Do you know why dogs don't like cats?

The stable expression "get along like a cat with a dog" means a strong dislike. It is believed that these two animals literally hate each other. This is also reflected in popular culture: Tom the cat hunts Jerry the mouse, but he himself regularly becomes a victim of Spike the bulldog.

Poorly trained or stray dogs really attack cats. Why? Well, most dogs are bigger than cats, and they're also predators. Dogs hunt Dog Tips From DogTown: A Relationship Manual for You and Your Dog — Best Friends Animal Society Trainers / National Geographic Books animals are smaller than themselves, because that's how their brains work.

The instincts of dogs tell them to chase prey running away from them. Strictly speaking, they chase not only cats , but generally any animals smaller than themselves. It's just that cats are a fairly common mammal in an urban environment.

If people kept squirrels or meerkats instead of cats, they would fall victim to Spike instead of Tom.

Difficulties in communication between the two species are also added by differences K. A. Houpt. Domestic Animal Behavior for Veterinarians and Animal Scientists in their body language. For example, when a dog is happy, he waves his tail, and in cats this is a gesture of aggression. When a dog is confused and scared, it presses its ears to its head and bends down to the ground — from the cat's point of view, this is preparation for an attack. That is, even if these animals are initially peaceful, a misunderstanding between them can develop into a confrontation.

Cats usually run away even from peace-loving dogs, thereby causing those to pursue them. And some attack suspicious dogs — and then they start S. Coren. The Modern Dog: A Joyful Exploration of How We Live with Dogs Today be afraid of cats.

However, with proper upbringing, cats and dogs can coexist peacefully. So, scientists at Tel Aviv University claim Dogs And Cats Can Live In Perfect Harmony In The Home, If Introduced The Right Way / ScienceDaily that the best way to make two species become friends is to grow them together from an early age.

If the kitten grows up with the puppy, then over time the pets will stop noticing differences in body language and will not perceive incomprehensible signals as signs of aggression.