Depends on the cat...
For 13 years we had a cat that seemed to know his way around the outdoors. We watched him come into the presence of a skunk, exchange glances, and lie down to let the skunk know he was no threat. He also seemed to "know" the foxes by name, because their presence never bothered him and they never pursued him, either, although it was clear to us that they had met.
- He was extremely afraid of hawks and eagles, even though he was around 18-20 pounds (mostly muscle) at his prime, and would never go where there was a wide-open sky view unless we accompanied him.
- He did get treed by a bear one evening.
- He was somewhat nervous around raccoons for the first few years of his life, but seemed to know them by name later in life.
- He was nervous around wild turkeys until he realized how stupid they are.
A year before he died, the vet said she didn't expect him to last more than two months. A month before he died, he chased a fisher out of the yard. Most incredible outdoor cat we ever had. If all cats have a distinct personality, then his was "redneck farmer who always swore his family would find him dead at the wheel of his tractor."
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