I introduced our new dog to this community almost two months ago, in a blog. In that blog I suggested there was tension between the family cat and the new puppy. This has not resolved as I hoped it would, and it is still a work in progress.
The cat is sixteen years old. I believe this senior family member is entitled to a peaceful retirement--although nothing about this animal suggests dotage. Here is a picture of the cat visiting my husband in his office this weekend.
My husband had just eaten a corn muffin and the cat was looking for crumbs (there were none).
Here is a picture of the dog. I took the picture this morning as he sat on my bed.
This is not really my dog. It's my daughter's dog, but he is a member of the family, and when my daughter is not home, he's my responsibility. He can't be left on his own, yet, because he still eats everything. So, when she is at work, he is my charge.
I have to find ways to keep him busy and safe. I also have to make sure he leaves the cat alone.
The cat used to like to sleep on a chair in my room, or on my bed. Here is a picture of the cat on the chair.
However, the chair is no longer a safe space for the cat when I am babysitting the dog. The cat has to always be out of reach. I moved the chair and put an ottoman in front of my window so the dog could look out...I need to keep him entertained somehow. Here is a picture of the dog perusing the neighborhood from the window.
It's not a very busy street. I love that, but this means there is not much for the dog to look at.
What can the cat do while the dog is looking out of the window? I figured out one answer to that question. I bought the cat a 63" tower.
At first I put the tower in my bedroom. Here is a picture of that.
However, this location didn't work out, because once the cat was on the tower, he was trapped. He couldn't get past the dog. So I moved the tower to the hallway, where the cat would have an escape route. Here he is on the top perch (his favorite), in the hall.
From there he can slip down the side of the tower, past the hamper and down the stairs. The cat is quite wily and never intimidated, but he is cautious. He plots his moves carefully.
Here he is, hiding under the tower, waiting for his chance to slip down the stairs.
Of course, I gave him an assist as I held the dog back and opened the gate. Unfortunately, I'm not always nearby when these escapes take place. Then the cat has to bide his time and wait for an opportunity.
Will there ever be a truce?
Here is a picture of the two of them, together and yet apart.
The cat is not an outdoor cat. We can't let him loose. We might never see him again if we did. However, he does enjoy going outside.
The cat is very cute and strikes the most endearing poses. I think he does it to amuse us (not really). Here he is resting in the hall while the dog is downstairs.
The cat is not entirely without his defenses. He is audacious. He will sit on the top step and strike at the dog through the banister.
Here is the dog sleeping by the banister.
You might be able to see the gate on the right that keeps the dog upstairs. This is only the case when I am babysitting. When my daughter is home, there is no need for a gate and the dog can go wherever he wants.
You can also see a bit of the banister is chewed. That happened in the first few days. I discovered that all I have to do is wave a water spray bottle--not even spray--in front of the dog's face, and he stops chewing.
We love the dog very much. He is a lovable puppy. A large lovable puppy. Here he is getting a belly scratch.
And here he is sleeping on the couch.
But he is not a docile dog. We (my daughter) adopted him from a shelter on July 1. He was born on March 11. That's a lot of months unaccounted for. What happened to him in those months?
He is very afraid of hands. I carry a shillelagh when I walk him, just in case we come across an unleashed dog that might attack. My dog is not afraid of the stick. But he is afraid of hands. We're pretty sure he was beaten, or at least hit, with hands before he came to live with us.
The cat, on the other hand, is an open book. My daughter rescued him from a car engine when he was just weeks old. We know his history.
Here is another shot of the cat as he searches my husband's snack tray for muffin crumbs. Poor cat...a fruitless mission. My husband is very neat and never would leave crumbs behind.
We have taken measures to improve the dog's manners. My daughter took him to puppy school. He graduated, and even received a diploma.
The cat and dog sort of take turns. When the dog is downstairs with my daughter, the cat spends more time upstairs. He likes to lounge on the landing at the top of the stairs, or in his tower. Here's a shot of him I took the other day. Really cute as he covers his nose. I've read that cats cover their noses in order to keep warm.
One of the things we are trying to do with the puppy is to give him structure. I try to walk him at the same time every day and give him his breakfast at the same time. He's still teething, so we have appropriate chew toys for him.
As for the cat. He is who he is and likely will be forever :) He's a good cat. He talks. Yes he does. If I say "Hello", he answers me in what sounds, very much like ,"Hello". We're grateful he has lived as long as he has and is remarkably healthy.
He has a special diet, because of long-standing kidney issues, but beyond that he is spry and alert.
What will the future bring for our dog? I don't know. I hope he settles down. In any event he is ours and already much loved.
Here is a parting shot of the puppy. He is still growing! He's part husky, part golden retriever and part Labrador retriever.
I'll post updates about the dog's progress and the state of cat/dog peace (or lack of it) in my house.
Thank you for reading my blog. Hive on!
All photos are mine