spiritdogs
Posted : 9/29/2006 6:50:00 AM
Prey drive is engaged by *motion*, and the dogs, once something small and furry runs by, have little control. They just go. They make no conscious decision, and so it is not fair to hate them for something they were born hardwired to do. The fault is not with them.
As to your dog having the seizure, it could easily have been triggered by a high state of arousal, which the chase certainly is. Your kitten was a feral kitten, and had he not been rescued to live a short while in comfort, could certainly have met the same end at the hands of a fox or a coyote, who would be acting, just as dogs do, on instinct alone.
Dogs cannot tell the difference between a rabbit and a cat if it's running by them lickety split. Some dogs will even down a cat, then realize it's their own, and let it go. But, your dogs had no lengthy exposure to this little guy telling them it was a "packmate". To them, he was just a prey animal.
My advice would be to stop fostering any cats, since you know there are dogs in your home that are predatory, and just stick to dogs of the same relative size (no Chi's or Yorkies...etc.). And, stick around!