In domestic homes where dogs and cats are reared and trained properly, they tend to relate well with each other, especially when their owner is taking good care of them.
[6] Even cats and dogs in the same household that have historically had positive interactions may revert to aggressive reactions due to external stimuli, illness, or play that escalates and could eventually be harmful.
[7] The phrase "fight like cats and dogs" reflects a natural tendency for the relationship between the two species to be antagonistic.
The episodes frequently play on "cats and dogs being what they are" to incorporate "a lot of running and chasing.
[16] Adlai Stevenson invoked the dog–cat conflict in his explanation of his veto as Governor of Illinois of a 1949 act that would have barred owners from allowing their cats to run at large: "That cats destroy some birds, I well know, but I believe this legislation would further but little the worthy cause to which its proponents give such unselfish effort.