5 Mean Things Dogs Do To Cats

Cats, like other pets, should be adopted as a member of the family. However, if you already have a dog, you may wonder if the two animals will get along. After all, the myth goes that dogs and cats dislike one another.

This may not occur in your house. However, that doesn’t mean that it will always be smooth sailing either. If you have issues between Fido and your feline friend, you will have to make behavioral changes around the house. Here are five signs to look out for.

Fighting with the Cat

Your dog may antagonize your cat (as discussed below), however, the two animals should not fight. In the case of a bigger dog, it could easily become a deadly situation if the animal decides to go after the cat. Even smaller dogs can pack a bite.

Conversely, cats that have not been declawed can cause serious harm. Either way, you could wind up having to take your pets to the vet to get their injuries treated.

Eating the Cat’s Food

A mischievous dog may decide that its own meal isn’t good enough and that it wants to try your cat’s food instead. This can present quite a detrimental situation in a few different ways. First of all, the cat may respond aggressively, which can potentially harm the dog. Next, the dog probably should not consume the ingredients in most cat foods. It may make them sick or it may not have any effect. Dogs need more protein than is found in cat food, which could cause problems. The dog should eat its own meals.

Destroying the Cat’s Toys

Dogs may become bored with their own toys and decide to go play with the cat’s instead. It’s no secret that the majority of cat toys contain catnip within them to entice the feline. While this catnip gets the cat excited, it doesn’t do the same for dogs. Instead, they may become lethargic or relaxed. If you, as the owner, don’t see the dog play with the cat’s toys and come home to see your dog acting like this, it could be cause for alarm. You should keep the two pets’ toys separated to prevent this playing overlap.

Stealing the Cat’s House or Space

In most cases, this situation can be quite comical. After all, for bigger dogs, it’s very likely that they won’t be able to get very far into a cathouse. However, if you have a smaller dog, then it could nestle right into the kitty’s space. The dog may try to make this area its territory. If the cat sleeps in its house overnight, it’s important to keep the dog away. Try buying a dog bed as a nice alternative.

Antagonizing the Cat

Antagonizing may be unavoidable if your dog and cat aren’t the best of friends. While you cannot possibly catch all incidents of the two animals irritating each other, you should watch out if it turns violent. That could be dangerous for both pets.

Now, if you’d like to see the flip side of the coin, 5 Mean Things Cats Do To Dogs, visit Love My Dog Blog. See you there!

Author Neil Kilgore is a dog owner, dog lover, cat tolerator and the Jack (Russell) of all trades at Greenfield Puppies in Lancaster Pa. He writes about dogs, breeders and puppies on the Greenfield Puppies website.