Do your animals get along?

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Every time we add a new animal to the mix, the dynamic changes. Rudy and Benny used to love each other, and then when we got Sally, they started to hate each other. Since we got the dog, all of the cats like each other again -- they are united against the dog.

I think they'll all be fine eventually, though.

Do you have more than one animal? Do they like each other?

-- Anonymous, September 23, 1999

Answers

We have a cat, Epi (who actually looks just like Sally, except about twice as big), and a rabbit, Hasenpfeffer (aka Pooper). Pooper is intensely curious about the cat. Whenever he's out of his cage, he likes to hop over to her, take a few sniffs, and then perk up his ears and announce, "I'm now your best friend."

Epi, on the other hand, remains snobbishly aloof. She'll put up with the sniffing for a few seconds and then quietly stand up and walk to the other end of the room. "Sorry, I don't associate with rabbits."

-- Anonymous, September 23, 1999


We introduced a pair of kittens at the beginning of July. After weeks of keeping doors between them and the dog, or tying the dog to the footlocker so the cats could bat at his tail but he couldn't eat them (they were just the size of the roofrats he killed a few years back, I didn't want any accidents. Besides, when they first came in, he picked up Fitch (I) and the kitten squeaked, so Sailor figured he had a couple of new squeak toys!) we were letting them all loose together. Fitch, purring loudly, curled up next to the dog and went to sleep. The dog looked at me with a "what do I do now?" look.

Then Fitch died and we introduced a new Fitch, and again with the doors and the supervision. Now all three of them are getting along well. Abercrombie was the one the other two ganged up on at first, but now the kittens play together all the time, and sleep together, and pick on the dog together. The other day Crombie plopped down in front of Sailor and squirmed and wriggled, "play with me, play with me!" and the idiot dog walked over her to nose an uninterested Fitch.

It's a circus here! At least the animals aren't bored.

-- Anonymous, September 23, 1999


We started out with one stray cat and you would think it would appreciate another stray cat but no. They hate and ignore each oter eveen now after about 10 years. Then we added a stray dog who is the most loveable mutt any other animal could meet. He would probably acccept the cats but they hate and ignore him too. Now I have just rescued a mom cat with four kittens apparantly dropped off at the side of the road in a ditch. Watching the old cats reactions to four very funny bouncy kittens is priceless. Am I being mean by laughing at them? Still I've got to get rid of at least most of this new bunch of kitties.

-- Anonymous, September 23, 1999

A little over a year ago, my college buddies and I (I have since graduated and moved on to the "real world") decided to get a puppy. Being another stupid college kid was what I was good at, so I thought this, too, would be another good idea my friends and I had.

We adopted a black lab mix puppy, and named him Sampson (curiously after a dope dealer in the movie "Half-Baked") and set out to set up his new home of seven college guys who party at least four nights a week. The one smart thing we did was forbid Sampson to drink beer. That's about the only smart thing we did.

One thing we did that wasn't so smart was fail to read our lease very carefully. In big letters, right in the middle, it says "No Pets Allowed." Soon enough, our landlord stopped by and demanded that Sampson take a leave of absence.

Here's where I finally get to answering the question. The only option Sampson had (thankfully) was to move an hour south to my parents home, who were gracious enough to let him move in ("You got a fucking dog? What the fuck were you thinking? God Damnit, I guess we'll have to take it.") They were so understanding.

But some politics came about as Sampson headed into my old home. Presently living there were two cats: Ringo and Stephy. I knew Stephy wasn't a problem. She originated the term "Scaredy Cat." That damn cat will run away from dust on the floor. Most cats chase string when you dangle it in front of them. Stephy runs away, with a look of sheer terror on her face.

Ringo, however, came to us as a stray. He's a mean motherfucker, right to the core. But he loves us very much (or maybe he just pretends real well) for taking him in. He takes quite a bit of exception the the pup.

There is, however, one big problem. Neither cat in the household has claws.

This creates some funny social situations between the two animals, Ringo and Sampson. Sampson sits on the low ground, while Ringo takes the high ground, swinging and hissing, swinging and smacking, to no avail. Sampson, being ever so glorious in his intellectual prowess, does not even flinch when he gets smacked (you wouldn't either if someone was batting at you with what amounts to a stuffed paw). He merely sits there, wondering "why the hell is this thing doing this to me?"

This, needless to say, provides hours of entertainment for my parents. I, however, live 2 1/2 hours away from this debacle, while my parents take care of a mistake I made in college. But they love my "PITA" (pain in the ass) dog, and I don't think they'd trade him in for much!

