Cat vs Dog

After the passing of my last cat I vowed never to own another animal as it was too hard when the end came, but after a year my feelings quickly changed as I missed coming home to a little furry face staring at me and then giving me the riot act about where I have been..but only after his copious amounts of loving.

So after convincing my then boyfriend, now husband, that the only thing I wanted for my birthday was another cat. (Narrowing down the gift option to only one works!) So in we walk to the "cat room". This brown tabby looks suspiciously at us and jumps down from his window ledge walks right over to us and howls to be patted, then turns around to return to his perch after he has successfully roped us in. Thinking this was cute I went back over to pat him, but he was done with affection and turned around to bite me. Two days later we came home with (renamed from Utah) Oscar.

A year went by where Oscar happily laid around the house, looked out the window and sometimes became the "Dartmouth Jungle Kitty" as he stalked his way through the grass to pounce upon an unsuspecting leaf...and sometimes a neighbours cat. (hehehe) Our little family was happy but we decided that maybe we should get a shhhh ....dog.

We researched breeds and breeders and settled on an English Springer (renamed from Nyles) we named Reno..after a coffee place (Steve-O Renos). The day we brought home Reno was the day Oscar decided, with disgust, that we were dog people too. He sat pearched on the counter like a vulture with his eyes wide wondering what he was going to do with this creature we had brought into his life. Reno had grown up with a cat who liked to play with him so he set out on getting to know Oscar. Each time Oscar would stalk around Reno sleeping, Reno would slowly open his eyes and then take off down the hallway after him.

Eventually Oscar began to understand the dog wasn't going anywhere and would get really happy when Reno left the house for walks but his disgust soon returned when the dog came back home. I am sure he was plotting two cement blocks and the nearest river for the dog. As time passed Reno became more brazen with the cat trying to sniff his bum and at one point licked it...which is also the reason Reno has a scar on his nose from a big swipe from Oscar's claw.

Now after almost two years together the two co-habitat, they are not friends but have learned to coexist. Reno still chases Oscar down the hall and has gone in for big sniffs which always result in a quick swat. But when night time comes and everyone settles into their respected places on the bed, our family is happy for the next eight hours until the cat jumps off the bed and the fun begins. But as I sit here writing with the cat curled up on the couch and the dog gone back for his morning nap I wouldn't have it any other way.