Who says cats and dogs can't get along?
When I first moved into the casa where I am living, there was already a dog living here with the fellow who takes care of the property. He told me that his dog hated cats and I couldn’t have one. Unfortunately, I am not inclined to believe people who make blanket statements and there is something about being told I cannot do something that makes me want to investigate why that is so.
Now, when it comes to bungee jumping or jumping out of a perfectly flying airplane, I would tend to agree that it is something a grandmother might think very carefully about. But a dog not liking cats or vice versa?
I became friends with the dog and it was clear that he was lonely. Some of his barking behaviors about the cats that came and went were due to a frustration of being alone at night and sometimes being scared by the thunder or, as is just as common here in Colombia, fireworks.
What happened next was that I was given a male cat who had absolutely no fear of dogs at all. He walked right up to the resident dog, put his nose on the dog’s nose and said (in Cat), “Hi, I’m here, we don’t need to be enemies.” From then on there was no issue, no barking at the new resident cat and no chasing, either.
But sadly this beautiful cat energy died within a few weeks, and so a kitten was introduced. The kitten, not having any dog experiences, swore in the worse Cat way with Pfffffts, hissing and etc., making the poor dog think that perhaps he had done something wrong. But in a few weeks, all that bad language was forgotten and the two became friends.
When we are lonely, a friend is what helps us get through that tough time. When the world seems to have it in for us, we turn to a friend for reassurance. There is a day in South America called El Dia del Amigo, ‘Friend’s day,’ and although it isn’t until September, it is well worth taking time anytime to call a friend and say, “I was just thinking about you…” because it is really wonderful to hear that from a friend.
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