-- Anonymous, September 23, 1999


When I just had the two dogs (Mack and Brandy) the pecking order was clearly established and Mack was the boss. Brandy didn't challenge him much and would often just run and tell me that he'd done something bad. She tipped me off one day when he was garbage surfing, and will always run and get me when he steals her bone.

When we added Ginger to the herd things got a little messier. Brandy didn't challenge, but Ginger often challenges Mack's authority. She'll steal his toy and run off to her crate and give me the "Shut the door Mom! I've got the toy" look.

If they've all got a toy they'll growl at her when she comes near to try and take the toy. And I've found Brandy barking her off her food or her toys. It never stops that crazy Ginger though -- she'll run full force and pounce on Mack. She'll chase Brandy around the yard like mad.

But all in all, the three of them get along really well. I'm not sure any cat could survive in this sea of dogs. And I'll probably never find out because I'm pretty allergic to cats.

-- Anonymous, September 23, 1999



Well. When we adopted Shara, she was the only cat and we'd only intended to have ONE cat. But then it turned out that she was preggers and 2 months later she had _NINE_ kittens. One was stillborn and one died 48 hours later (very sad) so that left us with seven furballs.

We managed to adopt out four of them in pairs. I felt strongly about giving them away that way since they'd been a very tightly knit litter.

However, this left us with three kittens on our hands, one of which (Tiger) had had water on the brain due to a soft skull problem. By the time the kittens were ready to be given away, he was better -- we'd given him antibiotics and made sure he got fed regularly and his skull had finally hardened up, but it left him with some odd behavioral quirks, and I just didn't feel right giving away an animal who might have further medical problems down the road. (Of course NOW he's disgustingly healthy, and the smartest of the four. Go figure.)

Sabs had wanted to keep one of the black and white kittens (There were 5 tabbies and 2 tuxedos) so we were going to wind up with 3 cats total as it was. Then I couldn't find a home for the other tuxedo, pretty, fluffy, dainty Sasha. So we ended up with 4 cats.

Their personalities have shifted over time individually and in relation to each other. It was interesting to see the way that they interacted with each other as the kittens grew up. Shara went from being overprotective and motherly to wearily resigned that these annoying children were never going to leave her, to placid resignation and finally, being able to curl up with Tiger in particular as a companion.

Shara is still the queen of the roost one year later, with Mephisto as top cat in the pyramid of kittens with Sasha and Tiger on fairly equal footing as his minions.

Sasha and Tiger are the two who have chenged the most behaviorally though. Mephisto is still very affectionate, talkative and kind of like a dog. I call him my "puppy-cat" because he behaves like a cross between a puppy and a cat. He's full of himself and doesn't listen like a cat, but follows at my heel and flops over to have his belly scritched like a dog.

Sasha used to be very adventurous when she was a little kitten. She was the first to make the jump over the board that blocked the doorway of the closet that the litter lived in (at the tender age of 3 weeks), the first to leap up to the top of the scratching post, the first to figure out how to leap up to the top of the bookcases in the living room. But due to the pecking order in the "pride" she has become much more timid. She still loves to come cuddle in my arms, but she very rarely explores anything anymore and prefers to let Tiger and Phishy go into battle first. Occasionally I also catch her trying to nurse on Shara, so I try to give her extra loving to help her confidence.

Tig went from being a squealy difficult baby, to a quiet affectionate kitten who loved to spend all his time curled up with his pal Big Daddy, to a whiny timid cat who disliked being left alone, to Mephisto's second-in-command and Mom's favorite cuddle-bug and punching bag. Tiger just can't seem to leave his mother ALONE when she doesn't want company. 9 times out of 10, he's the one lying on the ground being pummeled by her back feet. He just takes it though, lies there and lets her show him where its at until she's through and then hops up and starts all over again.

Tig is also very affectionate and still dislikes being left alone. Often he will run off into a room and when he gets there, realizes that no one has followed him there and sart meowing at the top of his lungs: "Hey! Where are you guys? Why didn't you come with me?"

However, he's the one who sits on my feet and keeps them warm when I'm on the computer.

Adding another cat to the mix has had had mixed results.

Almost 2 months ago now, we picked up a pure white stray ourside our apartment and called her Pearl. We never (and still don't) really have any intention of keeping her permanently, but Shara's behavior towards a strange cat only confirms the fact that we cannot add any other CATS at least to the mix.

