Is there a scientific reason to explain why dogs and cats hate each other?

Answer 1

because they cannot have sex with each other.. hahaha!!!

Answer 2

I think it's something to do with the way dogs and cats respond to different influences. Dogs often like to investigate other animals, sniffing them and running up to them. Cats can be quite scared by sudden movements, and will often run away quickly if confronted- also, they can be easily shocked by loud noises. Thus, bringing a cat and a dog together can often result in trouble.

At the same time, and as other people have said, it's not a hard rule that dogs and cats will fight. We had a greyhound that had been trained for chasing hares- on several occasions, he chased our cats and even killed two or three. At first we beat him to try to teach him that it was bad, but the eventual solution was to muzzle the greyhound for a week. He quickly learnt that he couldn't bite at the cats anymore, and got used to having them around. After we took the muzzle off him, there was peace again.

If there are fights between dogs and cats at our place now, it's nothing more than a dog getting a paw to the nose- and most of our dogs have been with the cats since they were puppies now, so they don't even see each other as threats. It's when the animals don't know each other that you get fights, that's all.

Answer 3

I don't think cats and dogs HATE each other.

A cat brings out the predatory instinct in a dog in much the same way as a rabbit or a rat would.

The difference, as I see it, is that cats do not regard themselves as prey animals and will often retaliate.

It is almost as if the cats resent the dogs attitude to them, whereas a rabbit accepts that it might end up as the dogs dinner!

If dogs and cats are properly introduced they can live very amicably together. I owned three cats and four dogs and we never had any problem. The cats, however, were always in charge and the dogs seemed to respect them.

Answer 4

People are answering this question by referring to their individual pets, which obviously will result in many variances. It's annoying when people try to personify their pets. Yes, yes we all know that people have dogs and cats that live in harmony at home but this is HUMAN INFLUENCE. In a wild state Tiddles isn't going to be curling up with Fido. They are both predator and scavenger and will compete for the same prey, although a dog will be more likely to scavenge a kill made by a cat. Watch a few nature programs you'll get the jist eventually. Don't look on animals as having human traits they operate on instinct.

Answer 5

They often don't hate each other. If they are brought up together they can learn to tolerate each other, but its rare for them to be close. You know if two animals are close because they'll be happy to eat from the same dish and sleep in the same bed without one bulling the other, and they'll play together.
The big problem seems to be that they just don't read each others body language. A cats growl sounds close enough to a dogs growl, but dogs often don't recognise it. A cats waving tail means irritation, but a dog wouldn't see it that way.
Cats don't like direct eye contact and will blink and look down and off to one side if they're trying to be friendly, but a dog will go right up to them with open eyes and wag its tail.

Answer 6

They dont always hate each other i have 5 dogs and 5 cats and they all get on fine with each other. It depends in how you train your dog or cat. If a you teach a dog to attack a cat then it will attack it, if you never introduce a cat to a dog it will be scared of it and then it will attack the dog and vice versa. But if you bring them all up together then they get on together.

Answer 7

We have both and they love each other and copy each others signals. A dog wags his tail when he's being friendly it's anger if done by a cat, so that's just one confused message, there are many more. A cat's tail goes up when it greets you and signals he's not aggressive. If a dog does he's being very threatening. A dog is a pack animal a cat isnt barring the odd exception. And so on. Our pets grew up together and have learnt from each other.

Answer 8

My friends dog and two cats all get on well and seem to stick up for each other. My friend also thinks that the two cats are gay both being male and are often on top of each other.

Answer 9

Good question :
I am sitting here, next to a sleeping heap of cats and dogs who, get along fine together.

Mind you, should a neighbourhood Moggy appear in the garden !!!!
they ALL rush out with 'kill' on their minds LOL

Ehem ! back to your question

They are both predators, but with very different methods of catching their food

cats use their claws ,as well as teeth for attacking and also defence use little noise except the odd yowl

dogs only use their teeth and a loud barking

Maybe it is, they are so geneticaly different , that causes them to often hate each other.

Answer 10

Its all to do with bitterness.If you look at it from the dogs point of view dogs have to watch cats roaming free because dogs arent responsible enough to go out on their own and cats rub their noses in it.Plus cats hate anything unless you are holding a tin of cat food and then their your best freind.

Answer 11

I am not sure if there is a scientific reason, but also with animals it is something to do if they started their life together or not. I know cats and dogs who enjoyes to sleep together and eat together all in 1 basket or in one bowl. My own cat brings little presents for our snowdog to buy her off so she tolerates the cat arround her.