# Could a great cat kill an adult human with a single blow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440 "2008-12-16T19:35:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/1 "2008-12-16T19:35:26Z")
Yet another question about something in my fantasy novel, in case anyone doesn’t want to help for that reason. In the scenario I envision, the cat is a tiger–and, incidentally, sentient. The human is a full-grown woman, previously healthy and quite athletic. The cat is not intending to eat or kill the human in question, but rather to get past her to assault its true victim, whom it does definitely intend to murder; and thus the cat strikes at the person I want dead. Could a single, unthinking blow to the face & neck do it, so that the victim dies within minutes? If so, what would be the proximate cause of death–blood loss or something else? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/2 "2008-12-16T19:43:37Z")
Do you want the character to die? If the victim is really just a bystander I can only imagine the cat harming them if the spot is so tight it can’t get by any other way. I’d write it such that the cat plows her over (very feasible) and she hits her head on something in such a way as to cause severe concussion and later death. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/3 "2008-12-16T19:44:18Z")
I’m betting yes. Wikipedia article contains this line: “Though rarely observed, some tigers have been recorded to kill prey by swiping with their paws, which are powerful enough to smash the skulls of domestic cattle,[55] and break the backs of sloth bears.[62]” > **[Tiger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger)** > > The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus Panthera. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ungulates, such as deer and wild boar. It is territorial and generally a solitary but social predator, requiring large contiguous areas of habitat to support its requirements for prey and rearing of its offspring. Tiger cubs stay with their mother for about two yea... So it sounds quite reasonable that a tiger could swat a person and kill them with a blow to the head, just like getting cracked with a club. This page: > **[Detailed information on the characteristics of the tiger: Claws, Paws and Pug...](http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/claws.html)** > > Detailed information on the characteristics of the tiger: Claws, Paws and Pug Marks. Says that tiger claws can be up to 5 inches long - that’d certainly be enough to cause deep bloody wounds and cut open a big vein or artery so your victim might bleed to death from a swipe to the neck or even limbs. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/4 "2008-12-16T19:44:37Z")
Almost certainly yes. A direct claw hit to the neck could easily sever the jugular/carotid. Death would be by anoxia or exsanguination, which I guess are two sides of the same coin. Read Jim Corbett for (IIRC) examples. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/5 "2008-12-16T19:54:55Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Do you want the character to die? If the victim is really just a bystander I can only imagine the cat harming them if the spot is so tight it can’t get by any other way. I’d write it such that the cat plows her over (very feasible) and she hits her head on something in such a way as to cause severe concussion and later death. Yes, the character dies. That’s kind of the point. 😉 I don’t want to be explicit about what happens after the blow falls. The scene is told from the point of view of a character who is, essentially, the victim’s young daughter; after the lethal blow is struck, the daughter has no eyes for anything but the victim’s dying form. As I wrote, the tiger is sentient, and the blow is inadvertant; she’s of a race of were-tigers, and she’s just caught sight of the person she blames for the violent death of her children earlier that day. Naturally she intends to rip the intended victim’s head off, and Mom just happens to be standing in the wrong spot, looking in the wrong direction, at the wrong second. I’ve already written the scene and while proofreading I wondered whether it was believable that just one such blow would be lethal. Valgard’s link makes me think so, but I’d be interested to read any contrary opinions. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/6 "2008-12-16T20:36:58Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > As I wrote, the tiger is sentient… Do you mean “sapient”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/7 "2008-12-16T20:42:23Z")
A 6 lb housecat can send a human hunting for Band-Aids with a single blow. Given the many similarities between housecats and tigers, I would expect a version of this same basic theme a hundred times more massive could certainly kill a human with a single blow. On a good day, I imagine a tiger might possibly decapitate a human in one shot. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/8 "2008-12-16T20:46:31Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Do you mean “sapient”? 😕 Dude, I do the usage nitpicking. It requires a degree of assholery natural to me but to which you can only dream. I realize the denotation of the words supports your implied criticism. But in fantasy & sf writing, "sentient’ is frequently used to mean “possessing a unique, valuable personality incorporating detailed memories in a sophisticated way.” I don’t think I was unreasonable to use it in this context. This post brought to you by Tu Quoque, the Society for the Advancement of Hypocrisy in People Named “Rhymer.” ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/9 "2008-12-16T21:12:43Z")
I’d be inclined to go with the knocked down, head trauma scenario for an accidental death. Or off balance, bounce down the mountain depending on the setting. But then, enraged at seeing her children’s killer, pushing someone aside with claws involuntarily unsheathed is well within the realm of possibility. A 4 or 5 inch claw to the jugular usually does not end well. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/10 "2008-12-16T21:16:28Z")
Sure: a blow to the front of the neck with claws extended would rip open pretty much everything important. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/11 "2008-12-16T21:28:11Z")
