I had an old-timer tell me that by the time you see the cat, it's too late.
Not sure how he knew that, though...
It all depends. Better to see it and at least brace yourself, than be totally ambushed. It is a rare occurrence, though. The last verified report I read about was back in '07. It's just something I was wondering about. A bigger danger would be dogs, and humans, if you were in urban areas.
Sandals for riding, eh? That's interesting. It must help keep cool, but I'm not sure I'd go for it. Big +1 on that sunscreen. That would suck to have sunburned feet.