The titles says it all.
But my dog did put his nose to a bush while
I was walking with him and out of there jumped
furious cat who was determined to hurt the dog
it seemed.
I ran away and got off lightly but the
cat jumped around and hissing and luckily my dog
could run away from him despite him jumping before us.
What would have been my right reaction to make him either stop or flee?
Cat's behaviour advice; what to if cat attacks dog?
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Ruth B
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Re: Cat's behaviour advice; what to if cat attacks dog?
Glad to hear neither you nor your dog were hurt in the encounter.
While it isn't a situation i have come across some thoughts do come to mind. A cat won't normally attack unless provoked and most of the time there will be a lot of posturing, hissing and growling before they attack. If a cat in the wild got attacked there would be a good chance it wouldn't be able to hunt for a bit and possibly starve, so they try and settle disputes without coming to blows if possible. One exception to this is if a mother cat has young nearby, they can become very aggressive if they are defending their kittens, which might be the case here, or it could be the cat was having a quiet snooze and your dog just scared it.
Normally when faced with an aggressive cat, make yourself look as big as possible, hold your arms slightly away from your body and if you are wearing a coat and it isn't fastened hold that out as well. Stare directly at the cat as that is challenging body language and then approach in a slow determined stalk, if you don't mind making a fool of yourself growling or hissing can help. Most cats will back down and run off, unless as said there is a reason such as kittens nearby.
Alternatively you can let the cat win. Hunker your head down and try and look small. Keep your eyes on the pavement only looking at the cat out of the corner of your eye and back away slowly. Then just turn and walk away. Most cats will accept your submission and let you go on your way.
What you have to think about is how your dog reacts. If it gets aggressive you need to back it up, if you dog is cowed so should you be. Try not to run and try and prevent your dog from chasing the cat and hopefully any further confrontations can also be settled without anyone getting hurt.
That is my advice, unfortunately cats are a bit unpredictable, and us cat lovers can be the same, so others might come on with totally contrary advice.
While it isn't a situation i have come across some thoughts do come to mind. A cat won't normally attack unless provoked and most of the time there will be a lot of posturing, hissing and growling before they attack. If a cat in the wild got attacked there would be a good chance it wouldn't be able to hunt for a bit and possibly starve, so they try and settle disputes without coming to blows if possible. One exception to this is if a mother cat has young nearby, they can become very aggressive if they are defending their kittens, which might be the case here, or it could be the cat was having a quiet snooze and your dog just scared it.
Normally when faced with an aggressive cat, make yourself look as big as possible, hold your arms slightly away from your body and if you are wearing a coat and it isn't fastened hold that out as well. Stare directly at the cat as that is challenging body language and then approach in a slow determined stalk, if you don't mind making a fool of yourself growling or hissing can help. Most cats will back down and run off, unless as said there is a reason such as kittens nearby.
Alternatively you can let the cat win. Hunker your head down and try and look small. Keep your eyes on the pavement only looking at the cat out of the corner of your eye and back away slowly. Then just turn and walk away. Most cats will accept your submission and let you go on your way.
What you have to think about is how your dog reacts. If it gets aggressive you need to back it up, if you dog is cowed so should you be. Try not to run and try and prevent your dog from chasing the cat and hopefully any further confrontations can also be settled without anyone getting hurt.
That is my advice, unfortunately cats are a bit unpredictable, and us cat lovers can be the same, so others might come on with totally contrary advice.