Both dogs and cats seem to understand a secret of killing: break or sever the spine and your work is done. A cat delivers the deathblow as a sharp bite to the neck, trying to sever the spinal cord.
Alas, predator sometimes becomes the prey, and a cat who finds himself in the grip of a large and aggressive dog may die quickly if the dog grabs the cat by the neck and gives him a quick and life-ending snap.
If you’ve ever seen this happen (and I have) it seems terribly cold-blooded. Suffice it to say, if you and your cat live near a large dog, do what you can to keep your cat out of harm’s way. The dog is just doing what comes naturally, but that isn’t much consolation if a beloved pet dies.