[Here](http://www.tigerbyaslam.com/?page=amazing_facts)it says that a tiger can kill a full grow wolf with a single blow. Pretty much in the same weight category, i guess. Still, I’ve googled for deaths by tiger and it looks like the buggers enjoy mauling their victims with multiple blows. Pretty much like all cats, i guess. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/12 "2008-12-16T21:29:45Z")
Years ago I read a book about a big cat trainer (circus “lion tamer”) who captured a cougar and tried working with it. Two assistants had it restrained from either side with leashes while he approached it wearing a one-inch-thick horsehide jacket. After this “introductory session,” he noticed that in a few places the jacket had been ripped all the way through by the cougar’s claws. Compare an inch of leather to a human neck, and a cougar to a tiger, and it’s pretty clear that yes, a tiger could certainly kill a human with one swipe of its paw. As I recall, the cougar was deemed not trainable. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/13 "2008-12-16T22:30:20Z")
Heck, if nothing else it could most certainly snap a human’s neck with one swipe and kill that way. Could disembowel a human with one swipe. Lots of ways to imagine it. Tigers/lions are BIG and very strong. Such a thing would be easy for them. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/14 "2008-12-16T22:35:49Z")
Several ways for a great cat to kill a human in passing:1. Forepaw swipe to the neck, claws ripping out the neck. 2. Forepaw swipe to the head (no claws), breaking the neck. 3. Hindpaw swipe to torso, disemboweling the body.I could see a cat inadvertently doing any of those while running past a human. In addition to any of those, don’t discount the effects of trampling once the human has been knocked over. A several hundred pound animal stepping on you will cause injury, even without claws. Continuing the “sentient” nitpick: I was momentarily confused by your use of the word, but realized you were using it in a stronger sense. On preview: pretty much repeating what **Whack** said, but posting anyway. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/15 "2008-12-16T22:44:04Z")
A real tiger outwieghs a human adult by twice, if not three times as much. A fictional Lycanthrope could be even larger. They can sprint up to 40 mph for short distances. A 600 pound cat “shouldering” you aside to get at it’s target is going to send you flying. Can you imagine getting hit by a motorcycle that was doing 40? ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/16 "2008-12-16T22:49:49Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > … in fantasy & sf writing, "sentient’ is frequently used to mean “possessing a unique, valuable personality incorporating detailed memories in a sophisticated way.” I don’t think I was unreasonable to use it in this context. [Cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentience#Science_fiction) (not that \*\*Skald \*\*needs any) ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/17 "2008-12-16T23:52:32Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > A real tiger outwieghs a human adult by twice, if not three times as much. A fictional Lycanthrope could be even larger. > > They can sprint up to 40 mph for short distances. > > A 600 pound cat “shouldering” you aside to get at it’s target is going to send you flying. > > Can you imagine getting hit by a motorcycle that was doing 40? I was going to make this point as well. At 500-800 lbs, tigers are BIG. Just being that large means that casual force would be enough to snap a neck or break bones. While scripted, [HERE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ2EAHSBwp8&feature=related) is a video link of 475 lb wrestler Paul Wight tossing 300lb Brock Lesnar around with ease. Imagine the proportional strength against a woman of average height and weight, much less the force of a being nearly twice that size. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/18 "2008-12-17T02:33:41Z")
I remember a news story in which a woman was killed by a tiger even though she was standing outside the tiger’s cage. The tiger swiped at her legs, I believe, severing a major artery and causing her to bleed to death. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/19 "2008-12-17T02:58:58Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Dude, I do the usage nitpicking. It requires a degree of assholery natural to me but to which you can only dream. Hey, it was just a question. Dude. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440/20 "2008-12-17T03:19:52Z")
In the Author’s Note at the beginning of Jim Corbett’s classic [Man eaters of Kumaon](http://www.archive.org/stream/maneatersofkumao029903mbp/maneatersofkumao029903mbp_djvu.txt) is the following passage: > [@](#): > > I quote the case of the Muktesar man-eating tigress. This tigress, a comparatively young animal, in an encounter with a porcupine lost an eye and got some fifty quills, varying in length from one to nine inches, embedded in the arm and under the pad of her right foreleg. Several of these quills after striking a bone had doubled back in the form of a U, the point, and the broken-off end, being quite close together. Suppurating sores formed where she endeavoured to extract the quills with her teeth, and while she was lying up in a thick patch of grass, starving and licking her wounds, a woman selected this particular patch of grass to cut as fodder for her cattle. At first the tigress took no notice, but when the woman had cut the grass right up to where she was lying the tigress struck once, the blow crushing in the woman’s skull. Death was instantaneous, for, when found the following day, she was grasping her sickle with one hand and holding a tuft of grass, which she was about to cut when struck, with the other. [Jim Corbett](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett_(hunter)) hunted and killed more than a dozen man eating big cats in India, so I think his word can be taken on their capabilities. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-great-cat-kill-an-adult-human-with-a-single-blow/477440.md?page=2)