Archive for September, 2010
My close friend Claire does publicity for nonprofit organizations, and she’s often called to cities around the country on short notice. A few months ago, she had to go to San Diego in preparation for a cancer walk-a-thon, so I volunteered to look after her cat Mitzy. My own feline, Frank, was less than pleased by this prospect. Introducing cats can be a bit of a crapshoot, especially when they’ve never had to share territory before.
I looked up some cat behavior facts online just before the introduction so that I’d know what to do in case of trouble. As it turned out, neither cat was especially territorial. Frank started hissing when Mitzy invaded his personal space, but eventually they were sniffing each other and getting along fine. I’ve set up separate food dishes and purchased discrete cat bed for each of them so that they don’t infringe on each other’s turf, and we’re making it work.
A few months ago, I added a new family member to the household: a golden retriever puppy named Otis. My wife and kids were charmed by his rambunctious presence, but Daisy, our nine-year old lab, was less than thrilled. She had grown used to being the dog of the house, and she perceived this young upstart as competition. At first, Daisy demonstrated her jealousy when we gave Otis the slightest bit of attention.
Before long, she began to horde her dog toys, keeping close watch over them to make sure Otis didn’t try to play with them. The squeaky dog toys would tip us off anytime the dogs were about to get into a tussle. We could hear a series of sharp squeaks and then the barking and growling. It took several weeks for Daisy to become acclimated to her young cohort. Eventually she learned that the puppy didn’t pose a threat, and now they have become inseparable.