Shara is the undisputed head of the household here. She only tolerates her children because they ARE her children. All other cats are not welcome.

As soon as Shara saw Pearl she pounced on her and started to beat the cr** out of the poor starveling little thing.

Hence our apartment is currently divided into two territories: Pearl in the bedroom and the rest of the cats in the rest of the apt.

Shara is not allowed into the bedroom and Pearl is not allowed to leave it. Mephisto however is completely enamored with Pearl after the two underwent a period of adjustment. When I go back to the bedroom, Mephisto RUNS with me and is usually there before I am, mrrrling at the door and looking up at me expectantly. I swear, if he were a dog, he'd be panting. That's the look in his eyes.

Tiger and Pearl have also declared a truce of sorts, though Pearl is not as fond of Tig as she is of Phish. Sasha has heretofore been too scared to go into the room though she is aware of Pearl.

Shara and Pearl fight beneath the door.

If it came down to it, I dunno if Phishy would stand up for Pearl or be too cowed by his Mama.

All I know is that I don't think Shara and Pearl will ever get along. I don't even want to THINK about adding a woof-woof to the mix.

At least, not until we have a house with a yard and a finished basement.

-- Anonymous, September 23, 1999


Sheila and Bridget get along very well, with few exceptions. When I got Criffin, I was living in an apartment and he was the only cat. The first time I brought him to my parents' house he spent all evening finding cave-live places to hide and growl, hiss, and swat at Sheila. Eventually, he got her afraid of him, and now he doesn't have a problem with the dogs at all.

When Leah brought home Geoffrey, he was a little thing (4 months), and Criffin was thoroughly pissed off for a while. Then he realized being Uncle Criffin was fun, and started teaching Geoffrey how to rip paper to shreds and other fun diversions. After we moved, and Sneakers and Hampton were added, Criffin became a bit more withdrawn. He hated Hampton pretty consistently, and Sneakers never fit in to the whole dynamic very well. When she went to Ade's house, Leah brought Jamie home. Jamie kind of filled the same role as Sneaky (token female), but she fit in, and played with just about everybody (except Criffin, who really only played with Geoffrey).

When Cinsand and Patrick came home, Criffin and Cinsand got along well. Criffin even let Cinsand curl up next to him to sleep in the car. He and Patrick never did much, but that might be because he was sick by the time Patrick showed up.

So now, we have Criffin, Cinsand, Sheila, and Bridget, as well as Desi the parakeet. The dogs get along fine. The cats are basically buddies, and Criffin gets to be Uncle Criffin again. Bridget wants to know when those cats are going to go away and leave her in peace. Sheila is okay with Criff, and is just great with Cinsand. Cinsand harasses Desi by perching on top of his cage.

Overall, it seems to have smoothed out, and everybody is getting along fine. The dogs are cranky old ladies, however. And when an active young pup (say... Doc) comes over, they get a little grumpy. "Kids these days... Hey! Get off of my lawn! Give me my rawhide chew!"

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


Oh dear. I have one cat and one dog. The dog lives downstairs.. The cat lives upstairs in my bedroom, where it is safe. The unfortunate thing is that the cat has no claws, so she can't teach the dog a lesson if the dog tries to eat her. So I'm terrified to put them in the same room together, because the[stupidannoying]dog goes into dork mode and chases her into corner.

< takes a deep breath >

overall, my animals have never gotten along.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


I read with amusement about how one of your cats won't scratch the dog and sort him out. My Mr. Bruce will make such a point of not scratching my dog, Ms. Edith. He'll tap the dog rather uselessly on the nose several times sans claws. I know Bruce knows how to scratch and I have the scars to prove it. Why doesn't he give Edith the full treatment? I can only conclude, as Jeremy concluded in Beth's household, that the cat LIKES being confronted with the dog to spice up his otherwise sleepy little existence.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999

Oh, HELL no. We have a 9-pound toy poodle, Molly, 12 years old, and Jake, a 180-pound Great Dane, 3 years old. Molly didn't eat for 5 days after we brought the jakester home at 6 weeks old (bigger than her already). See, Molly doesn't even think of herself as a dog. Jake is an insult to her delicate sensibilities. She just barely tolerates his ass, and believe me when I say she is the BOSS. But Jake dearly loves to tease her. She can sit on our laps, and he doesn't understand why she can and he can't....so he'll go up to her on someone's lap and get a mischievous gleam in his eye, kind of crouch down and swing that tail a little, and she goes into action. Snarling and spitting and generally acting as if she's gonna kill him. He'll bark a little and swing that tail some more, then Molly *always* gives in and jumps down from the lap, royally pissed off. Jake then sniffs the empty lap and trots happily away, having gotten his way once more.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


