Is there such a thing as a guard cat?
For example, will your cat spring to action and attack an intruder to protect you?
Is there a specific breed that’s more likely to guard you than others?
Is it possible to train a cat to become a guard cat?
If these questions have been burning through your mind, you’re not alone!
Let’s find out everything we need to know about guard cats!
Do Guard Cats Exist?
Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of owning a cat knows that a cat is just a small human stuck in a furry body or a highly intelligent life form that thinks humans are here to serve them.
Not all cats are alike in this way, but you understand what we’re saying.
The question remains, will a cat attack an intruder that threatens their family?
It seems anything is possible if you search around on the internet. You can certainly find some that have, while others lean more towards the ‘scaredy cat’ stereotype.
Guard Cats: Fact or Fiction?
I’m going to bottom line this for you really quick: guard cats can exist, of course, but for the most part, your cat isn’t going to ward off intruders the way, say, a guard dog would.
There are plenty of stories out there about cats attacking intruders. They make for great news stories, don’t they?
Still, that doesn’t mean all cats will do it. Of course, it also doesn’t mean that they won’t.
Even though there is no scientific evidence to prove that a cat can be a guard cat and protect you against an intruder, then again, there’s no scientific proof that they will not either.
It seems to just depend on the cat and their personality. How’s that for a totally vague answer?
Seriously though, just like some dogs defy “guard dog” stereotypes by hiding under the bed at the first sign of danger, some cats defy the “I’m in it for myself” stereotype by going above and beyond to protect their families.
Even though a cat’s natural instinct is to hide, where a dog would bark and raise a fuss, not all cats are the same. Cats are, by nature, even more territorial than dogs!
So it isn’t out of the question for them to let you know that there’s something or someone that has entered their territory by growling, raising their hackles, or meowing.
They also could very well attack the object or person if they feel threatened or feel that their territory is threatened in anyway, that might include their human pet parent.
Are they protecting you out of love or because they “own” you? Who knows for sure? A cat might, but they’re not going to tell you!
While all cats have the potential to react this way, if you really want a “guard cat,” some breeds are better choices than others.
Best Guard Cat Breeds
Honestly, there aren’t really any specific cat breeds that are more likely to guard your house than others.
However, there are a few cat breeds that are like dogs, as well as some that are more easily trained to do different “tricks,” including guarding a house.
Then, there are the breeds that reach the size of a small dog, which definitely has the potential to scare an intruder!
Examples include:
- Abyssinian – This breed deeply loves his humans, plays fetch, and readily learns new tricks.
- Burmese – They love children and are pretty well-known for their dog-like mannerisms.
- Ragdolls – This darling breed loves to greet his people at the door. While that’s not the same thing as guarding the door, it can work to your advantage if you’re trying to train him to howl when strangers enter.
- Maine Coon – One of my favorite breeds, the Maine Coon can grow up to 25 lbs, making him large enough to startle an intruder.
- Ocicat – Being one of the most highly trainable kitties gives him the most potential to learn how to become a guard cat.
Now that we know which cats are more likely to act like guard cats, let’s talk about whether it’s possible to train them to do so.
Guard Cat Training
Let me be totally honest here: there really isn’t a magical step-by-step guard cat training formula.
I searched and searched, and all I found were cruel methods that I’m really hoping were written as a joke.
See, the fact that you’re trying to train your cat to have a negative reaction to an event makes it inherently harder than training them do fun tricks.
Basically, you’re trying to teach them that strangers coming in the house are bad, and the only way to really do that is by making the event unpleasant for them.
Not only is it mean, but it won’t work. Cats learn through positive reinforcement, not punishment.
I know that’s probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but I don’t want to give you false information in regards to guard cat training.
Cats are wonderful companions, cuddly little fur balls, excellent mice catchers, stress relievers, fun, and goofy, and stealthy hunters, but they aren’t the first pet we think of when searching for a protector.
Unless we’re looking for a pet to protect our homes from mice, squirrels, birds, or any other small animals.
This is what they are known for, and most cats still hold true to their natural hunting abilities.
So when you decide you want to own a cat, be sure you want to own it for other reasons than protection from intruders, because they do make magnificent pets.
Has your cat turned guard cat to protect what is his or hers? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear your stories.
Dr. Linda Simon MVB MRCVS is a locum veterinary surgeon who has worked in London for the past 8 years. She graduated top of her class in small animal medicine from UCD, Dublin. She is currently a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Linda is the resident vet for Woman magazine and a frequent contributor to People’s Friend Magazine, the Dogzone website, Vet Help Direct and Wag! Linda also writes content for the CVS veterinary group, Vetwriter and a number of other establishments.
Very interesting! I had no idea that cats could guard their owners like that. I have never thought about it much, but I guess it makes sense. Cats are very territorial.
I once had two Persian cats, Sablue and Smokey. Smokey was a male cat who was extremely playful and talked a lot with me. Sablue was pretty quiet and standoffish. She hardly ever meowed unless Smokey bothered too much.
Smokey slept mostly in my daughter’s room, while Sablue would find her way to the foot of my bed at after I fell asleep.
On morning I was awakened by this rather loud growling which was coming from Sablue, who was sitting very erect and starring towards my bedroom door. Of course I was extremely surprised and at first I thought that Smokey was annoying her. But, when I looked towards the other side of my rather large bedroom, there was Smokey all curled up and fast asleep!
