It is their natural instinct just like why humans must eat food. However, it is easy to break the instinct if you bred your cat and dog from young as there were kittens and puppies; they would not bark or attack each other. I have a cat and dog at home, they don't fight and even sleep together ;D
Dogs do not hate cats it's often that they just see cats as something to chase. the cat will feel threatened and that will in turn make the dog feel threatened, and it's downhill from there and the chase is on. Actually, many cats and dogs get along just fine.
Tell you something dogs like to chase things, I once command my dog to sit and he also does it no matter what but this time, I ran and he chase after me....
Makes sense though I don't think that applies to my dogs -.- my dogs goes nuts whenever they see a cat...sadly they've killed a few that wanders into my house ><
Usually dogs, or maybe just mine, barks and chases cats when they see one while cats usually just walk on by when they see dogs though sometimes deliberately slowly to anger dogs that can't reach them.
The whole "Cats versus Dogs" statement is somewhat of an Urban Legend. In truth, it's more about stating territories & boundaries. Cats & dogs fight because often one violates the others' territories. Take for example a family owning a cat who has lived in a particular neighborhood for a long time. Then a new family moves in next door who has a dog. Naturally being a newcomer, the dog will try to establish its own territory. Now depending on the dog's size & nature (or personality) it might respect an old timer, or the most often instance is it will chase off its competition (the cat) to gain ground. Also, if you've lived with both cats & dogs for a huge part of your life you'll also realize this generalization that the two are bitter rivals is wrong. We've had cats & dogs ever since I was little & though a few of our dogs are indeed cat haters, most of them are not, especially if a cat & a dog grew up together as puppy & kitten in the same home.
Well, it is kinda true that my dogs or at least one of them chases everything that doesn't fly -.- from mouse to monitor lizards to cats. But I don't know. It just seems that whenever he sees a cat, he has this high urge to chase the cat. Maybe my dogs were born cat haters? xD
You'll understand cats & dogs' different personalities better once you've gone through 30+ dogs & cats over your lifetime
according to... CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE they don't hate each other....maybe....sometimes....im confused
I've seen instances where cats chases dogs...Though one of my relatives has this cute situation. They have a dog which is really fierce. And every day a cat which is either stray or the neighbor's comes over and sleeps on top of the rack behind the dog. It's like they're a couple xD