I have 4 male cats and 4 female cats - all neutered and spayed. The interaction among them keeps me entertained. The three cats I rescued from my Mom's farm are the only ones who are related: Portia, the mother, her daughter, Cymba and her son, and Cymba's half-brother (my guess) Pippen. Mittens, the oldest, and biggest, male is the dominant male. He acts like he is too good to socialize with any of them, but is never hostile with the rest of them. Pippen, Charmin, and Gryffyn are the other three males and I usually refer to them as "the boys". Pippen has decided that he is number 2 cat. He is submissive to Mittens, but creeps up on Gryffyn in a threatening, dominating attitude and makes Gryffyn flee from his spot and usually from the room. I do believe Gryffyn is afraid of him and somewhat bewildered by this behavior as he, himself, does not seem to have this need to strut his stuff. Charmin, yes, squeezeably soft Charmin, could care less about his place in the hierarchy. He just wants to get along with all and Pippen doesn't bother him. Grey Lady is an arthritic, crabby, grumpy old lady at least 18 years of age. She hisses at any of the others who get near her, but they seem to respect her age and simply walk away and leave her alone, usually, although I saw Mittens take a swing at her just this morning. Now, Jenny, is another matter. She hates all other cats and has enjoyed living outside this summer away from those nasty other cats. She hisses and spits at all of the boys, and they just love it when she comes in the house because they love to chase her. They crouch and wiggle in anticipation when I open the door hoping she'll come in and they'll have a good chase. Portia is a very savvy farmcat who, if the truth be known, actually, is top cat. She can keep them all in line. You just don't mess with her. She can "herd" Mittens like a sheepdog! He gets annoyed, but simply tries to get around her. Portia adores her son, Pippen, washes and grooms him, but pretty much ignores her daughter who is perhaps a year older than Pippen. She is pretty nice to Jenny and sometimes acts in a mothering way to Grey Lady. She doesn't like Charmin and he avoids her. Cymba is in love with Mittens. She is always near him and absolutely adores him. She actually acts like she is in heat, sometimes flopping down in front of him belly-up and looking, oh, so cute. He accepts her adulation and ignores her. Once in a great while he will give her a quick lick or sniff her butt. This truly makes her day. When she is not trailing around after Mittens, she does love to play chase and hide with Charmin and they have a great time galloping through the house and pouncing at each other. Occasionally, Gryffyn and Pippen join in these games.

-- Anonymous, September 28, 1999

We have two cats. They get along pretty well, but let me back up.

Originally we had one cat, Domino, who was older and set in her ways. She and I were soul mates. Then some friends found a kitten/teenage cat begging food in golden gate park and took her home, knowing they'd find someone to take her in (they couldn't keep her.) Not surprisingly, this turned out to be me, and the kitten became Emma. Emma really wanted to play with Domino, but Domino didn't want to have anything to do with this. She avoided Emma most of the time. Eventually they got so they could sleep together in the sun, or even both crowd onto my lap, but when Emma wanted to play those chasing games, Domino made herself scarce.

This went on for a few years. Domino died of kidney disease and after a while we got a new cat, George. Emma was still youthful and George was a year or so younger than her. They got along right away and happily played the chasing games, as well as the jump on each other and grab by the neck and kick games. Emma didn't seem to enjoy this as much, probably because she was outweighed. I remarked that Emma was working off some karma with this new arrangement. We noticed that she was eating more, and she soon bulked up to where she still weighs less than George, but can hold her own in most spats.

They continue to be pals, with occasional tiffs. There is a lot of stalking and chasing, and occasional wrasslin' matches that end up with growling and fur everywhere. No serious injuries so far. Our roommate was watching them in one of their ritualistic squabbles and commmented that they resemble sumo wrestlers, which is perfect.

Regarding your animals, I have to admit I'm totally on the cats' side. I figure whatever happened to Doc was richly deserved, though I'd be annoyed at having a vet bill to pay. But that's why I don't have a dog.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2000


I'd agree with you, Lizzie, if we only had Benny and Sally. (Well, I'd sort of agree. The dog is much friendlier and nicer than ALL of the cats.) But Rudy, as much as I love him, is vicious. If he were a dog, we would have had to have him put to sleep years ago. He has nearly killed another cat, he's attacked my face (viciously, not playfully), and he's hurt Jeremy really badly, completely on purpose. I've paid a vet bill for another dog Rudy attacked, and that one was just standing outside my door barking. (Rudy pushed open the screen door and attacked it.) I've had to pay a vet bill for Sally after Rudy kicked her ass, too.

