Does the cat have claws out? Is she hissing or growling when she does this? If she’s silent and simply pawing at them, I suspect she’s just playing and there’s nothing to be done. If she’s also vocalizing with growls or hisses, then the pawing is a warning for the dog(s) to keep their distance. She may also be trying to establish her position in the family group, and generally speaking, I’d support the cat’s status as being ABOVE that of the dogs. It’s safer that way for the cat.
Continue to supervise the interaction. You may be able to head off such encounters if you see a dog heading in the direction of the cat. Simply call the dog to you instead. You can train the dogs to react to sight of the cat as a signal that they get a treat! That way, they’ll turn away from the cat and come to you for their treat, rather than coming too near to the cat.
Frankly, though, sometimes these cats and dogs know exactly what they’re doing when they come close to each other. Just like kids, they may pester and tease each other just to get a rise out of you and added attention. My cat Seren weighs about seven pounds, but rules my 90-pound German shepherd with an iron paw. He knows that she’s the boss. But with Yorkies, the cat may actually outweigh the dogs. You can find more detailed advice in the book PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household.
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