would a cat take a dog in a fight?

Question

An average house cat, nothing like a lion or tiger

Answer 1

Depends on the size of the dog. A chihuahua wouldn't stand a chance, but a great Dane would! Some dogs like greyhounds or lurchers would be able to defeat a cat because some are trained to hunt small animals like rabbits, which are physically very similar to cats. I would think most dogs would scarper if the cat scratched their nose, but if the dog got a good bite-hold on the cat I'm sure they could shake it to death in no time at all.

Answer 2

It will depend on the cat and the dog. A cats rear claws on a dogs soft belly can really make it difficult for the dog to fight off the infection. Also a cat getting to the eyes of a dog can be a very bad thing!
Now, like mentioned before, one good bite from the dog can kill a cat for sure but that too, depends on size etc...

Answer 3

We kept rescue greyhounds and cats together at one point, and sometimes the greyhounds would get a cat and kill it, just from instinct- most of the ones that were killed were kittens, admittedly, but one was a good old cat, it was heartbreaking.

I remember once I saw him go for our big tabby cat, the largest one, and the tabby gave him a good scratch on the nose before running up a post to escape onto the roof.

You could reckon the score Greyhounds 3 - Cats 1- but the hound wasn't killed by the cat, just scratched, maybe the last round was just a draw?

For another take on the problem, read Roald Dahl's short story 'Cat, Dog and Baby'. Outside literature though, whilst a cat may often frighten a dog off with hissing and scratching, the dog more often sees the cat off, and if anyone gets killed in that kind of fight, it's the cat.

Answer 4

Based on my very limited experience, I'll put my money on the cat.

1. A friend brought a new puppy home, a Welsh corgi, to a house with an established queen cat in residence. The dog came in, the cat took a swipe at the dog's nose, the dog has been subservient since.

2. I generally think of my kitten as a scaredy cat; she's a rescue kitty and hides when people come into the house, noises can startle her etc. I took her to our summer home and a cousin brought his dog, a border collie-collie mix. This collie tries to herd everything, including an Irish Wolfhound. This was my cat's first one-on-one interaction with a dog. The dog lost. The cat was up on the arm of a chair, the dog approached, the cat expanded (the first time I've seen her fur stand on end), hissed, and swiped out a paw at the dog. Next thing, the dog was bowing down, keeping her head submissive to the cat, looking up at her like 'what did I do, I want to be friends!'

Others have told me to bet on the cat, based on what I've seen, I'd agree!

Answer 5

My cat has held her own against more than one dog in a fight-including a Rhodesian Ridgeback the size of a Rottweiler-she leapt up and got a grip on the top of his head with her teeth and just kept raking his eye area with her claws while clinging to his back with her back feet,after trying to shake her into a position he could bite her in for a few moments he gave up and rolled to get her off,then 1 more hissing snarl from her and he backed off with his tail between his legs.What makes it more crazy is that she started the fight-attacked the Ridgeback-to protect my own dog (an elderly Saluki)that he was attacking.She is a lot bigger than most cats though-her dad was a Scottish Wildcat.

Most breeds of dog are larger than cats and so have more powerful jaws but cats are very hard for a dog to get a solid grip on in a fight and they aim their claws for the eyes.

That's only if the cat holds it's ground though.If the cat runs it's different as the dog will get a grip on the back of the neck before the cat can turn to fight.

Answer 6

If I where a cat I would know better than to even mess with a dog....unless it's a toy breed. Maybe if I was a stupid cat I would attack a thirty pound dog.....

But seriously,light little claws that can leave a scratch or Powerful jaws of a Pitt Bull,or German Shepherd that could not only cause a boo boo but crush bone as well....


But yes some dogs are a bunch off geeky turkies. Some dogs get scarred for life after one scratch from the family kitten!! LOL

Answer 7

A dog could easily kill a cat. I don't think a cat has the strength to kill a dog.
That said I've seen my mother's cat jump out of a tree onto a dogs head and try and scratch it's eyes out. I think the dog is more likely to back away from the fight than the cat.

Answer 8

It depends on the dog or the cat !! My dog would kill a cat if she could catch it but my neighbour down the street has a cat that thinks it's a dog and has taken on rotti's and won !! The cat launches itself on to the top of the head and just digs it's claws in and hangs on!! The dog never saw it coming!! The cat is HUGE but just a house cat!

Answer 9

A cat would always try and defend itself but taking on a dog? I doubt it but if it was daring enough depending on the nature of the dog would probably die in the fight...

I had a tom cat that used to attack every dog it came into contact with! Fortunately for my cat the dogs all ran a mile... didn't like the claws! :-)

The other cat fight stories have really made me smile.... so I have to agree, cats can handle their own...:-)

Answer 10

Does depend - average house cat versus average house dog up to labrador size - then yes - I reckon the cat would win - Mine have certainly been "the victors" when surprised by dogs up to collie size in the past & all my mogs have been fairly small females.
I HAVE seen a LARGE ginger tom (definite house cat - OK - bed cat) take on a much bigger dog - I don't think the dog was actually up for a fight - he just surprised the cat - and got his nose opened and scratches all down his back whilst the cat was making good his escape!
Best one was when my smallest female was sunning herself in the garden and some sh1tty neighbours sent their grotty little jack russel over with the words "go on, kill" being shouted at it.
It got nearly up to her - she sat up - took one look & just hit out with claws extended.
LOTS of blood - I understand the jack didn't lose the eye in the end though.