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My husky mix paws and rubs gums on my cats. Should I be worried?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | unspayed | 4 years and 2 months old | 65 lbs

When trying to introduce my dog (husky/border collie mix) to my cats so we can all live in harmony my do exhibits strange behavior: Aside from getting hyper and chasing, she does this thing where she places her paw/arm over the cat and rubs her gums over the cat. Is this behavior cause for worry?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 21st, 2018

Be very careful with huskies and husky-mixes. Huskies are notorious cat-eaters and cat killers. Never let her chase any cat and never leave her alo ne with your cats. They are instinct driven, and often have no control of=ver their hunting instinct. The gum rubbing could be Ubersprung behavior, ie she knows she is not allowed to hurt the cats, but needs to relieve that tension this way in order to express her desire.

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