Can a bobcat kill large dogs like pit bulls or Rottweilers?

It’s a bad question, poorly formulated, I have to say. Technically, a bobcat could kill a Rottweiler under certain circumstances (old dog for instance) but in a straight fight between two fit adults, the bobcat would probably lose the majority of times, I would argue, as the dog is 5 to 6 times larger and aggressive. And in any case bobcats are not going to fight with large dogs like pit bulls and Rottweilers because there’s no point to it. They might have to fight if they are defending themselves but bobcats are not going to go up to a pit bull and start a fight.

They say that the coyote would beat a bobcat in a fight. Does that help us? I think that it does. The coyote is willy and smart but is not a huge dog. Coyotes typically weigh 20 to 50 lbs. (9 to 23 kilograms). This is up to 2 times the weight of a bobcat. I think my assessment on this page is correct judging by the available evidence which is mainly opinion as bobcats don’t get into fights with large, aggressive dogs in the interests of their survival. They don’t want to be injured which might cause starvation.

Bobcats kill these animals (with a discussion)

Remember too that the bobcat’s diet is dominated by rabbits and hares over much of its range. This is the preferred prey. They do take white-tailed deer sometimes but they are passive animals and they are probably young deer.

That opening introduction appears to be undermined by the video below but we don’t know the ages of the dogs and the size and age of the bobcat. Also, the dogs were not killed but injured. The cat presumably fled at some point in the attack. Therefore, they gave up. I am not sure the video changes my opinion.

There is quite a difference in terms of weight and strength. Adult male bobcats weigh between 20-22 pounds whereas the average pit bull weighs between 55-60 pounds. Male Rottweilers can weigh up to 135 pounds. And they are strong. Do you think a bobcat would try and pull down a Rottweiler? I think not. It would be crazy.

The picture on this page I think is worth any number of words that I’m going to write. I’ve chosen a dog which is particularly muscular but the bobcat looks quite delicate by comparison.

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Bobcats can attack and kill white-tailed deer but normally they hunt cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hares. This gives an impression of the kind of animals that a bobcat feels comfortable attacking and killing to eat. Obviously, a bobcat is not going to attack a pit bull as a prey animal because it’s not the kind of prey animal that it selects; too dangerous. It is not just about size but aggression. A deer is unaggressive.

Bobcats do attack small dogs as shown in this video. I think this answers the question. It’s about the size, strength and aggression. Pit bulls and other large dogs are too powerful and too aggressive for the bobcat and they will keep clear, whereas small dogs like the one in the video are considered to be prey animals to the bobcat. Domestic cats can also be hunted by bobcats. They don’t differentiate between domestic animals, livestock and wild animals when hunting. They are all fair game if the size is right.

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