Dogs and Cats Living Together

Recently, we took in a cat. I know what you're thinking, a cat in the house of Daleville Dan? I mean, he's not known for being friendly with cats, And what about the dog named Muffin who is known in these parts as "The Cat Slayer?" Well, we simply had to take in this cat as it was already a member of the family.

The cat is named Sir Purssalot, and he is my granddaughter's best friend in the whole wide world. You see, my daughter and her family recently moved into a new apartment that does not accept pets. Since we adopted the cat for our granddaughter on her Birthday, we simply could not allow the little sweetie to go to some strange home.

All this leads to the heart of this post--dogs and cats are strange, and even stranger when living together.

Since the cat is something new, our dog follows him all over the house, trying to sniff, or even lick at him. As soon as the cat turns around though, the dog runs away as if scared. Meanwhile, the cat has its own peculiarities. One might be sitting comfortably in a chair, and the cat (previously sitting comfortably on the lap of said individual) will suddenly spring forth with a speed matched only by the flash of lightning in a storm, and run laps around the house. The cat might also be found hiding in a dark corner for what seems an eternity before suddenly pouncing on his little mousy-looking toy. Of course, all this may suddenly stop and the little creature will nestle into a lap once more and start purring like the engine of a well-tuned race car. Thus, the name Sir Pursalot.

While the cat seems to have taken well to his new home, one cannot say the same as to how the dog feels about this new intruder to his, otherwise, sacred abode. I'm no psychologist but I would guess that the dog is jealous of cat. In the evening, when we are relaxing for the night, the cat likes to jump onto a lap for some attention. I believe the dog does not like this and displays some kind of passive-aggressive tendencies. As soon as the the cat finds a lap, the dog will immediately go to the door and want outside. It doesn't matter if he just came in from outside moments earlier, he will start panting and whining and scratching at the door.

With all the undertones of anymosity now, I'm sure it will not be long before these two animals are the best of friends--buddies to the end--or at least until the end of one or the other.

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