Most people believe that dogs and cats share a stereotypical, mutually hateful relationship. However, the truth is far from it... While cats and dogs don't hate each other naturally, they do have different temperaments.
Dogs have a natural instinct to chase smaller animals that flee, an instinct common among cats. Most cats flee from a dog, while others take actions such as hissing, arching their backs and swiping at the dog. After being scratched by a cat, most dogs will become fearful of cats.
Local wild predators such as foxes, skunks, raccoons, opossums, weasels, coyotes, bobcats, hawks, and owls rely on the native populations of prey animals to survive.
The main reason why cats and dogs fight is because the dog is a predator, and in the dog's mind, the cat is prey. You must observe their behavior. Those that chase with the intent to kill is the behavior you look for that may result in rehoming one of the animals.
Cats and dogs living together
As long as you approach everything in a calm, logical way and consider each species' psychology, you should be fine. Make sure no animal feels left out, ensure they have their own space, their own food and water and their own time with you and everything should work out!
In addition, a dog's interaction with a cat can change depending on the environment. Just because your dog is comfortable with the cat inside the house, that doesn't mean the dog will exhibit that same behavior outdoors. They might fixate on the cat and start stalking or chasing the cat when they are outside together.
Dogs will make friends with a kitten because they are social animals and would rather have company than be alone. Once they have established that bond, the dog will take care of the kitten as part of its pack.
Playing Ruf-eree. Bullying cats have a tendency to scratch or bite unsuspecting puppies. If you can, intervene as soon as you can so you can start to show both animals how to coexist peacfully. Try not to leave the puppy and the cat alone if the feline has demonstrated agressive behavior in the past.
Your Grumpy Pup Is a Very Smart Dog — Science Says So
That said, research has been divided on the dog/cat intelligence question, with some studies suggesting dogs are more intelligent than cats because of their social nature, while others found that cats rank higher in abilities, such as long-term memory.
Cats are more likely to be uncomfortable around dogs than vice versa. And cats display more aggressive or antagonizing behaviors towards dogs than vice versa. The authors of the study speculate about why cats seem to have a somewhat harder time co-housing than dogs and offer a few hypotheses.
People with ailurophobia (eye-lure-o-PHO-bia) have a fear of cats. Someone with ailurophobia may have extreme anxiety or fear when seeing or thinking about cats. They may avoid visiting friends who have cats or stay away from co-workers who talk about their cats.
The second part of the outdoor cat predator problem is that cats are themselves prey. They will be killed by coyotes, eagles, owls, raccoons, dogs and otters. Two cats were killed by an otter when the cats got to close to their nest. Cars and humans also kill cats.
Because of their association with humans, domestic dogs are not generally preyed upon by wild predators. However, wild-living domestic dogs may be preyed upon by any large predator. Often they are killed by other canids, such as wolves, coyotes, and jackals.
Cats see dogs as predators
Size plays a major role in why cats fear dogs. Most dogs are bigger than cats, and instinctively chase anything that is small and fast-moving. So, is it any wonder your cat is afraid of dogs? To your feline friend, a dog looks, smells, and behaves like a scary predator.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
If your dog has a strong prey drive (the inclination to seek out, chase and potentially capture animals seen as prey — usually smaller animals such as cats or rabbits), she might become very focused on the cat. She'll stiffen, stare, and may start barking or whining.
Everything they do, they do because they want to. Cats can be truly loyal, but unlike dogs, that loyalty comes out of their desire to be loyal to you. That makes it so much more valuable.
When it comes to the ongoing debate of dogs versus cats, we stopped keeping score a long time ago. But, here's a major point for the feline lovers: a recent study found that cats are just as loyal to their humans as dogs are.
Cats are, in fact, cleaner than dogs. Cats do not require as frequent bathing as dogs do due to their capacity and proclivity to clean and groom themselves. Most cats, especially those with medium to long fur, should be brushed on a regular basis.
However, dogs generally have an advantage over cats, as many are bred specifically for their hunting or athletic abilities. To get the most accurate answer, we've measured the fastest cat breed against the fastest dog breed, and dogs are indeed faster than cats. However, cats can still outrun dogs!
It is important to remember that cats can also kill dogs in some cases. This is most common with puppies, which are small enough for some cats to serious damage. However, this is much rarer than dogs killing cats.
If your pets start feuding, don't insert yourself between them or start yelling, as it can only exacerbate the situation. Instead, try to safely interrupt the fight by making a loud, sudden noise to startle them and attract their attention.
The majority of cats can happily coexist with a dog if they are given time to comfortably get to know each other. If a puppy and kitten are raised together, they generally will learn right away to tolerate each other, and some cats and dogs grow to be real friends, even playing and napping together.
Science Says 'Yes' Compared to babies and dogs, cats are often seen as more aloof and detached from their caregivers. But as KLCC's Brian Bull reports, the bond between human and feline is purr-fectly tight.
Many believe they are prone to display aggression toward cats, other dogs, and even humans. These stereotypes are mostly baseless, however, and often stem from fear and misunderstanding. In fact, pit bulls and cats can get along quite well.