My Cat Chases Dogs - Is This A Common Behavior?

[Kitty Lover in Africa]

My cat, Fudge, chases off any neighborhood dogs that linger too close to the house. I was really taken by surprise the first time I saw her do it. But she has done it a number of times since then, so it clearly wasn't just a fluke! At least, she did it until a couple weeks ago, when a dog decided to react and chase her. I hope this experience cured her of the habit, as for various reasons, I really don't want her to be chasing the dogs - I try to chase the dogs off before she gets to them but don't always succeed.

But my question is, is this a common behavior for cats? I'd never heard of a cat chasing a dog before, but maybe it happens more than I thought. Or maybe our village dogs are just cowards, and my cute little calico is tougher than she appears. :-)

 

[FeebysOwner]

I personally do not have any experience with this. Feeby will attempt to chase off all other cats that come into our yard, but we have a fenced in yard so dogs don't get near the screened in patio where she spends a fair amount of time.

Is there anything in this article that might help? It explains reasons for why a cat might chase after dogs. Although the article is geared more toward a cat and a dog that live together the reasons for this behavior could still apply to a cat chasing any dog.

How to Stop a Cat from Attacking Dogs

 

[di and bob]

Cats with a more confident personality, and females can be very aggressive when defending their turf, or driven by instinct to protect kittens, even if they have never had any. Saimese are known to attack dogs and humans too. They are very protective. My Siamese mix often chased dogs out of the yard. The only problem with this is that eventually they will run into an aggressive dog who can and will kill them. The safest solution is a fenced area for cats, or to keep her inside.

 

[Kitty Lover in Africa]

Yeah, I think it must be defending her turf - not provoked at all by the dog. The dog will be just walking by, minding its own business, and Fudge will be sitting calmly on the porch, until the dog stops to check out an interesting smell. Fudge sees him and tenses up, and if the dog doesn't move on quickly, suddenly Fudge charges from the porch, across the front yard and straight at the dog - usually taking the dog by surprise. Fudge is usually a very cautious cat, wary of anything unusual in her environment, so it seemed so strange that she should be so bold to chase a dog three times her size. But it does make sense that she might be defending her territory.

 

[mazie]

My Katy is the very same way. She makes it quite clear to any dogs or cats that my wander into her tur that SHE is the alpha. I have seen Katy scratch across the bridge of noses of dogs who weigh as much as 85 pounds or more, with them letting out a yelp of pain, , Katy who weighs a mere 9 pounds. The problem with this is when these cats meat up against an aggressive dog who does not take to a cat putting him in his place and decides to go after her. Keeping the cat inside if at all possible of course is the best solution, but I empathize with your situation, believe me.