Sablue began to slowly move from the foot of the bed towards my upper body and continued to growl with her eyes fixed directly toward the foyer. I cautiously got out of my bed to see what might be causing her to act this way. When I got up Sablue immediately jumped off my bed, ran ahead of me and quietly sat at the front door to my apartment. That’s when the doorbell rang. I quietly peeped through my interviewer and saw a male whom I didn’t recognize at all. Upon asking who he was through the locked door, he suddenly just disappeared.
I’d say that Sablue certainly was aware of a possible intruder and gave me a heads-up warning. Cats are absolutely amazing. Their sense of smell, awareness, love and loyalty are to be treasured by their keepers.
If I would have had to guess which of my two cats would have been a “cat guard”, I probably would have picked the more aggressive, playful on, Smokey. But, it turned to be Sablue, the independent/do pick up one.
I love the topic! Very interesting! Who know if your kitty would be your guard! right?! Gonna share this post to my bff!
This is very interesting. I’d say yes and no, and it could depend entirely on how long you’ve had your cat. Now my half Siamese cat will growl at the door when it rings. We think it’s hilarious, but when visitors come over and that door opens, they both tend to hide under a bed.
I also have to note that my Siamese has attempted to take on a dog before when one was walking by our house. I thought for sure he didn’t realize his size.
I have a year old torty cat (Raven). I also have a nine month old Doberman (Gemma), both females. One day, my 7 year old son decided to get out an old Halloween mask. I was playing around, acting like I was scared, and play screaming. The dog was barking and playing around also. But…Raven…no, she didn’t like this playing stuff. Raven jumps on the dog, attacking her, I guess Raven thought Gemma was hurting me. Gemma runs and hides under the bed. But, it’s not over, Raven now turns her attention to my son, with her angry meows, tail twitching, and hair standing completely up on her back and tail. My son was behind me crying as I stand in between him and Raven. I had to put Raven in the garage for the night and it took awhile for me to get the dog from under the bed. We don’t play “those” games anymore, and I have to be cautious when I tell stories. Like when the microwave blew up and I SCREAMED YAHHH! Two seconds later, Raven is right there, hissing and trying to figure out, who or what she needs to kill. I hope no one every decides to break into our home, cause our Doberman might not get you, our fluffy tort shell kitty Raven will!
1 of my cats will growl loudly when someone comes to the front door. He lets me know someone is there before they even knock.
I have two cats, they are not related but I acquired both from the shelter the same day and they started in my home at the same time. The male is much larger and older (17 pounds and 6 years old) than the female (7 pounds and 4 years old). They had lived with me for about 3 years before I discovered what was happening.
It started when I was trimming the males front claws one day and he grumbled at me. At that point the female came rushing into the room and attacked him. She forced him to retreat from the room and then came back and stood in the doorway with a stance similar to a dog with her back to me. This happened a couple other times over the next few years.
At first I thought she was being mean to him and an opportunist. Taking advantage of his position to attack. But I noticed a trend that whenever I did something that the male didn’t like and he growled at me she would immediately appear from anywhere in the house, pummel the male and then after he retreated in fear she would return and stand guard over me.
My best guess is that she thinks he is going to hurt me and is trying to protect me from him.
The problem is that shortly later, even within the hour she will try to go back to being friendly with him and he is still fearful and on alert for a good week before he will trust her again :-/
My cat is more like a dog than a cat. She is a Tabby. She lets me know when someone is arriving at the house and runs meowing away when someone is approaching the door. Different tones for people she knows or strangers. I can always tell. She alerts me on anything that is out of normal in the house. In fact, she will get me up at night. She is my little affectionate pal who follows me everywhere…lays for hours in the chair beside me while I quilt. She just has to be in the same room I am in.
One summer night about 1:30 am, we had our front door slightly cracked to let air in when my tabby leaped out of my lap and began to growl at the door, a few minutes later my neighbor rung the door and both my cats went into over drive a d started a high pitch meow that we hadn’t heard before. They had never done that before and we felt so protected and safe.
I have two cats, The Undertaker & Kane. The Undertaker had a rough upbringing and was saved from a hoarders house, often having to fight with the other 28 cats he lived with for food. Kane was found wandering a safe suburb as a kitten.
Yesterday I got sent a jump scare video and I screamed bloody murder. The Undertaker came running out of his room hissing with his ears back ready for a fight, stood in front of me looking around. When he realized I was ok he stayed with me the whole night just in case.
Kane didn’t even look up from his nap!
I think their upbringing and experiences really shape how protective they are.
My cat Chico was a rescue. He’s definitely a guard cat who even helped save my car from being stolen once. We lived in Detroit at the time & I was up at 4am with insomnia. Suddenly, he jumped off the bed & ran to the window. I knew that meant someone or some critter was in the yard. I went to the window expecting to see a raccoon, so imagine my surprise when it was acts my car, back window busted out, being silently rolled down my driveway!
Chico growled while I yelled out the window that my husband was on his way downstairs with a gun. My husband was actually 3/4 asleep & very confused, but the thieves believed me & hopped in their getaway mini-van, leaving my car in the street in front of my house. And that’s how I came to have a report from the Detroit police saying Stolen/Recovered. ? Chico’s dad bought him $80 worth of treats the next morning.
My cats at my rescue intervened by jumping in the middle of the rescue efforts of the paramedics when I called upon them for assistance for a medical emergency. They came out of various rooms and leaped on my bed scaring the paramedics and sprinting off the bed scaring the paramedicks, no one can tell me differently they as a group were protecting me