Dog vs Cat
For many years I said I would never own a cat. I'm a dog person. I find most felines aloof, uninterested in me and I uninterested in them. I have known a few exceptions, cats with personality, but they're rare. Some deserve the label 'snakes with fur'.
Cheryl adpoted a four month old tabby. His name is Maximilian. He is 4 pounds of pain in the life of my 80 pound Boxer. Michelangleo is not happy about Max the feline interloper. He's jealous but most of all his feelings are hurt because Max will not play with him. Mike is huge and his curiousity is borderline aggressive. He stalks the cat, gets in Max's face and when he gets too close ... SMACK .... the little kitten swipes his claws across Mikey's nose. My dog is learning the hard way.
After three days they've settled into mutual tolerance. The dog approaches with more caution having been clawed at least 20 times the first few days. The dog's kinder and gentler demeanor does not threaten Max so they're starting to get closer without confrontation. Max has won the early rounds of the Dog vs Cat match taking shape in our house but Mike scored a knockdown today.
Max made the grave error of snooping in Mike's bowl while he was eating. My dog has shown zero food aggression in the years we've had him. I can pet him, even can take his food away, without a reaction .... but I'm not a sneaking no good cat. Max crossed the line and Mikey gave him a taste of canine justice.
The cat was okay but he puffed out like a furry blowfish. His fur was ruffled and he was rattled. Mike went back to dining as if nothing happened but Max was clearly shaken, hiding from the dog. After taking a good deal of abuse from a tiny kitten, Mikey let Max know how fast and furious he can be.
My dog is a big goofy lummox, the Gomer Pyle of Boxers, but he's not afraid to mix it up if another animal sends him the wrong signal. A cat in his food dish will not be tolerated. PERIOD. We all learned a lesson.
So now we have a big dog and a little cat. This could be entertaining.
Cheryl adpoted a four month old tabby. His name is Maximilian. He is 4 pounds of pain in the life of my 80 pound Boxer. Michelangleo is not happy about Max the feline interloper. He's jealous but most of all his feelings are hurt because Max will not play with him. Mike is huge and his curiousity is borderline aggressive. He stalks the cat, gets in Max's face and when he gets too close ... SMACK .... the little kitten swipes his claws across Mikey's nose. My dog is learning the hard way.
After three days they've settled into mutual tolerance. The dog approaches with more caution having been clawed at least 20 times the first few days. The dog's kinder and gentler demeanor does not threaten Max so they're starting to get closer without confrontation. Max has won the early rounds of the Dog vs Cat match taking shape in our house but Mike scored a knockdown today.
Max made the grave error of snooping in Mike's bowl while he was eating. My dog has shown zero food aggression in the years we've had him. I can pet him, even can take his food away, without a reaction .... but I'm not a sneaking no good cat. Max crossed the line and Mikey gave him a taste of canine justice.
The cat was okay but he puffed out like a furry blowfish. His fur was ruffled and he was rattled. Mike went back to dining as if nothing happened but Max was clearly shaken, hiding from the dog. After taking a good deal of abuse from a tiny kitten, Mikey let Max know how fast and furious he can be.
My dog is a big goofy lummox, the Gomer Pyle of Boxers, but he's not afraid to mix it up if another animal sends him the wrong signal. A cat in his food dish will not be tolerated. PERIOD. We all learned a lesson.
So now we have a big dog and a little cat. This could be entertaining.