Senior Dog Rescue Has a Resident 'Cat Tester' Named Mustache - and He Takes the Job Very Seriously
Every good shelter needs someone willing to do the hard work of being judged by a cat.
At Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, that someone is Mustache - a volunteer feline with an unbothered stare and an unofficial job title: cat-compatibility tester. Senior dogs come and go through the adoption pipeline, but none get the green light for a cat-friendly home until they've been subjected to Mustache's signature once-over – a "rigorous" meet and greet with the boss himself.
In this clip, Mustache mostly chills while the dogs are allowed to show how receptive they are to him (while supervised, of course). Their reactions range from total indifference (pass!), to cautiously curious (pass!), to downright friendly (the best kind of pass!). It's the ones who bark or show aggression that fail the Mustache test and are better suited to kitty-free homes. Only once, when a pup gets a little too up close and personal (butt sniffing is not tolerated), does Mustache react with a deserved swat, but hey, he runs a tight ship.
@muttville_sf Our new volunteer, Mustache, is the cat's meow
original sound - muttvillesf - muttvillesf
Mustache earns praise from viewers for his calm demeanor and fair judgement:
"What a good kitty. He's doing a very important job," says one viewer.
"Mustache runs a strict program!" agrees another.
Other viewers are equally impressed with the dogs:
"My dogs would fail this in an embarrassing manner. I'm so proud of these pups," praises one fan.
"My dogs would embarrass the heck outta me in front of Mustache," admits another.
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What to Look for in a Cat-Friendly Pup
Mustache is a priceless resource in evaluating a dog's tolerance for cats, but he's obviously an impractical one as well. Thankfully, there's real evidence to rely on when trying to understand which dogs are well-suited to sharing a future home with a feline - and it lines up surprisingly well with what Mustache is actually checking for.
Breed tendencies are a starting point, though not a guarantee. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs from the Toy and Sporting Groups - Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Papillons, Golden Retrievers, Labradors - tend to be easygoing, sociable, and quick to treat a cat like just another friend to make. Other breeds, however, can carry real risk. For example, dogs with strong natural prey drives such as Samoyeds, Siberian Huskies, and Malamutes are not typically recommended for cat households. None of this is set in stone, however - it's a tendency, and tendencies can be shaped.
A study highlighted by ScienceDaily found that dogs respond more strongly to the sound of a cat than to its sight or smell - and dogs with a history of harming cats took noticeably longer to settle and orient themselves once they heard those sounds. So whether a real, live, unimpressed cat evaluation is possible or not, always ask about a dog's history. A shelter or rescue should be able to tell you how a dog has behaved around cats, small animals, and people in the past - and that history is the single best predictor of the future.
Puppy-dog eyes are persuasive, but they're not a substitute for a track record.
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM.