Dogs and Cats

[giraffe_02]

Why do dogs chase cats? what is it about the cat that the dog doesn't like?

[andy-hughes]

Dogs chase cats because they can. Nine times out of ten, confronted by a dog, a cat will run, and a dog will instinctively chase it. Cats that have wised up to this simple fact ignore dogs they encounter, and no chasing takes place.

[B00]

You got to admire the cats that stand their ground, not sure about anyone elses dog but mine is totally flumoxed when confronted by this and sort of slinks away, still trying to look cool!

[Filbert]

A few years ago, my friends cat had kittens. Her Alsatian was scared stiff of them. It used to hide under the chair when they came near and run a mile if any tried to play with him.

[heathfield]

From an evolutionary point of view cats have always been more successful than dogs. And dogs know it. No breed of dog has ever matched the size, stealth, speed, and cunning of animals like lion, tiger, leopard, and cheetah. Dogs have always been prey to the big cats. So when a dog sees a domestic cat or kitten, it thinks "Aha! The tables are turned! Time to get my own back on those millions of years of persecution. Cat! Prepare to meet your nemesis!" Well, maybe not likely, but it's how I like to think of it.

[ELVIS68]

Because the Cat always gets the cream and the Dogs hate them for it

[Noweia]

andy-hughes is right that dogs often instinctively chase things that run away from them, not only cats but anything small and furry (and in some cases, large and furry/woolly too!).

[electricblue]

When our first rotty was a pup we were round a friends house and one of her kittens came into the room,our big brave girl took one look and ended up on the back of the settee on my poor hubbys head,she was terrified,after that her motto was' if its bigger than me challenge it,if its smaller,,,run like hell',,,,,,

[Toureman]

We got a 5 year old rescue Rotty and we had not had her long when she saw a cat, she went tearing towards it and the cat never moved, she stopped right in front of it, the cat whacked her on the nose and the dog turned round and walked slowly back to me looking puzzled!

[drgnrdr]

Miscommunication...look at it this way dogs and cats have a different language and social structure. Dogs speak with body language and so do cats but the signals are different or mean something else...example:

when dogs are happy what do their tails do? wag back and forth quickly, when a cat wags it's tail quickly what does it mean...back off I'm getting ticked off... and dogs have a prey drive for chase like andy-hughes said..when socialized properly cats and dogs get along, they learn each others language, just like they learn ours (eventually), cats are not socially oriented creatures, they don't need a "pack" to survive, dogs do...you've got 2 different species there.

Cats are real good at the "Stare", to a dog it's a threatening gesture, dogs only wanting confrontation and think they can win will take on the cat that stares at it, until they realize the feet are dangerous, (when they play with each other their toes don't cause injury, so who da thunk the feet can tear flesh the dog says)...can you understand what I'm trying to say even tho it's almost 1 a.m. here and I gotta go to bed...?