When it comes to owning one of these feisty little creatures it is best to keep in mind that they are a hunting dog and that is what they were bred to do is cat rodents and foxes and you should not be surprised if your jack will chase your cat(s) around the house because this is only natural for them. You cannot try and teach or train this out of them because then you are taking away this dog’s job and therefore causing a flaw in the dog.

Jack Russell’s are kind and sweet with an energetic disposition. They need a job something to keep them busy and out of trouble, but if you choose to purchase a Jack Russell and have smaller pets inside the house you might get more trouble then you were asking for. These dogs cannot tell the difference between another household pet and prey they think that they are one and the same.

Some Jack Russell’s can be kept in a house with cats, but that does not mean that the cats will always be safe. They may act like they are friends, but it only takes being out of the house one time for the rough housing between the two animals to turn deadly. It is better if you have a Jack Russell and a cat to never ever leave them unsupervised alone even if they look like they get along. This is a common mistake that a lot of owners have they think that just because the Jack Russell is not chasing around the cat all day that it is fine for them to be in the house together and this is simple untrue. This is when the owner comes home to a dead cat and does not understand what happened and blames it on the dog. A Jack Russell likes to play, but they tend to play rough of at least that is my experience with Max. You cannot expect them to be gentle with something that is its enemy. So before getting this breed of dog you need to consider the other pets in the household and if you are going to be able to monitor them all throughout the day, if the answer is no then move on because this breed is not for you.

I have two cats Harley and Sadie and they live in the house with Max, but I do not ever let them alone with him because I know that something that is just play could turn deadly. Harley and Sadie are indoor/outdoor cats and so when I leave the home they go outside into the garage while Max stays in the house. Max was raised around these cats from the time he was a puppy, but I would still not trust that nothing could happen to them. The reason that I got Max even though I had cats was the breeder had told me that these dogs get along well with other animals and that includes cats. I now see that he did not do his research as well as I and I should have looked into it more, but I could not stand to get rid of Max just because of this fact and My husband would not allow the cats to be put into a adoption center and I really didn’t want that either, so we try and make the best out of the situation that we are in. It seems to have worked for the most part. The cats and dog are never ever left alone together and we have gates all over the house so that the cats have someplace to escape to. We also have never allowed Max to play rough with the cats. I can say that it takes more time on the owner’s part when you have other smaller animals in the house. This is the main reason I say to consider your time that you have in a day to monitor these animals.

It is best to keep the other pets in the household in mind before purchasing or adopting this breed of dog because you might be in for more trouble then you asked for.