Can Cats And Dogs Mate?

Some may say that the answer is obvious and the question is silly. But with modern science, who knows?

There are numerous articles claiming cats and dogs can breed and even give birth to a healthy hybrid, but most of them have been proven to be a hoax, and others do not have enough details.

Still, cats and dogs can sometimes try to mate if they are close friends or if one of the animals is dominant. Although this may look funny, you should prevent your dog from mounting your cat in any circumstances.

Different Mating Behaviors

Cats can mate with dogs, but it is unlikely because they have different mating behaviors which other species cannot recognize. Female dogs and cats have different heat cycles and ways of expressing interest in the opposite sex.

Female dogs urinate more when they are in heat. There’s also some bleeding from the behind or blood-tinged discharge. The dog heat cycle typically lasts for seven to ten days. Dogs go into heat twice a year.

As for behavioral signs, dogs in heat become overly friendly with other canines, seek out male dogs, hump or mount, turn their tail to the side, and are often fidgety or nervous.

Cats in heat don’t bleed – most signs of their heat are behavioral. The feline heat cycle lasts two to 18 days and repeats numerous times a year, depending on the cat’s temperament and climate.

Cats in heat usually become overly affectionate, rubbing against furniture and owners, rolling on the floor, meowing loudly, and raising their rear quarters while threading with back legs. Sometimes, female cats spray their territory.

So, although both cats and dogs in heat become friendly and affectionate, the behavior and physical signs differ drastically. A male dog simply won’t understand why a cat is raising her hindquarters and meowing.

Different Chromosomes

Now, let’s assume a dog and cat have successfully mated. But can cats and dogs have babies? No, because they are entirely different species from different taxonomic families and have different chromosome counts.

Felines have 38 chromosomes or 19 pairs. Canines have 78 chromosomes or 39 pairs. Species with different chromosome counts cannot conceive offspring.

On the other hand, species from the same taxonomic family have the same chromosome count and can reproduce – for example, domestic cats and Asian Leopard Cats both have 19 chromosome pairs, so they can make a hybrid.

Most inter-specie hybrids are produced in captivity – for example, the combination of lions and tigers called ligers.

However, some hybrids occur in nature – for instance, whale hybrids or polar bear and grizzly combinations.

Reproductive Isolation

The inability of animal species from different taxonomic families to produce offspring is known as reproductive isolation.

Reproductive isolation can be geographical, behavioral, temporal, ecological, gametic, and post-zygotic.

Cats and dogs can peacefully coexist in the same home, so their reproductive isolation isn’t geographical. It isn’t ecological either because neither dogs nor cats care about the mating site.

Instead, it’s a blend of behavioral (discussed earlier), temporal (different heat cycle periods), and gametic. Gametic reproductive isolation refers to incompatibility between the sperm and the egg.

Even if a cat’s egg can fertilize a dog’s sperm or vice versa, it won’t form offspring because the zygote will die early. This mechanism is known as post-zygotic reproductive isolation.

Simply put, a cat and dog hybrid cannot survive even if it is magically conceived.

In contrast, species from the same taxonomic family don’t have gametic or post-zygotic reproductive isolation mechanisms but can have geographical, behavioral, or ecological ones.

Different Diet

Now, let’s assume that a cat and dog managed to produce a zygote that didn’t die prematurely. Does this mean a female cat can carry a healthy hybrid baby from a male dog, or vice versa?

Unless the pregnancy is carried out in a lab setting, this is very unlikely. One of the reasons is the different diets of dogs and cats.

Felines are obligate carnivores, meaning they feed primarily on meat and consume little carbohydrates.

Dogs are omnivores, so their diet consists of different foods and is significantly higher in carbs. As a result, cats and dogs have different gastroenteric tracts and need different nutrients to stay healthy.

If a mother cat eats mostly protein and fat, the hybrid offspring won’t be getting all the nutrients it needs and will have developmental issues.

And if the diet accommodates the offspring, the mother cat will soon develop health problems.

But What If They Do Mate?

You already know that a cat and dog cannot produce offspring for biological reasons. But what happens if a dog mounts a cat and they breed, or vice versa? Although there is no need to worry about pregnancy, mating can raise other problems.

Firstly, cats and dogs have different reproductive organs and can traumatize another specie. Secondly, such mating can cause psychological trauma to one of the animals if mating wasn’t voluntary.

In most cases, however, a cat trying to mount a dog or a dog trying to mount a cat will be rejected – the second animal is likely to behave aggressively or even attack the offender.

Reports of Cat & Dog Hybrids

Despite the biological inability of cats and dogs to mate, you can find numerous reports of cat and dog hybrids online.

One of the most famous reports states that Cornell University scientists were able to produce Kotpies – the world’s first successful live cat-dog hybrid. The hybrid’s name originates from the Polish word for cat-dog.

The hybrid looks like a mix of a Thai cat with a pug, with pointy ears, fuzzy fur with Siamese markings, a short pug-like nose, and round dark eyes.

Anyone familiar with Photoshop can understand the report was a hoax by looking at the picture.

The report sounds very convincing, filled with complex scientific terms, dates, and names. However, everything becomes clear by the publication date – April 1, 2009. The report was nothing more than an April Fool’s joke.

Another April Fool’s report from 2021 claiming that scientists from the Liger University discovered a dog-cat hybrid colony living in caves near Lyon in France, called cog, is even less believable because of a lack of details and horrendous photo editing.

But cat-dog hybrid reports appeared not solely as jokes. The Journal of Heredity has been publishing such articles several times over the past century, accompanied by somewhat believable photographs.

One of the articles claims that the sire was a For Terrier and the dam a stray cat. The resulting hybrid has later produced offspring.

Another report narrates about a cat that has been kept in isolation from other felines and lived with a dog when she got pregnant.

The cat gave birth to two offspring, one of which was monstrous. It looked like a dog with a naked muzzle, long ears, and curly white hair. Another one was a handsome male kitten that didn’t differ in appearance from other cats.

We don’t know whether these reports are a hoax. Most likely, the mother cat somehow came into contact with a tom cat and gave birth to deformed kittens resembling dogs.

Why Is My Dog Mounting My Cat?

A dog mounting a cat is a common problem in multi-pet households. The most apparent reason a dog is mounting a cat is sexual behavior, but other causes include the display of dominance, play, stress, and health problems.

Some dogs are very sexually active and will mount everything, including cats, the owner’s leg, teddy bears, and furniture.

In that case, owners can either meet their dog’s needs or neuter it to minimize (but not eliminate) such behavior in the future.

Aggressive dogs might mount other animals to intimidate them. If you notice other signs of aggression between a cat and dog, seek the help of a behavioral specialist to prevent your pets from fighting.

Dogs sometimes mount cats during playtime, which can cause an erection, which is why owners might confuse it with mating behavior. Note what your pets do before your dog mounts the cat to determine whether it’s the cause.

You should know the signs a dog is preparing to mount to stop such behavior before it occurs.

The signs include licking, pawing, and panting. If you have difficulty controlling your dog, it’s best to separate the pets for a while.

Mounting can make the cat anxious, stressed, or aggressive, leading to fights and health problems. Even if the cat doesn’t show signs of aggression or anxiety, it most likely feels discomfort and is too intimidated to show it.

It’s important to note that cats are sometimes at fault, too, but the signs are more subtle. A female cat in heat might present itself in front of a dog, which usually looks pretty funny yet poses a risk of mating.

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