Jackie that pic is adorable!

I have a siberian husky and I've always thought I could train him to be ok with cats (at least leave them alone). From what he's met of cats (through bars of a cage at a pet store) he was only mildly interested and just wagged his tail...except when a kitten swatted at him, he jumped back scared lol. My theory has not been tested (can't have a cat where I live) but I have hope...I know there are other huskies that are cat-friendly. But anyway (sorry I'm in a rambling mood) high prey drive dogs are usually going to be a lot harder to train to be nice to cats than your average dogs...herding dogs too as they have the instinct to chase and herd obviously.

Maybe a smaller, calmer dog. You said you wanted a dog to feel safer, small dogs can have big barks and enjoy defending the door when the doorbell rings, trust me. Most rescue groups will test their dogs around cats, children, etc. to know if they would be ok to go to a home with them.