Cats & Dogs

    Gayle likes cats more than dogs.  She loves Dakota, but doesn’t like him staring at her for approval . It’s funny to watch her avoid eye contact with Dakota when he stares at her. 

            Dakota is a Miniature Australian Shepherd and they stare a lot.  They also like to herd other creatures. My brother had a dog that couldn’t resist herding anything “herdable.”   Tom has a pond on his property and it’s loaded with ducks and fish of all sizes.  His dog would swim in the pond herding the ducks.  When the ducks got tired of being herded, they would leave and the dog would resort to herding schools of small fish.

            Dogs look to their masters for approval and affection.  I think that’s one reason men like dogs.  Maybe it’s why men like women. 

            Cats don’t seem to need much of anything. They can take you or leave you.  They’re an independent lot. Maybe that’s why women like cats …and men. 

            Cats think they own you.  The ancient Egyptians worshipped cats and the cats loved it and took advantage of it. Those ancient cats passed this mindset down through the generations by word of mouth.

A cat will come to you, but on its own terms and in its own time.  I have a cat that actually comes when I call her. But only when she wants to climb on my lap or get a snack. I like that cat.  You can find me with my dog on one side and my cat on the other.  They stare at each other.  Have you ever tried to stare down a cat?  Those little suckers look right through you and never blink.  I think our cat can hypnotize our dog.

            Cats are not pack animals.  In nature they hunt alone and are not found in packs like wolves, coyotes, and other canines.  African lions are different.  Lions in Africa are unusually social.  They live in “prides” or small groups with lots of lionesses.  That keeps them home a lot.  But that’s not typical of cats generally. Most tomcats are of the “hit and run” persuasion.

            We have large cats here in the mountains.  Mountain lions have become a problem and have been killing goats, sheep, dogs and other animals in the area. These are 200 pounders.  A mountain lion grabbed my neighbor’s cat twenty feet from him and was gone before he could react.  This was just across the street from us.  

My little cat tried to kill me once.  She wasn’t hungry and I don’t look at all like Bambi, so it wasn’t pre-meditated, as far as I can tell. 

            We were in the process of moving to Quincy and had cleaned out our house in Discovery Bay.  The truck was loaded, but I couldn’t catch the cat. At one point I had the cat cornered and grabbed her.  She broke loose and I grabbed her tail.  That was a big mistake.  She spun around and bit my hand right to the bone. I finally caught her and we drove the four or five hours to Quincy. 

            By the time I got to Quincy my hand looked like a football. I was talked into going to the hospital, where they gave me penicillin shots, an I V, and far too much sympathy.  Evidently cat bites are not a good thing. 

            Aside from being the victim of an attempted homicide by a member of my own household, I have a soft spot for animals that seems to grow the older I get. 

            Sorry - I have to end this article. My dog is staring at me and I have to figure out what he wants.   Uh oh…My wife is staring at me too.  I think I’m about to be “herded.”  Gotta go.