When Missy sees a cat she goes into stealth mode and starts stalking. But she is very easy and quiet about it so the cats here have learned that while she might be annoying, she is very harmless. All the cats but Pepper - he grew up around Missy and decided that they needed to be friends. He runs into the house and right over to Miss and starts rubbing up against her like she was his long lost buddy.
Then there is Toni. Toni is black and white and we've joked about Toni and Missy being twins separated at birth. Toni hid upstairs for a year after Missy came into the house, but finally figured out that the intimidating creature wasn't going to eat her. And they've had a love/hate relationship going on ever since. Missy would stalk Toni and Toni would hiss at her. Then Toni would be bored and she'd go bat at Missy to get something going. Or my favorite - Missy would be wandering around with nothing to do and jump on Toni who had been sleeping soundly in a chair - annoyed cat moves and dog now has a cat to follow around.
All highly entertaining!
The dynamic duo is a little different in the way they react around cats. Kipp was obsessed with cats when I got him. Say the word "cat" and his one goal in life was to find the cat. Nothing else existed. I found it rather exasperating. But after years of redirection, training, correction, etc. We finally have the obsession semi conquered. He will ignore the cats as long as he has something else to do. But if he's just laying there and one walks past it's all "CAT".
And Kenzi. Dear, sweet, loving Kenzi. Dear sweet loving Kenzi that loves to chase cats. It's wouldn't be bad if they just didn't run. She would check them out and move on to the next thing. But the barn cats run and hide from her. So she really, really, really wants to go find them. Once again it wouldn't be bad if it stopped at that. I don't let her run loose looking for cats to chase and when she is out and about I'm with her. But there is more to the story.
K & K are kenneled outdoors during the day when I cant supervise. Right outside the backdoor, away from the barn and the animals. Shady in the summer, sheltered in the winter, a dog house to chill in if they don't want to be outside. It's great set up. Except for the barn cats. They have learned that kennels are kryptonite to the dogs. The fearsome beasts with eyes that can look right through you who can chase at lightening speeds? Harmless when behind the kennel fence.
Ferdinand the barn cat takes advantage of that. He will come and saunter around the house, sit on the step and generally annoy K & K. Last night he was sitting outside the kitchen window meowing loudly. Kipp has learned that you just ignore the pesky creature, but Kenzi is not quite there yet - she was barking excitedly at him. Annoying cat. I keep threatening to get him his own kennel next to the dogs. So far he has just looked at me with a "did you say something?" look on his face...
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