I've seen Rudy cross the house to swipe at Doc while Doc was sleeping. I don't doubt that Doc has done many things to the other two cats to deserve a swipe at the nose, but he avoids Rudy.

We know this was Rudy, by the way, because after I posted this morning, we noticed that Doc's usual three-foot path around Rudy is now five to ten feet. He won't go anywhere near him.

Rudy is the friendliest, clingiest cat I've ever met, until you cross him. I always worry a little when strangers pet him, because he's very sweet and loving until ... whammo. You need stitches.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2000


Sooooo....... Diagnosis please? You're not going to leave me in suspense over the weekend are you?

My nasty cat (the one I rescued as an adult) is declawed to save my Pug eyes, but the nice cats (the ones I've had since they were kittens) are fine. They play with the dogs and don't unsheath their claws at all. All the dogs get along, but I don't leave the Pugs out with the Rottweilers when I'm not home in case they get hurt (inadvertantly). The cats have the run of the place all the time and so do the older dogs. So far, so good but they all know that I'm the boss which helps.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2000


My female cat Sassy absolutely hates anything or anyone that isn't me. She despises my other two cats and hiss if they are even in the same room as she is. They love her though, all they want to do is to get near her. I am constantly telling them "She doesn't like you tow clowns, leave her alone" But they are so much like dogs, their tails wag and they get so excited to see her. Riley and Oliver love each toher to death though. They sleep together and walk around the house togetther. They whine and cry loudly if the other is out of their vision. cute as anything. Sassy just watches them in disgust. I had her first and she was queen of the house for a few years before "They" came to live with us.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2000


I have two cats and a dog. The cats hate the dog. The dog wants to play with the cats. The dog thinks chasing them is playing. It's so aggravating. I don't think they ever will get along. One of the cats doesn't let the dog bother her - she's the boss after all. My other cat however, she is finally starting to relax - after two years - around the dog. My sister though is moving in with HER dog so this should be fun. My poor kitties.

While my cat doesn't sounds as aggressive as Rudy, Beth, one of my cats is a complete bitch to anyone other than me and my husband. She growls, hisses, swats, bites, basically anything she can to strangers. It's upsetting to watch because I wonder how she'll react once we have kids. I realize she's doing it because she's afraid (my father freaked her out when she was a kitten and she was never the same afterwards, needless to say I'm still upset with my father and it was over two years ago) but I just hope that she winds down. I don't want to have to give her up because she attacks my children. It's something I worry about.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2000


My cats get along just about as well as any family members sharing the same space. In the morning, they love everything and everyone. Since they are cats, they don't seem to have the problems sleeping or remaining asleep like I do. They don't have to worry about attorney's fees, custody issues, or paying taxes.

When it is raining outside, they are so grouchy! They run from the front door to the back door, trying to find the dry side of the house.

They also have certain areas of the house and even certain spots on the furniture they consider their own. If Zebbie gets on the bed first, he will snuggle in next to me. This will totally piss Carmel off, because he is the oldest and feels he should get the choice spot. These two end up hissing and growling for a few hours until they fall asleep or Zebbie moves.

Yogi, Zebbie's littermate, is sort of a loner and prefers to sleep on the end of the bed near my feet. I have to make a conscience effort to find him and love him in the morning, so he won't be left out of the attention time.

Interstingly enough, Yogi and Carmel get along very well most all day long. Zebbie tries very hard to play with Carmel, but Carmel is very mean to him. I am guessing that Zebbie plays too rough and the others don't like to play with him because of that. He is very gentle with me and the other humans he lives with but I think he wishes he were the only one.

Kesa hates all other animals and most humans. She loves me dearly but I believe that is because I had her spayed and took her in from the world. She has issues.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2000


Our oldest cat, Sylvester, HATES other animals. He even hissed at the turtles when we got them. He's a jerk.

When we babysat my friend's cat, Sylvester pissed all over the porch to mark his territory.

He gets infections everytime he gets a scratch.

He pukes on the carpet.

He's our favorite cat and we love him.

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2000


We're entering a period of detente here, after a week or more of outright war between the cats. I got Keebler first -- he's a twenty lb. former street cat, a great big tom without a mean bone in his body. He used to live with my friend Howie and his two, tiny little cats, who terrorized him daily. In spite of it all, he loves other cats, and dogs, too, as far as we can tell.

