Dicta Boelcke in Nature

[wil3ur]

I witnessed my girlfriends cat sneak up onto a ledge behind he other cat, position itself in the lamp light, and do a diving attack from a high 6'oclock position out of the "Sun".  I commented that Kitty is a fighter ace and is following Dicta Boelcke.  She looked at me like I was "special".   

[BFOOT1]

 

Need to start painting ‘kitties’ on his tail

[Vraciu]

Hilarious.   

[Gman]

Cats are one of natures best hunters.  One of very few animals that train to kill just for sport, and will kill and not eat that kill, polar bears, the dolphin family, and just a few others have been noted for this.  Just got my father a Russian Blue cat for $25 from the local SPCA, it's been hilarious watching it the past couple of weeks.  A neighbor has a cat that kills a bird a day pretty much, anything on 4 legs that can kill birds = fighter pilot quality IMO.

[Vulcan]

cats are just targets for dogs to chase.

[Skuzzy]

cats are just targets for dogs to chase.

Depends on the cat.

Everything about a cat is geared towards hunting, killing, and decimating the prey.  Not sure how many species of animal are obligate carnivores, but the cat is one.  Thankfully, the domestic cat is limited to small prey.

I have two cats.  Brother and sister.  She is tiny.  8 pounds, and at that she is a bit heavy, but she is quick.  Her brother, on the other hand, at 16 pounds, and skinny (front legs measure 12" long from inside the arm pits) but built like a tank.  He shoulder blades are thick and massive, while his haunches are crazy muscular.

They are a hoot to watch.  She'll come flying through the living room and slap his head while flying over him, sending him rolling.  Then he will get up and just sit there.  The next time she comes by, you see her rolling across the floor into the kitchen.

Between them both, she is the hunter.  He is clueless and has the worst case of ADD I have ever seen.  I have seen her go flying through the air to nab a fly (I think the buzzing bothers her).

[Vraciu]

^^^^ LOL

[Wiley]

Canines don't particularly concern me until they get up into the 100+ lb area.  An ill tempered house cat can ruin your day quite easily.

Pound for pound, cats are way scarier than most other creatures you encounter on a day to day basis.

Case in point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIoOJKLHeY0

Wiley.

[Karnak]

cats are just targets for dogs to chase.

You sure about that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-Opm9b2WDk

[Skuzzy]

Cats have many ways to hurt you.  It is the nature of being a hunter/killer.

The bacteria, in their claws, is enough to send many people to the hospital with one swipe.  We keep Neosporin around just for those scratches.  Best first aid treatment for a cat scratch EVER!

Here is my little guy at 4 months old.  He was not near done growing. I think it gives you a sense of his size.

[Nefarious]

(Image removed from quote.)

Hey there, nice shirt. Good looking cat too.

[OldNitro]

cats are just targets for dogs to chase.

I keep my big dog on my hip..

And dogs that chase my cats are moving targets for my .357mag..
Been there, done that! Made for some hard feelings with the neighbors!

Bitter lesson, but they don't let their dogs run loose any more!

[Nypsy]

Cats have many ways to hurt you.  It is the nature of being a hunter/killer.

The bacteria, in their claws, is enough to send many people to the hospital with one swipe.  We keep Neosporin around just for those scratches.  Best first aid treatment for a cat scratch EVER!

Here is my little guy at 4 months old.  He was not near done growing. I think it gives you a sense of his size.
(Image removed from quote.)

Last year while playing with my cat I got a scratch on my hand, no big deal, until the next day when my hand swelled up to the size of something you see in a cartoon. I wound up in the emergency room so they could pump me full of antibiotics.
Love my two cats, Petey and James.

[Skuzzy]

Yep, I do not fool around with any cat scratch.  As soon as it happens, I wash it and hit it with Neosporin.

By the way, cats, domestic or wild, do not kill for the sake of killing.  There are three reasons a cat kills.

1)  Food.  When they kill for food, not much is left of the kill.
2)  Defense.  If attacked, they will defend themselves.  An odd thing about this.  If it another cat, then they may not kill as cats have an instinctive respect for the Alpha cat.  FYI, a wounded cat is to be feared.  Their instinct to preserve themselves will override everything.
3)  Territory.  All cats are very territorial.  They mark their territory and will kill to protect it.  When a cat rubs against your leg, that is not a show of affection.  They are marking you as their territory.  Will they attack to protect you as their territory?  Probably not.  Sometimes the marking is just cautionary and/or instinctive.

Hey there, nice shirt. Good looking cat too.

He has the sweetest and most trusting disposition of any cat I have ever had.  Good thing too.  If he had turned out to be ornery, then we probably would not have any furniture left.

Loves to play more than any other cat I have ever had.  He will play fetch and loves to slide around on the wood floors.  When he sleeps, he is out like a light and always has his toy nearby.  As big as he is, he would not do well in the wild.

She, on the other hand, is a very nurturing cat and a very intense protector of him.

They get along great together and take turns playing "predator/prey".  She almost always wins, whether she is predator or prey.  In a straight line, he is faster, but when it comes to weaving through obstacles, she will just blow him away.

Oh, names, his is "Jag" and hers is "Shelby".  Why?

Well, because Jags were always trying to catch Shelby's, and she can go from 0-100-0 in a blink of an eye.

[morfiend]

 It usually takes a good dog to deal with a cat!

  I have owned 1 or 2 of those dogs, and they were terriers!

  Years ago I had a hybred Siamese cat,he was all black with  blue eyes and loved to be up high as possible,often sitting on top of the fridge. He was quite the hunter and brought home snakes,rabbits,squirrels and many birds. Then I got my first Bullterrier pup,I was worried the cat might seriously hurt or even kill my dog so I kept them separated. After a month or so I decided they had to learn to live together but watched the pup like a hawk so the cat didnt hurt it.

 After a few weeks the pup would "go fetch the cat" she would grab the cat and drag him back to me,the cat would just submit to the dog because she was so powerful. I came home from work one day to find the dog and cat playing but the dog was actually killing the cat,she didnt know her own strength and had the cat by the throat!

  I put a stop to the nonsense right there! I didnt want my dog to kill my cat!  Funny part is the cat was bigger than the dog at the time,dog weighed more but cat was bigger!


  When I was a kid we had an Airedale,she was a cat killer but then she killed anything that was in her territory and moved!