Do Dogs Eat Cats – Tips To Protect Your Pet  

Dogs and cats generally get along fine with each other. However, sometimes dogs and cats can get into fights, and that can, unfortunately, lead to injuries. Especially if the pets are not familiar with each other, and the dog is aggressive, one might wonder; do dogs eat cats?

Generally, dogs do not eat cats. Although not every dog and cat will get along, it is extremely rare for a dog to go as far as to attempt to eat a cat. Most dogs will chase a cat around until they either get bored or the cat finds a place where the dog cannot reach them. 

The conflict between dogs and cats is quite rare, especially in terms of one pet eating the other. Still, it can be helpful to know how to protect your cat if you feel your dog is aggressive and capable of such a thing.

Do Dogs Eat Cats

Dogs don’t eat cats, however, in some extreme cases, a dog may try to eat a cat. However, this is extremely rare, and it only occurs in one scenario.

This scenario is that a dog is very hungry, and the cat is one of the only food sources. Considering that this almost never happens, most people will not need to worry about this happening between their two pets. In addition, your dog will also have to have a reasonably strong hunting instinct and know-how to kill a cat or find one already dead before even thinking about eating one. 

Do Dogs Kill Cats

In some rare instances, a dog may kill a cat. Sometimes this is on purpose in dogs with strong hunting instincts, and other times a dog was playing far too rough for the cat to handle. This is why some specific types of dog breeds are only recommended for cat-free households unless they have been socialized to cats from a very young age. 

When it comes to dogs attacking cats in general, you should consider the personality of your pet first. Not just the dog, but the cat as well. You can ask yourself a few questions such as:

• Does my dog have a history of attacking other pets
• How does my dog respond behavior wise to a lack of attention
• Is my dog aggressive in general

All of those can spell out to your pretty quickly that having a dog and cat together in the same household might be a bad idea.

Some questions you can consider for the cat if it’s already present in the house are:

• Does my cat have possessive tendencies
• Is my cat anxious around others
• How often is my cat exposed to other pets (including dogs)

Having an understanding of what your cat is comfortable being around can pay off when it comes to introducing them to a dog. Simply asking these questions can help eliminate some headaches don’t the road, and keep your cat protected. The last thing you want is for your dog to attack your cat when they have known behavioral issues.

Do Dogs See Cats As Prey

In the wild, dogs do see small house cats as prey. However, most pet dogs learn that cats are not to be treated as prey fairly quickly, especially if they are appropriately introduced to cats as a puppy.

This does not mean that every dog will get along well with a cat, though, and you should always be cautious when introducing a dog to a cat. This is especially true if the dog is not a young puppy and has never been around cats before. 

For the most part, a dog seeing a cat as prey won’t be much of an issue. If your dog is well trained and understands what its source of food is, it won’t attack your cat or eat them.

What To Do If A Dog Attacks A Cat 

If your dog does go in to attack a cat, then you should separate the two immediately.

This is because many dogs can cause cats serious harm during fights. However, when separating any animal fight, you should do so cautiously, and you should never separate them with your bare hands. This is because both the dog and the cat could harm you if you physically get in between them. We will break down how to properly stop a dog and a cat from fighting into a few simple steps. 

Step 1: Make a loud noise. This will distract the two animals for just a moment. You can use an air horn, bang some pots loudly, a loud whistle, or any other loud noise that will make an animal pause for a second. It’s common for pets to go scrambling at the sound, so be prepared to have a mess on your hands.

Keep your eyes open for your cat especially. You’ll want to make sure that your dog doesn’t snap out of the surprise and go venturing off for your cat shortly after. It’s best not to grab your cat, but to just keep an eye on where they run off too so you can find them later and calm them down.

Step 2: Put a barrier between the two animals, preferably while; they are still distracted from the loud noise you just made. You can use things like a piece of plywood, metal garbage can lid, a broom, or anything else that will effectively separate the two animals.

Step 3: Create distance between the two animals and take control over the situation. It may be easier to scoot the cat away from the dog with the object you just used as a barrier. Once you have pushed the cat into a separate room, shut the door behind them to keep the two animals apart.

Step 4: Keep the animals separated and assess their injuries. Both dogs and cats may need to see a vet after getting into a fight. If you are unsure if your pets should see a vet, call your vet clinic to get some advice. 

Of course, it is always best to prevent and avoid these kinds of situations whenever possible. As a result, you should always separate dogs and cats from other people and animals whenever you notice that they start to react fearfully or aggressively. This will usually prevent a fight from occurring. However, mistakes sometimes do happen, and following the steps provided above will help break up dog and cat fights if they ever occur. 

Things To Consider 

There is an additional thing to consider when it comes to cats and dogs interacting. This includes introducing a dog and a cat safely and some safety tips for dog and cat interactions. Here are some things that you should consider about dogs and cats interacting with each other. 

How To Introduce A Dog And Cat Safely

You should always be cautious when introducing a dog and a cat to each other for the first time, especially if you are planning on having both pets in your home all of the time. It is always best to introduce these two pets in a controlled way. You can do this by separating the two animals with a baby gate or a screen door. Similarly, you could also introduce the two animals with the dog on a standard leash. This makes it much easier to separate the two if it is needed.