The fact the dog has gone after the cat twice is not a good sign, but being a Pitt-x makes the situation even worse. Don't get me wrong, I love the Pitt breed, but once one has shown interest/aggression in chasing a cat then different arrangements have to be made to keep the cat safe.

Another concern beside dealing with the dog is it's now winter time and the cat has lost the safety of his home. Even with the dog gated the cat will be too scared to enter the home since he doesn't know where the dog is or if he'll be chased again. You'll need to get food and water outside for the cat and make sure he has shelter and warmth. Do you have a garage with a door that you can leave slightly open? If so, set up a bed and a second feeding station there.
It's not fair to an animal that has lived in the house for years, especially one that is possibly in his senior years, to suddenly be ousted by a strange, attacking dog.
My suggestion would be to find a new home for the dog since you'll never be able to trust the dog near the cat. I believe he could easily come thru the door-gate if he chose to so I would never set up the scenario where the cat and dog are in the house alone.

This post was edited by annz on Wed, Dec 10, 14 at 12:18

thanks ann. my cat and i have adjusted to the dog and things are working out. the cat scoots off into the basement through the cat door when the dog is loose in the house. when the dog is outside or confined to my bedroom the cat comes back in the house and sleeps under the woodstove. not the perfect scenario but livable for all. i will let the cat decide when he is ready to go nose to nose with the dog.

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear the cat has enough courage to enter the house and it sounds as though things may work out. As long as the dog isn't obsessed with the cat and you don't see any signs of stalking, there's hope, but I still suggest supervision at all times.

This post was edited by annz on Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 11:47

If you ever let the dog out of the room it is currently sequestered in, I would make sure that the cat has a safe spot in every single room the dog has access to.

A tall cat tree, a tall chest of drawers, a bookcase--somewhere the cat can get to easily, but the dog can't.

If the dog is EVER outside at the same time as the cat, even for a second, the dog should absolutely be leashed to a human until the cat is safely indoors again. All it's going to take is ONE TIME that the dog catches your cat outside, and it's likely to be a bloody end to your feline companion.

The same holds true for your cat's mad dashes into the safety of the basement when the pitt is loose in the house. That simply should never happen. The pitt should be leashed indoors until the cat is in a safe location that the dog can not access.

You have already acknowledged making mistakes in allowing this dog to chase your cat, yet from your description, you are still creating situations that may allow the same problem to occur, with potentially deadly results.

Pitt Bull vs cat is not going to end well for the cat.

I'm really nervous for your cat. The dog has a strong prey drive, and as the others have mentioned, the cat will not fare well in a skirmish. I fear you will let your guard down and the dog will kill the cat. I implore you to re-home the dog...the cat was there first, and he should be able to relax.

thanks for all the concern. the cat is doing fine with the new arrangement. this cat goes out and encounters all sorts of wildlife and has survived many years doing so. he comes home beat up sometimes. it would be nice for the dog and cat to get along and i am looking for a way to make that happen. if they don't get along i'm confident i can handle it without harm coming to a cat i love.

i know that this was a while ago. as you see Knuckles the cat and Scotty the dog have become friends. if anyone else is faced with this situation it pays to be patient and make it clear to the dog that the cat is sacred to you. i also had to train Scotty to not chase the chickens.

It's nice to see an update and good that you have managed to work things out. Did you ever figure out what his "other breed" is? Either way, I'm happy you were able to command peace in the kingdom. Congratulations!