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A local cat has attacked my dog 4 times now. The attacks are unprovoked (my dog doesn't growl or bark or bother them at all) and my dog loves cats.

One of the attacks had the cat chasing me down the street with my dog in my arms (he's a large Staffordshire bull terrier so not the easiest to carry as I am a small built female) and was only resolved when a kind man trapped the cat under a car with a broom so I could escape. He informed me that the cat has attacked many passing dogs. It's a funny enough story but it's become more problematic as the cat is wandering further and my dog was attacked again outside my own house today. It's not as if I can avoid the cat's "Territory".

I've tried multiple things from stomping my feet near the cat in an attempt to scare it, shouting and hissing at it but nothing works. It has attacked my boyfriend's shoe when he tried to hold it back with his foot and the only way I can keep my dog safe from the cat scratching it is by picking him up out of the cat's reach but it follows me waiting for me to put him back down and it will attack again.

I am a huge animal lover and I really don't want to hurt the cat but if it came down to it I would protect my dog even if it meant kicking the cat.

After today's attack once my dog was safely inside, I went back out to find the cat as I'd like to confront the owner however the cat wasn't wearing a collar this time. During the previous attacks it was wearing a collar so I am quite sure it isn't feral. It's frustrating that people don't view cats attacking dogs as they do the other way around...

What can I do in this situation? How can I prevent the attacks?

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    Well my cat is afraid of dogs, there's a lot of stray dogs around here and the only way I can keep her from dying is locking her indoors. Your condition sounds very strange to me.
    – Sonevol
    Commented Aug 15, 2017 at 15:18
  • pethelpful.com/cats/How-to-Stop-a-Cat-from-Attacking-Dogs Perhaps this article could be helpful
    – Sonevol
    Commented Aug 15, 2017 at 15:37
  • The cat isn't hers so maybe she should first thing talk to it's owner
    – toothless199
    Commented Aug 15, 2017 at 21:08
  • @Sonevol our dog is frightened of our cats - one in particular stalks her. She's also a big dog - a greyhound - it's not as unusual as you'd think
    – user6796
    Commented Aug 16, 2017 at 2:58

2 Answers 2

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Try carrying a water pistol/spray bottle with you when you walk your dog and anytime the cat comes near give it a spray. Most cats aren't very keen on getting wet and will cotton on to this pretty quickly and start avoiding you and the dog, and as much as cats might hate getting wet it doesn't actually harm them so it's preferable to kicking them!

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There's two possible answers here: prevent the cat from attacking your dog, or prevent the cat from attacking any dog.

As your neighbor said, the cat has attacked other dogs too so while you can certainly find a subterfuge to make it leave your dog alone, it will do no good for others. If the cat has became problematic, a good talk with the owner should do. Chances are the owner isn't aware and will see how to correct this behavior on his part. If not, you could have help from the authorities, as the owner of the cat is fully responsible of its behavior. (also remember this if you ever need to go to the vet because of that cat!). Third possibility is that the cat has no owner, then call the appropriate agency to take care of the stray cat.

On a side note, if you are indeed a frail woman, I'd go see the cat's owner accompanied. We never know how bad people could react.

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