Is it normal for a male Malamute to kill small animals, including cats?

Question

Is it normal for a male Malamute to kill small animals, including cats?

Answer 1

They should not, you can be in huge legal trouble when pets are killed.  The owners can bring charges against you and, depending on the local ordinances, get your dog confiscated and euthenized.

It's up to you to stop any aggression he has. It would do neither of you any good if he decides babies and small children are fair game as well.

If he needs to be soft muzzled when outdoors to be 'safe', you need to do that.

Answer 2

Mals and Huskies are the closest breeds to the wolf, and have much stronger instincts than other breeds.  So yes, they will kill a smaller animal if given the chance.

Answer 3

Alaskan Malamutes possess a strong "prey drive" which is part of the hunting instinct. If it moves or squeals, a mal will chase it - sometimes with dangerous consequences.

Malamutes have been known to kill rabbits, squirrels & birds, as well as neighborhood cats. Mals only do well with cats when they have been raised with them and have also been taught to control their natural instincts. Some mals can never be trusted around other small animals, even when raised with them.

Mals should be taught caution & control around children. Besides their love of humans, they are also attracted to children because of the quick movements and high-pitched voices ( similar to those of small hurt animals - a natural prey ). No small child should be left alone with a large dog of ANY breed. Mals tend to play rough and, due to their size & power, could injure a child without meaning to.

Answer 4

Malamutes have very high prey drive

Answer 5

Yes,many Mals and Huskies have very high prey drives and will kill small animals.You can't trust them with cats unless they have been raised with them from puppyhood.

Answer 6

All mine I trust 100 % with small children. They loooove kits.

BUT small furry animals are a NO NO. Cats included. We do have a cat living next door but he knows not to come into our garden.  I do know of same Malamutes that have grown up with cats and are fine with them under supervision; they should not be left alone though.

Again as the others have said, they have a high prey drive.  All mine are off lead when out for a walk over the fields, but I have worked very hard on their re-call, I cannot stress that enough!!!  Having said that I would not let them off lead around deer, sheep and other small farm animals.

Answer 7

Yes it is and this is something you should or rather should have know before getting the animal. Anything you would have read about Mals would have told you about their high prey drive.

Answer 8

yes. I used to have a malamute. they will go after anything that encroaches in to their territory. even when they are raised with cats and other small dogs, keep in mind that they are also very powerful and can hurt smaller animals during play. they do play rough!

Answer 9

No. It's not normal for any domesticated animal to kill another domesticated animal. It's instinctive, but that behavior should have been overcome with proper socialization and training.

If your dog is doing this, you are going to have to contain them so other animals are never available to them.

This can actually cause your insurance to go up or be cancelled all together.

Answer 10

YES! Yes yes yes and yes. Animals don't know when or when NOT to kill something. Law doesn't mean anything to them nor does how big of a fine it is. Nature is nature. I have an adult male Siberian Husky and one thing these two dogs have in common is that anything smaller than them IS considered prey. They WILL try to kill it unless they know better and even then it may not be safe. Even human babies until properly introduced are considered prey by these dogs and should be watched carefully. It is a very normal thing. And malamutes can be even more aggressive than a husky seeing as how they don't have the side of the playful Spitz to calm their aggression. But yes. Very normal. Remember, these are mix animals that are only recently domesticated (by the standards)  and are closely related to that of a wolf. Huskies themselves are made of of only wolf and spitz.