Really? I mean, humans can ride horses and I think aa horse would struggle to eat an adult human being. For this example I am assuming that horses are predators and as such are equipped with claws and fangs of course.
Pumas and lynxes both go after things that are outweigh them several times over, so I maybe wouldn't count myself safe if I were small enough to ride a domestic cat
Also anecdotally, having lived with pet cats most of my life, god damn they are fast and they're stacked with more knives than the average kitchen. I would not want to fight a cat that was bigger than me.
If a domestic cat with claws intact wanted to kill you, it would be hard to stop it.
I’ve only had brief encounters with truly angry cats, and they are nasty. One did a single swipe with its paw at my hand and just scooped out a chunk of flesh like I was made of soft serve ice cream.
Animals fight all-out. Humans usually don't. If you were in a real fight for you life with a house cat--or even a bobcat--it would be pretty easy win for a human. Lynx or larger? No.
Cats are extremely dangerous for their size but unless you were infirm or a child you'd have no trouble defeating a cat - it might leave you scarred and injured but if it's you or a cat you win.
Yeah, at the end of the day I have something like a twenty to one weight advantage here. Yes it will hurt a lot every time the claws catch me, and they will catch me, but it will only hurt. The poor cat isn't faring so well once I land a kick or a punch
I'd say I get about a one in four win rate against my cat when I try to tap him on that head without him catching my hand. I've got a big reach advantage
Well, horses (and most other herbivores) are actually opportunistic carnivores, so they're only a few generations away from switching from opportunistic to actively hunting some of their food.
And by opportunistic carnivore, I mean they'll chomp an unsuspecting small mammal or bird if the mood takes them.