A Cat's Best Friend Could Be A
Dog
Sometimes opposites do attract
MetPet.com Staff Writer
Cats are solitary creatures coming together occasionally when
there is a constant source of food.
 Even
then, the cat community tends to consist of related females and
their kittens.
As solitary hunters, cats likely see other cats
as competition for scare resources such as territory and prey.
When strange cats meet, they are likely to be suspicious and
outright hostile, with the territory's inhabitant running off the
newcomer.
If your cat exhibits hostility toward other cats
in the neighborhood or has a history of fighting with cats you try
to bring into the house, his best friend might just be a dog.
A friendly, cat loving or cat tolerating dog, shares some
characteristics of the predatory cat without the worry of direct
competition. The dog is a group-oriented being which is
something most cats are not.
What kind of behaviors might a cat exhibit with
his new best friend?
- Cats have been known to snuggle up to dogs
during cold weather. The much larger dog is a radiator with fur
while the small dog is a hot water bottle that never cools down.
- Cats can follow dogs on walks around the
neighborhood or other protected areas. Cats walk in a
start-and-stop fashion and tend to make slow progress down the
street. With some work, however, you can have both a leash
walking dog and cat to amaze the neighbors and stop cars in their
tracks.
- Cats can use dogs to help chase off feline
intruders. A cat followed closely by a barking or running
dog will startle even the biggest cat bully into retreat.
- Cats can practice stalking on dogs. Cats
can lie in wait behind the sofa, run, jump up and play bite the
dog. The worst that generally happens is that the dog will
turn around and chase the cat.
- Dogs can substitute as grooming targets.
A snoozing dog can take the brunt of a cat's overdone grooming
instincts. Unlike human noses and thumbs, dogs have lots of
hair which is a reasonable substitute for another cat.
- Dogs can alert cats to the presence of the unexpected and
potentially dangerous. A dog that suddenly rises and begins
barking at the door or window will send cats fleeing to the
closet.
A dog in the house will need to be cat-safe.
Some dog breeds, such as sight hounds like Salukis and Greyhounds
or small animals hunters such as terriers may be dangerous for
cats. Kittens and puppies raised together are unlikely to be
harmful to each other but adult animals should be introduced
carefully.
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