Dogs and cats live together pretty well in a family unit, and our pets are no exception.
Gretchen (our 80 lb dog) and Silver (our 10 lb cat) pretty much grew up together, and after some kinks to work out initially, they get along quite well.
Ditto for our other family dog, Bruiser (who is also about 80 lbs) - who melded pretty well into a blended family. Co-existing with not only another dog - but a cat - was something he was not accustomed to. Kudos to him!
We live in a relatively peaceful household, but one thing is clear: Silver rules the roost.
He's always had a strong personality.
The dogs don't mess with Silver at all, especially if he is standing in front of the water dish. He'll stand there, getting a leisurely drink and if the dogs want to get one, they will wait. Under no circumstances will they try to nudge him out of the way. They'll stand there, waiting behind, staring at him - until he saunters off when he feels like it.
It's funny how a normal sized cat can have all of that control over a large-breed dog (or two). It's pretty comical to watch after all of these years, but not as funny as the following video.
Spike the cat, guards the new doggy dish from Harley, the 90 lb dog. The power that the steadfast kitty has over his housemate is quite funny. Poor dog...
Lorrie Shaw is a pet blogger and owner of Professional Pet Sitting in the Chelsea, MI area. She can be contacted via e-mail, and you can live vicariously through her daily adventures on Twitter.
