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Getting Along Like Dogs and Cats
Can dogs and cats really be friends? What about dog people and cat people?
By Beth J. Bates
I love dogs. I don't like cats. I've had two cats in my life and they were both crazy. I took in one because it was the runt of the litter and left to die. It clawed my arms to shreds and was just plain mean. She was ultimately given to a friend. My brother found the other one as a kitten abandoned under a house. My dad wouldn't let him keep it so, since I had my own place, he begged me to take it. So, I did under duress. The cute kitten grew up to be a huge cat the trashed my house. So he, too, found a new home with a neighbor. I have tried, but at the end of the day, I'm not a cat person. Here are a few stories of dogs, cats and people all trying to live in harmony.
Story 1By Beth J. Bates
I love dogs. I don't like cats. I've had two cats in my life and they were both crazy. I took in one because it was the runt of the litter and left to die. It clawed my arms to shreds and was just plain mean. She was ultimately given to a friend. My brother found the other one as a kitten abandoned under a house. My dad wouldn't let him keep it so, since I had my own place, he begged me to take it. So, I did under duress. The cute kitten grew up to be a huge cat the trashed my house. So he, too, found a new home with a neighbor. I have tried, but at the end of the day, I'm not a cat person. Here are a few stories of dogs, cats and people all trying to live in harmony.
My friend, Danielle, is a cat person through and through. She used to have four cats, but one couldn't get along with the three others so he found a home with a friend. She now has three cats that run her house. They do what they want and are completely neurotic. But she loves them. She thinks she might like a dog, but worries that the cats won't be able to cope. She and I are friends even though she likes cats and I like dogs. We understand our differences and are willing to work within their constraints. Are cats and dogs willing to do the same?
Story 2
I have another friend who has four cats and two dogs. She has four cats because her dog kept bringing cats home. He would literally show up at the house with a couple of cats in tow and demand, in his dog way, that she keep them. So she did. Now the cats are not so sure about the living arrangements. Her dog likes to play with the cats, but now that they are older they just aren't into it anymore. So they bat and hiss and run away. Luckily they are nimble enough to get on top or under furniture. The dogs love the cats, but the cats have another agenda.
Story 3
My husband brought home a stray cat one day with the sole purpose of calling its owner to come pick it up. As soon as he walked into the house with the cat I knew it was a mistake. Our Jack Russells, small prey hunters by nature, went bananas. The cat freaked out, clawed my husband, darted across the room and up the drapes where it hung for several minutes. Meanwhile, the Jack Russells were at the foot of the drapes barking and jumping and snarling - they really wanted to eat the cat. We managed to sequester the dogs and rescue the cat, but that was the last time a cat has ever set foot in our house.
Story 4
To bring this saga full cirlce, I met another cat...that I actually liked. It was a Siamese and apparently the meanest cat on the block according to my relatives. She wouldn't let anyone touch her, let alone pet her. Yet she jumped into my lap and begged for attention. I don't know how to play with cats (or kids) so I play with all animals (and children) like they're dogs. I put the cat on her back and vigorously rubber her belly...and she loved it. My relatives were amazed that the cat was so affectionate with the dog lover.
So, maybe dogs and cats and people can all get along as one big happy family. I don't know. All I know is...that was one cool cat.
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Copyright 2009 WE: Women's Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2009 WE: Women's Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.
Wow,
You need to meet some other cats. My cat wouldn't scratch or bite you for anything. She would run up to you to greet you and is so sensitive that if you rebuffed her, she would immediately walk away. She is completely trainable and thus doesn't run the house at all. I really think you need to find the breeds of cats that traditionally (though not always, of course) have qualities of affection and loyalty, such as the American shorthair and try them out, just to see what you've been missing. No need to be a cat or dog person. I love both for different qualities. My last cat loved me so much, she followed me everywhere. When people approached her, she threw herself on the ground for them to pet her.
hi i have 2 cats and my fiance has 3 dogs. and we get along very well my cats even abandand me to sleep right next to the dogs!
Yeah, I'm trying to get over my cat issues. I forgot to mention that I was also seriously bitten by a stray cat when I was about 13, so some of my reservations probably stem from that as well. =) My friends have cats and I'm fine with them. I just don't think I'd want them for myself.
Thanks!
Beth