Her behaviour is perfectly normal - she puffs up and runs at him sideways to make herself look much bigger and more aggressive than she actually is - a typical cat "fight or flight" reaction.

I have neighbours who have two Pomeranians who bark a lot (but not much else) and Lily steers well clear of them, not even going out in our garden if they are out in theirs. But she is like your cat when she meets another cat - and also takes ages to calm down afterwards. Whilst she's calming down she redirects her aggression at me - hissing, growling and lashing out, it's quite scary. I've learnt to just talk to her very calmly and not approach her until she settles down

In your situation I think the bigger worry is the dog's owner losing control of the dog and of it attacking her rather than her going for the dog - at worst she might make a quick swipe. If the dog can "go" for cats like this it could also "go" for small children or other, smaller dogs so I would hope that the owner is aware that their dog could be reported as "dangerous" and take appropriate action to keep it under control (on lead, muzzled etc).

 

If the dog can "go" for cats like this it could also "go" for small children or other, smaller dogs so I would hope that the owner is aware that their dog could be reported as "dangerous" and take appropriate action to keep it under control (on lead, muzzled etc).

I agree with most of what @Bertie'sMum says , this is most likely just Misty's attempt to look more threatening than she actually is,I do however find the comment " go for small children" a bit of an odd thing to say.
Most dogs throughout history have shown their dislike of cats that doesnt mean they dislike small children or small dogs.

 

If it wasn't so worrying @Bertie'sMum , it would be very cartoon-ish, as if she's saying to the dog, 'come on then if you think yer 'ard enuff'. It does worry me she might feel threatened enough to attack.
I've been on the receiving end of her aggression a few times,having to drag her off my arm which she rabbit kicks and bites like a kickeroo.
Once I've got her off me she gives me a very threatening look, and I'm sure would come back for more if I didn't immediately sight block her. She's feisty girl if need be.

 

If it wasn't so worrying @Bertie'sMum , it would be very cartoon-ish, as if she's saying to the dog, 'come on then if you think yer 'ard enuff'. It does worry me she might feel threatened enough to attack.

Basically I think that is what she's saying - but I don't think that she would actually attack, she's more likely to run away. She is, after all, much smaller than the dog and would probably react like the "prey" that she appears to the dog to be.

,I do however find the comment " go for small children" a bit of an odd thing to say.

If a dog will attack a smaller animal it is only one step away from it attacking a child or other dog - there have been enough cases of out of aggressive, out of control dog attacks in the very recent past to back up my thoughts.

 

Basically I think that is what she's saying - but I don't think that she would actually attack, she's more likely to run away. She is, after all, much smaller than the dog and would probably react like the "prey" that she appears to the dog to be.



If a dog will attack a smaller animal it is only one step away from it attacking a child or other dog - there have been enough cases of out of aggressive, out of control dog attacks in the very recent past to back up my thoughts.

This is not true, if it was then there are an awful lot of breeds of dog who would never of been suitable to live alongside humans, my own terrier cross being one.
I'm no expert in canine behaviour, there are far more knowledgably people on here to explain this, hopefully one of them will see this. (@O2.0 for example).

 

Can I just clarify that this isn't a large dog. More a medium sized terrier type.
He's very friendly towards people, just cats he hates.
There's a X Chihuahua that lives here, and the dog goes after him too. Probably mistakes him for a cat due to it's small size.

 

Sadly, if a human gets in the way to protect a cat if the dog owner loses control of the dog, and the human gets seriously injured by the dog, chances are the dog would be euthanased for attacking the human, even mistakenly, I hope the dog owner knows that and makes sure the dog cannot attack anything.

 

Again, most dogs are not going to attack a human even if the human gets in the way. If that were the case there would be people hospitalized daily by their whippet, greyhound, husky and JRTs to name a few. Yet that doesn't happen. Many owners in fact use their body to block the view of the cat from their dog, they're not getting attacked.

There is a thing called re-directed aggression in dogs, but it's not at all what you can see in cats where they continue to attack and don't seem to realize or care that it's their owner they're attacking. Dogs with re-directed aggression generally bite or go to bite and stop themselves, or stop as soon as they realize it's their owner, or their owner cries out or responds.
Dogs have a natural aversion to biting humans. And even when dogs are pushed to bite, most will naturally inhibit the bite.

I would absolutely be concerned for the cat in this situation, but my concern for the human is more that they would be pulled over and injured that way than by the dog.

 

@Cully oh dear I seem to have unwittingly taken your post "off topic" - I apologise and will now withdraw from the conversation.

 

Thank you very much for your original post, I found it quite reassuring and helpful.
That was what I was hoping for in starting the thread, other members experiences of dealing with a similar situation.
But, as is often the case, I inadvertently opened the floodgates to a much wider problem about aggressive dogs, which I wonder, might be better dealt with in a more specific thread.
Thanks to everyone who responded.

 

Basically the dog needs trained to ignore cats, that's the dog owners responsibility.

 

Would it be possible to put something up, thinking planters or something that could help block the line of sight?
Or would going out when the dogs out and feed treats to Misty to distract her and get her a bit more relaxed around this dog so she doesn’t run at it?

Do you know the owner at all? Wondering if giving him tips on training would go down ok.
There’s things like “look at that”. Where you start at a distance that the dog can see the cat but not react, let him look but then look back at the owner to develop a level of impulse control. As with all training it would take time and possibly difficult in a scenario where he has to walk through to continue on his way.

 

Thanks. There are plenty of plants around but tbh there are also lots of elderly residents so actual plant pots are a hazard.
Misty has a favourite spot where she's mostly hidden and can watch the bugs in the hedge. The dog knows she's there and goes nosing for her.
If I know the dog is around I go and bring Misty in. She watches from the window sill for his return and was getting less nervy and more reassured that she's safe indoors. But I'm back to square one again since that last episode.
Yes I know the owner although not very well. She's a young girl who recently lost her home and is staying here with a relative for a while. The dog gives her great comfort and is her rock. He seems perfectly well behaved until he spots a cat.
I'm sure she does her best but believes Misty encourages the dog or is trying to play with him!?!?!
To be fair they only use the route to get from A to B, a short distance, and don't linger. But he badly scared her the first time, and Misty hasn't forgotten.
I do try and keep watching for him going out but it's not always possible. This is only a tiny flat so I love to see her outside feeling safe in her own territory. It's quite stressful now, for us both, sigh!

 

I hesitate to say anything in case I jinx myself but things seem to have calmed down.
When the dog goes for his walk he appears to be under more control, so well done to his owner.
I just talk quietly and calmly to reassure her.
If Misty is indoors and she sees him outside, instead of getting all puffed up and on edge she just stiffens a little and watches until he disappears.
If she's outside she just stays hidden. So I'm really hoping 🙏 they've both become more accepting.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions and trying to help. I do appreciate it 😊.

 

If a dog shows aggression toward other animals including cats then it needs training. Your cat is only displaying itself for the sole purpose of showing it won't be intimidated by the dog.

 

It is very important to protect the cat from unnecessary stress. Limit the number of encounters with dogs. And indeed, if the dog is large, its owner may not be able to hold the leash and it may attack him. And this can be tragic, I personally have encountered this more than once, unfortunately. So if the dog is not a cat's friend, then you need to make his life as far away from the dog as possible, or if this is not possible, then only hope to rely on the good faith of the dog owner.