I took Keebs in, and after a few months noticed that he was lonely, so I went to the Humane Society and came back with Nato. Nato is a tiny thing, more hair than cat, obviously the runt of the litter, and never more than 8 lbs. I remember asking the people at the pound if she was a nice cat, since Keebs was a real suck, and they assured me that she was a sweet little thing.

Well, of course she is -- with people. Nato is a real slut, a princess, a shamless manipulator and a demanding little brat. Within a few weeks, this little kitten would calmly walk up to Keebs, bat him on the head, then sit on his face when he lay down submissively on the ground. It was cute, if a little disturbing.

We've had Nato for six or seven years now, and normally they get on fine -- she's the princess, and he lives with her demands. A few weeks ago, though, she suddenly turned vicious, and started attacking him whenever he got too close to us -- she'd suddenly enlarged her definition of her territory, apparently, leaving Keebs with nothing but a corner upstairs behind K.'s desk. They no longer slept together on the bed during the daytime cat lull, and Keebs had to eat at night when she stood guard over us in the bedroom.

Yesterday, though, after a week of shouting at her, kicking her away when she attacked him, and liberal use of the spray bottle, she suddenly began letting him get around a bit more, and even stood aside as he rubbed against us and sat in our laps. Poor Keebs. It's like a bad marriage, it is. I keep pointing out to dog owners that one of the joys of cat ownership is the utterly unpredictable little phases cats will go through, the sheer mystery of their little, twisted minds.

The problem, of course, is that Keebs is really a dog trapped in a cat's body. And that Nato is some kind of ur-cat. A bad combination.

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2000


My cat's name is George too!

We used to live with 2 other dogs. They got along pretty well - one was a silky terrier and the other was a schnauser (sp?) mix - medium sized dog. George and the med dog were fast friends. George would let both the dogs chase him around the house. The best part of the whole thing was that George would get tired, hop up on a table, and watch the dogs keep "chasing him" around the house. You could hear his little cat laugh!

Cutest was watching them sleep together.

George had something similar happen to his eye that Beth described about Doc. When I took him to the vet(I was completely a wreck about the whole thing - god help me when I have kids), vet said he could have gotten bitten by something to produce the same reaction - maybe a flea. That sounds a little far fetched to me, but... He also said George may have slipped while climbing in a tree and scratched it on a branch.

Doc! I didn't know Labs could climb trees! You've got yourself a real talent Beth!

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2000


I know somebody else who has a cat named George! That George was named after the main character in "The Lathe of Heaven."

We've learned that George hates children, which makes sense because the first one he met was a two year old who wanted to "play" with him. He ran under the bed and she crawled in after him! He gave her a scratch. Her dad said she acts the same way with their cat and gets scratched all the time and treated the whole thing as no big deal.

The next time a young kid came over, George growled at him before he ran and hid. This time the kid didn't pursue it.

George and Emma haven't met a dog yet. I'm actually curious to see what will happen. I think it's funny when they get all puffed up.

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2000


I have two cats, Silas 13, and Hep 3. They adore each other. Two and half weeks ago I got an 8 month old whippet named Paddy. Hep is terrified of the dog and keeps a good 10 feet away from him, Silas does his own thing but will hiss when Paddy chases him - you can't blame him for that. Paddy seems a little bummed that the cats don't love him, but there's time. I suppose I don't help matters by telling Silas that if he doesn't get his nose out of the dinner I'm trying to make, I will put him on the floor and let the dog eat him.

At night time there is a truce and everyone sleeps in peace on the bed.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2000


I have two basset hounds and a mutt. We got the first basset hound (Ottis a girl) about 3 years ago. Then we got Molly the other basset about one year later. For about the first six months they loved each other and slept all over each other. Then my husband and I decided that we were ready to have the bed to ourselves so we put the dogs in the laundry room. That was the worst mistake we ever made. According to the vet, this made Ottis feel like she had been demoted in the pack and that she now had to prove to us that she was better than Molly. To do this she would have bloody battles with Molly. We had to take Molly to the vet three times in the past year for stitches on her long basset ears. They both are so scarred up that they look like professional fighting dogs. We have to keep Ottis leashed to the couch at all times while she is in the house. We got a third dog that we rescued about 9 months ago and Ottis doesn't even attack him! Who knows, these animals of mine are all crazy!

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2000

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