When I get the chance I'm going to see if my 130db personal alarm helps me if cattle get too close? Yes, cows can be a right nuisance and dangerous as well. They can move fast as well! I've experienced a charge before and taken a biff in the chest, she knocked me completely off my feet. After reading Robert Louise Stevenson's 'Travels with a Donkey in the Cevenne' perhaps it might be useful for me to make a 'goad' for myself?
I have met people before who carry horse riding whips, simple and light, for rogue cows, dogs, pigs and so on.
Having walked a lot in France I have always been grateful that except for the odd occasion, cows and humans seem to be often separated by fences or electric lines, which makes for comfortable hiking.
My routine if bothered by charging cows, is to immediately drop my rucksack to the floor and leg it to a safe place, then wait awhile until they wander off, they always do. When clear I just wander back to collect.