--- title: Cat Thinks Long and Hard Before Ultimately Starting Conflict description: A video of a cat making a tough decision about starting a conflict has gone very, very viral and the whole thing makes you see why. canonical: https://time.com/5768695/cat-hits-dog/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-01-21T14:11:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T19:54:34.000Z og:title: Calculating Cat Thinks Long and Hard Before Ultimately Starting a Conflict With Unsuspecting Dog og:description: The cat did not make this decision lightly og:url: https://time.com/5768695/cat-hits-dog/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Calculating Cat Thinks Long and Hard Before Ultimately Starting a Conflict With Unsuspecting Dog twitter:description: The cat did not make this decision lightly twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Calculating Cat Thinks Long and Hard Before Ultimately Starting a Conflict > Sponsored content. 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Cats may have a reputation of being standoffish creatures who show their owners affection merely to fill their tummies_ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:54 PM UTCPublished: Jan 21, 2020 2:11 PM UTC by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:54 PM UTCPublished: Jan 21, 2020 2:11 PM UTC A video newly going viral across social media is proving unforgettable because it articulates the choices we all have in life, and the cat featured therein has chosen war. When you put a petty cat and an unsuspecting dog together, after all, you might get comedy gold — alongside the paw punches thrown. > [](https://twitter.com/RhysLion/status/1218595104547639297) In footage captured by the Ruto the cat’s owner on Twitter, a black cat perched on an arm rest can be seen staring down an unsuspecting dog who is otherwise just following its bliss and enjoying a TV program on the couch. We see the cat sitting, plotting and squaring up its reach while Howie the dog is none the wiser. All that preparation, all that strategy, all that quintessential cattiness brings us to the inevitable conclusion: the dog getting a decisive smack in the face. And then the payback. “Please enjoy this video of my cat being an absolute idiot. Note the look on her face the entire time,” the Twitter user wrote, accompanying the clip that has since been viewed more than 11 million times. (The video was later removed.) The moment is a testament to the joy that everyone can take at one individual’s premeditated, thoughtful decision to start conflict, and to own their bad behavior through and through. Of course, it’s possible that the dog could have had this coming after some prior injustice; their owner has not yet responded to TIME’s request for comment on any grievances. It’s also just as possible that cats will be cats. Nonetheless, a subsequent tweet did confirm that the two foes patched things up after the incident. (The owner even clarified that for the record that it’s all in good fun.) We wish this friendship all the luck in the world in the future. 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