(Warning; there’s a dog in this video, but it’s included only as a foil for the CAT.)
It always amazes me that an animal with the power and weapons of this Doberman (look at those teeth!) knows to pull its punches when dealing with a friend. How does it know just how hard to bite without inflicting damage? But what’s even more amazing is that the kitten shows no fear. That means, I suppose, that mothers have to teach their young the fear of big mammals with teeth—or that familiarity breeds amiability.
Oh, and I’m going to add a cat-related anecdote just sent to me by alert reader Hempenstein:
I heard this last night at a nice [outdoor, woodfired-oven] pizza party.
A couple agreed to house-sit, and tend the cat as part of the deal. There was a note:
The Cat Eats at 4am. You Have to Watch Him Eat.
They figure it’s a joke, put the food out that night and went to bed. At about 4am the cat comes in and jumps on the bed. They throw him out and shut the door. He starts throwing himself at the door and yowling, but eventually it stops. Later, the guy gets up to take a leak and sees a pair of eyes glowering at him.
But before long the cat learns to eat by himself.
A couple years later they’re at a party with the folks they house-sat with, and they mention that they didn’t get up at 4 to watch the cat eat.
“WE KNEW YOU TRAUMATIZED HIM!”
That’s so cute, the doberman could eat the kitten with one bite.
The dog’s behaviour is recognisably non-aggressive. It doesn’t surprise me too much that the cat recognises it too.
My sister has a 100lb ‘goofy’ (Newfie/golden cross) who plays like this with their cat. He has a very gentle bite (what they call ‘soft mouth’ in hunting breeds), but it looks awful when he drags the cat across the room by his head. No, the cat doesn’t mind (and gives back as good as he gets).
The kitten’s claws are going to ruin that poor dog’s nose soon.
“That means, I suppose, that mothers have to teach their young the fear of big mammals with teeth—or that familiarity breeds amiability.”
could also just be a stupid kitten.
Relaxed natural selection?
That is a very sweet dog with VERY soft jaws. The playfulness on display is touching.
As a caution, my sister had a big dog and a cat and after a year together the dog killed the cat. It was sobering and takes some of the fun out of seeing feisty little cats take on much bigger animals. It’s not always so much fun 🙁
Aside from being good natured, it’s likely that the Doberman had the benefit of staying with his litter for at least 9 weeks: they learn a lot about soft mouths from playing with litter mates – if bites are too hard, puppies are told off by each other and their mother. Too early removal from the litter is a deprivation for puppies and yet another reason to avoid pet store/puppy mill dogs.
My little dachshund has the capacity to rip and/or tear pretty much whatever she wants — but she also can hold a marshmallow in her mouth without denting it. While she is eating anything — even a delicious meaty bone — I can stick my hand in her mouth and she will stop and not bite me.
A dog’s mouth is as much his/her hands as it is an entry point for nutrition. And they are pretty dexterous. We have no trouble knowing how tightly to hold something without destroying it. There is some trial and error involved but it quickly becomes an almost innate skill.
I think dogs develop the skill pretty much the same way we do it’s just that they don’t have hands, so it’s all mouth work.
I recently adopted a 6 year old dachshund named Sam. One of the best decisions I ever made!
I used to have a dog and cat that would play around in the same manner. The dog would lay on the couch with his mouth open, jerking his head, while the cat boxed at his face. It was great entertainment.
Speaking of cats check out this site: http://physicsforcats.org/
How does it know just how hard to bite without inflicting damage?
Clearly religion was necessary to make the dog behave morally in this situation.
Next time you hear a theist saying something like “why do only humans have morals”, show them this video and ask the question, “don’t you think the dog COULD so easily kill the kitten if it wanted to? Why doesn’t it? It would make a nice bitesize snack. Do you think the dog believes in baby Jesus? If not, then why is it showing restraint? What’s stopping it killing the kitten?”. The dog clearly has a sense of proportion, understands the kitten is no threat, and is not inclined to harm it. This to me is moral behaviour.
It’s a well-known secret among Doberman owners that they are “softies”. Their PR image (mean, nasty, ferocious) does not match their loving nature (unless it’s been trained out of them).
Dogs and cats frequently “self handicap” in order to be able to play with smaller animals and even with humans. They learn it playing with the rest of their litter mates the same way they learn how to mouth without biting. I think it’s obvious to the kitten that the doberman is doing just that.
By the way, thanks for posting. I’ve spent the last hour on youtube watching animal videos. Here is a good one of a fearless cat chasing a garbage bag stealing bear away from the back of the house:
http://youtu.be/vD7soinw-_U
Thanks for the warning that I’d have to look at a dog, I appreciate it. (Note: not a dog hater. Just don’t like most of the slobbering fools; with a few exceptions).
Holy crap, I don’t know. The dobie appears to be exhibiting the flehmen response, which is consistent with the way he’s “feeling” the kitten with his mouth. That’s how dogs learn about the world, and why the damned fools will eat anything.
But he also appears to think of the kitten as a plaything. Anyone, dog behaviorist or not, who “assures” the owner that the kitten is in no danger, imo is full of bird doo doo.
ps I’ve witnessed a kitten getting killed by a dog. It’s not pretty. Don’t take that risk.