Hi Jeanette, thats a lovely photo

Yes it is isn't it?

Its when I see these pictures I can regret giving Oskar away, but then I just have to look at Oliver my other cat and see that he is thriving again instead of hiding all the time.

But he was a cutie!

Jeanette

What a beautiful cat (and dog of course!). Is he a Russian Blue? I had a gorgeous big blue cat similar to yours, but he had to be put to sleep when he was only 3 , he had feline leukemia even though he had been innoculated against it.

I have similar pics of my GSDx and our yard cat (who was dumped on our land). She sits on him, chews on his ears and washes his face, she is the love of his life. The blue cat, Timmy, was Luath's best friend, he was the first thing the puppy saw when we brought him home at 8 weeks old and hardly left his side from then on. He was distraught when Tim had to be put to sleep. We never thought we'd find another cat that would be so friendly with my dog, I'm very grateful that she was dumped on our land!

Presa's were bred originally (amongst other things) to be guard dogs, to work cattle, and to subdue cattle for either butchering/castration (they did this by grabbing onto the nose of the cow and holding on to it). To be able to confront a large cow, bite, and hold on, Presa's need be very brave and to have a high fight drive.

Already show breeders have started to 'dilute' this temperament, and whilst Lia, and I very much doubt any Presa in the UK, have the hard temperaments of the working Presa's in Spain, her fight drive was obviously sparked in the confrontation with the cat.

I hope this goes some way to explaining!

Hi Lizzy, I had a cat that had to be put down because of feline leukemia too. Its really upsetting to see them waste away. My other cat was lucky as he did not contract it and is now 14 years old.

Do most bull breeds have a high prey drive Star is a boxer and likes to chase but that is as far as it goes.

sorry, posted twice

Thanks guys for all help!

Rocky is pretty good with Cheetah otherwise, and she's pretty good with him too. It's just when she runs off he gives chase, but I think (and hope!) he just wants to play with her as he chases the kids/me/ball etc when playing anyway. They'll never be left alone together anyway and Cheetah will always have her private space probably by putting a catflap in one of the spare bedrooms and keeping the door shut.
Thanks again!

Hi Lizzy

Yes I believe he is part Russian Blue and part "normal" yardcat, as he had tigerstribes on his legs (hard to see unless he sat next to you).

He is now living with a guy in Copenhagen and is an indoor cat as he also were here with me.

So now I have Oliver a big red 8 year old neutered cat and Luna my chocolate labrador.

Thanks for the explanation about the Presa that helps to understand

Hi Carole,

Most bull breeds actually have low prey drive. They will chase things (say a ball) for a while, but get bored quite quickly. Herding breeds (GSD's, Malinois....) usually have very high prey drive, so would chase a ball alllllllllllllll day and probably all night too! It is the actual fighting that bull breeds and mastiffs excell at (whether this is pulling you around in a tug of war game , or fighting to hold onto a bull), and usually they could do this for hours, providing that it is challenging enough.

Of course mastiffs and bull breeds can be selectively bred for higher prey drive, but as a rule it is usually fairly low in comparison with herders. But then if you think about it, herders have to herd livestock most of the day, so would have to have high prey drive, couldn't have them getting bored and not doing their job!

BellaLuna, do you ever see Oskar? Must have been sad to say bye Have you any pictures of Oliver? I love big cats, though the 3 we have at the moment are pretty small (have 2 burmese and the moggy yard cat). My best friend has a huuuuuuuge British Blue/Cream called Chloe who I adore and try to steal at every given opportunity!!!

Take care,

Lizzy.

Now you mention it, Star is a tug of war addict, would play all day if she could. When we play with a ball, she brings it back but you have to have a tug of war to win it

Rocky loves Tug of war too, however he does start growling (not much with me tho but with others whilst tugging). I tell him off ("NO") when he growls, am I doing right?