Any healthy adult human could though. An old friend of mine accidently killed a cat with a single kick while "defending" his cat that was being attacked (I wasn't there so don't ask how). He was ~14 years old at the time. At the end of the day, humans are large animals, most of just don't want to hurt other creatures so we restrain ourselves.
A woman near my hometown strangled a rabid bobcat that came after her daughter with her bare hands. Multiple broken fingers, major lacerations, but she got him. Barely. Bobcats are 2 to 3 times the size of a housecat, for those who don't know.
Yeah we're really World Of Cardboarding it up at all times. You know the stereotypes about crackheads being dangerous in a fight? That capacity is inside us at all times.