Friday, April 9, 2010

What the ....this isn't a cat!

A big surprise showed up for our three cats the other day. We brought home a little Sheltie a week ago to join our family. She is a rescue dog, about 6 to 8 years old. We have been looking for a cat friendly dog for several months and were referred to the Sheltie Rescue program by a friend who has two Shelties. This little girl has been living with several other dogs and three gray cats in her foster home - and didn't cause any problems with these cats in the several months she has been in foster care. When we brought her home we were most worried about our elder, Angel. Angel spent over half of his life in a single cat family, then had to learn to accept one and then two furry brothers. He still hisses occasionally at the other two cats and will move out of the way when the fluff cat pushes through to take a bite of whatever food is on offer. Surprisingly, Angel didn't miss a beat when the dog showed up. He continued to sit in his favorite chair in the living room or on the couch, and he didn't flinch a whisker when walking by the dog. The other two cats went into hiding when they saw the new four legged "beast" - took them two days before they were brave enough to come into a room where the dog was. Now all three seem to be comfortable with their new sister...and we are pleased to have another family member to cuddle with.