A rescue cat named Mustache launched a program to test adoptable dogs for cat-friendliness at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco, California.
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
“How is this dog with cats?”
It’s a question asked frequently when people want to adopt a dog from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco, California. In fact, around 40% of potential adopters have cats and want to make sure to adopt a dog who won’t attack, chase or otherwise bother their feline family member.
Until a few months ago, Muttville had long waitlists of people waiting for a known cat-friendly dog to arrive. Only a handful of fosters for the nonprofit live with cats, so Muttville would only know if 4-5 dogs at a time were considered cat friendly.
That all changed a few months ago when a volunteer named Missy Dominguez suggested her cat, Mustache, could come meet Muttville dogs to test their reactions.
An adoptable dog meets Mustache at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
“I wasn’t too nervous only because I had seen him around all my foster dogs,” she said. "At first we had him on his harness and leash just in case, but Mustache walked into that room like he owned the place. He was looping around, just doing a slow pass of the place, checking it out. He helped himself to the water bowl. So when Mustache was calm from the second we got there, I knew we would be good.”
One at a time, staff brought in a leashed dog to spend time in the room with Mustache for 2-4 minutes. Members of the team would carefully watch the dog for any tell-tail signs of fear or aggression.
Dogs are always leashed during the cat-friendliness test.
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
When a dog is not cat-friendly, the team typically knows “right out of the gates” by reading canine body language, according to Kimberly Benjamin, director of adoptions and community engagement at Muttville.
“If a dog locks in or their fur goes on edge, we immediately just turn around and we say, ‘Nope,’” she said. “We do 20 to 30 dog testings every other Friday and usually only one or two fail.”
Benjamin, who earned a Master of Science degree in human-canine life sciences, said dogs who pass maintain a loose body and are generally neutral when they meet Mustache or his protégé, Little Dude.
Mustache paved the way for his protégé, Little Dude, to also test dogs for cat-friendliness.
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
“So they look at the cat and then they continue looking around the environment, which means that they are not hyper-fixated or over engaged with the cat. If they go up and they sniff the cat and then keep going on about their business — any type of acknowledgement and then ignoring is great. That’s exactly what we want to see,” she said. “We don't expect cats and dogs to be best friends out of the gate, but we do just need to know that the dog is not going to chase the cat and vice versa.”
In contrast, if the dog comes in and their body goes rigid, or they start tracking the cat with their eyes with a hard stare, or the fur on their back stands up in “piloerection,” the dog does not pass the test.
“If we see even a hint or get a whiff of any of those behaviors, we just immediately hightail it and turn around before the cat even has a moment to engage to avoid our feline volunteers experiencing any stress,” Benjamin noted.
Mustache saunters by an adoptable dog.
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
Thanks to Mustache, hundreds of cat-friendly dogs have found forever homes much faster than they would have without the cat-testing program, according to Benjamin.
“I think a program like this is really neat because it is going to ultimately save a lot more lives. I hope other shelters will sort of pick up the baton and start doing it,” she said. “It really only takes one feline volunteer to make a big difference.”
Dominquez is glad her cat successfully started such an impactful program at Muttville. She believed Mustache was the perfect cat for the job because of his history.
Mustache was the unofficial “office cat” at Hopalong Animal Rescue (which is now part of Marin Humane) when she adopted him three years ago. The cat even charmed Georgie, her “very spicy little senior dog.” After her dog passed away, Dominguez began fostering dogs for Oakland Animal Services and Mustache seemed to intuitively know which dogs to greet nose to nose, and which to observe from a perch — particularly pesky puppies.
Mustache observes a foster puppy from a perch.
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
“It was like he knew which ones needed a little bit more time and he knew which ones he was just napping next to from day one,” she recalled.
So it was a natural fit for Mustache to start testing dogs at Muttville. He loved his job so much that every time Dominquez asked him, “Mustache, are you ready to go to Muttville?” he would jump into his cat carrier and purr in the car on the drive there.
Mustache was so cool, calm and collected in his carrier and the car and when meeting new pets and people that Dominguez calls him “my perfectly baked loaf.”
“I adopted him when he was, I think, six or seven,” she said. “He was just perfect from the minute I got him.”
Mustache admires himself in a mirror.
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
While Mustache’s disposition was perfect, he was technically a hospice cat due to a fist-sized mass in his abdomen. Dominguez resolved to give Mustache a home and all the love she could give for as long as he had left.
A Tragic Loss — And A Lasting Legacy
Tragically, Mustache died suddenly on June 10. Even as Dominguez and the Muttville family grieve, his legacy lives on, according to Benjamin.
“Little Dude has been basically Mustache’s kitty partner in training,” she said. “Little Dude will carry on Mustache's legacy.”
Despite his seemingly grumpy face, Mustache was a very happy cat, according to Missy Dominguez. “If you didn't know him, you'd think he was kind of mad or upset, but he loved life,” she said. “He loved attention. He was just the happiest little guy.”
Courtesy of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
A big part of Mustache’s legacy is the gratitude from hundreds of adopters who brought home senior dogs quickly thanks to his cat-testing program.
California resident Paige Emery and her partner adopted Subway, a 14-year-old miniature long-haired Dachshund mix, from Muttville after she passed the test with Mustache.
“Subway is doing great, and she’s actually the perfect fit for our cat,” Emery said. “Subway is unbothered and mostly leaves her alone, which is exactly what my cat likes. We haven’t had any issues besides the cat being disgruntled to have to share the cuddle space on the couch. We couldn’t be happier with our girl, Subway.”
Senior dog Subway got adopted into a home with a cat after being tested by Mustache.
Courtesy of Paige Emery
Because of her positive experience volunteering with Mustache, Dominquez hopes other cat lovers will consider volunteering with their cat to test dogs at local animal shelters and rescue organizations.
She also hopes that Mustache’s story will help inspire people with cats to consider adopting a senior dog.
“This is another reason that adopting a senior dog is great,” she said. “They're likely already potty trained. They probably have some basic training and manners. They sleep a lot. They're easygoing — and most of them will probably coexist with a cat very well.”
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