To begin, it’s not always true that canines despise felines and vice versa. In truth, many dog breeds and cat species may coexist peacefully and even become the best of fuzzy friends with the proper introduction.
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However, the vast majority of felines and canines get along swimmingly. Dogs certainly seem to despise cats, but why is that? Let’s check out the several hypotheses that attempt to clarify this furious rivalry.
Our pet’s wild ancestors likely fought over resources like food and territory with other animals for thousands of years. This will pit them against one another, obviously.
Dogs’ antipathy toward cats may have its roots in their prehistoric existence together or apart. A cat can get along on its own, but a wild dog needs a community to survive. Because of this, a dog wouldn’t have a chance against a cat in a one-on-one hunting situation because cats are superior hunters. It also wouldn’t have a chance against a cat because felines are more agile, can quickly change direction by climbing or leaping, and have keen claws to defend themselves with. Cats, on the other hand, are equally as antagonistic to dogs despite the fact that canines are often larger and, if in a group, outnumber cats.
Because cats were both a threat and a potential source of competition for dogs in the wild, it’s possible that dogs evolved to naturally dislike them. Your beloved dog has probably never spent a day in the wild, but it’s likely that it still has some prehistoric memories and instincts that tell it not to bother with a cat.
Dogs have earned their reputation as man’s best friend. As a species, humans and hounds have coexisted for thousands of years. Scientifically speaking, cats are only “half” domesticated because they have only lived with humans for about 5000-10000 years.
It’s also been found that dogs are often friendlier and easier to train. They now rely on humans for survival and consider people of other species to be members of their “pack.” Moreover, if a cat and a dog ever cross paths, the dog will be far simpler to remain in a “stay” position than the cat will be.
However, cats have an edge when it comes to being wild. They haven’t been domesticated for nearly as long as dogs, and we haven’t bred them selectively like we have dogs.
Domestic cats come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but humans haven’t bred them to excel at any particular task. Dogs, on the other hand, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from toy dogs to giant hounds, and there are even dog breeds that are trained specifically as sniffer dogs, hunters, or guard dogs.
Cats succeed at being cats and making their own fun, so people have never really challenged their natural abilities. Due to our hands-off approach, they’ve retained many of their natural behaviours, such as chasing after small prey like mice and birds and avoiding larger ones like dogs.
It’s only natural for domestic cats to react aggressively to dogs, just as wild cats do. Your dog’s affinity for felines is no guarantee that felines will reciprocate the feeling.
To us humans, it seems like dogs are mean since they always try to catch a cat as soon as they spot one. And it may have nothing to do with the fact that they are a cat at all; in fact, it may be a result of dogs’ natural aversion to cats.
Almost all dog breeds were developed initially with the express purpose of hunting and pursuing game. Your cute little Dachshund was originally developed to pursue badgers, despite appearances to the contrary.
Whippets, bred to hunt rabbits, Labradors, trained to help people retrieve birds, Yorkshire Terriers, bred to hunt rats. There is a good chance that your dog, no matter how small, fluffy, or adorable it may be, was originally intended to hunt.
It’s no wonder that dogs have an innate desire to chase anything little and fuzzy, given that they were originally developed to hunt such prey. Unfortunately, cats are a perfect example of this. Your dog may not want to harm the cat, but chasing it is still fun and natural for them.
Pets such as cats and dogs
Animals, both canine and feline
Not only that, but Rover poses a serious danger to cats because they are (typically) smaller than dogs. In times of danger, a cat’s natural reaction is to flee to a higher location for protection. While their vision isn’t great, dogs have a remarkable ability to zero in on any motion. When a cat runs off, your dog immediately wants to give pursuit.
Thus, your dog isn’t actively targeting cats as prey out of some sort of antipathy toward felines; rather, it’s simply following its natural instinct to chase anything that moves swiftly.
It’s possible that dogs and cats don’t get along because they speak different languages, which makes friendship more difficult. The differences between meows and barks are obvious, but it turns out that they also manifest in diverse body language.
As an example, everyone understands that a dog’s wagging tail indicates (typically) contentment. However, a cat’s tail wagging indicates anxiety. That one element of body language conveys TWO very distinct feelings.
You can’t expect your dog to grasp a cat’s language if it hasn’t been exposed to cats from a young age. You can’t just expect to know German if you haven’t studied it or grew up around it, either. It’s possible that dogs and cats don’t get along because they don’t understand each other’s language and therefore send and receive conflicting signals.
Different dogs may have different reasons for disliking cats, based on factors including the dog’s upbringing and character.
As it turns out, animals have impressive memories. And if your dog has had a bad encounter with a cat, they will never forget it.
If your dog was exposed to a cat as a puppy, especially during the critical socialisation phase, and the cat hissed and swiped at him, the dog can develop a lifelong fear of cats. It’s likely that the next time they encounter a cat, they’ll recall that impression and be on guard.
Can you explain the canine prejudice against felines?
If dogs are so kind, why do they despise felines?
In a similar vein, some dogs are naturally more reserved and solitary than others. If your dog has a cold disposition, don’t expect them to rush out and make new pals. That’s truer still if the feline in question is a member of the family.
Dog owners often conflate the two concepts of socialising their puppies. Introducing your puppy to new experiences and stimuli and teaching them how to behave appropriately around them is an essential part of socialisation, but it is not the same thing as letting your puppy play with other humans and dogs.
Your dog will still find cats unfamiliar and scary as adults if they were never introduced to them throughout the socialisation process. Unfortunately for the cat, your dog’s natural reaction will likely be to chase and/or bark at the creature.
Worse, if you do nothing and your puppy learns to chase a cat during socialisation, they will grow up thinking that is what they are supposed to do.
The personality of the animals themselves will play a role in how they interact with one another.
Some canines are so easygoing and kind that they even get along with feline friends. Some people have a biological need to hunt and would immediately go after a cat if they saw one.
While some cats are outgoing and approach calm dogs with little hesitation, others are more reserved and avoid meeting Fido at all costs.
It truly depends on the temperaments of both your dog and cat as well as how social they are. How well-adjusted and socialised they are will also play a role.
Then why is it that canines generally dislike felines? It turns out that it’s a combination of things like instinct, rivalry, experience, and character. Something about cats makes dogs bark like crazy, and Fido makes cats nervous.
But that doesn’t prove that canines are universally anti-feline and vice versa. Many canine and feline species are amicable toward one another and can even coexist peacefully if introduced properly. Additionally, there are some of our furry friends who are just more chill and kind to everyone they meet, whether they be human, canine, or feline.
