Because of the beagle’s inquisitive nature, one would think that life with Beagles and cats wouldn’t be possible, but I’ve had quite a bit of success with getting the pack to adopt feline members. The real problem isn’t whether or not the dogs will accept the cat, but whether the cat will accept the dogs. For this reason, it is a lot easier to start with a kitten and an adult dog then it is the other way around.
The beagles like to smell the cats and even chase them a little, but when they are kittens they instinctively know that the kittens are babies and they are mostly just curious. I will introduce the kitten and then keep it in my physical space and just let the dogs know to be nice. They sniff, and play a little. If they get too excited, I calm things down by removing them or the kitten. Ultimately the kitten ends up wanting to play with the dogs and they learn how to play without being too rough with each other. As they grow up they bond together in such a way that they won’t chase each other or be mean with provocation.
Whenever our dogs hear someone in the yard, they’ll start howling their heads off like crazy and run outside. Our cat follows along with them and jumps up on top of their fence because he knows he is protected by the pack. It is very sweet to watch and makes you realize that a lot more animals can get along together then we realize.