Oh what a night!

I've sat on my cats a couple of times too. It scares the daylights out of me because I am terrified that I will injure them seriously. One of my previous cats did learn NOT to sleep on the seat of the chair. KoKo was a tiny little Siamese that I adopted from the local animal shelter. She was about 6 months old when I got her, and little did I know she was pregnant. After raising a litter of four kittens I had her spayed and found out that she had a heart problem. About 6 months after I got her I had to apply for disability through Social Security. They sent out a woman social worker to check out my living conditions. Where I live we go through two locked gates to get to my home, plus it is an hour drive from the nearest town. Of course when company comes that don't have the keys to the gates we have to bring them in...which means we drive to the main gate which is 8 miles from my home, and escort them through the cow pastures, across streams (which turn into rivers in the winter) and through the maze of side roads to get to my home. We arrived with the woman and I raced in the house to deal with the dog while my Mom delayed the social worker. I spotted KoKo on the chair but decided that the cat was safe, after all people coming into a strange environment check the chair before they sit in it. I put the dog in Mom's bedroom and came back out to the livingroom. I got there just in time to see 375 pounds of large fanny going down to my unsuspecting sleeping cat. I didn't even have time to say a word! I haven't seen anyone move that fast since. The woman sat down on the cat and leaped up about three feet! She claimed the cat jumped up on the chair as she was sitting down...which wasn't true. Anyway KoKo scrambled out from under the "house" of a woman and spent the rest of the time the woman was there sitting on the end table glaring at the woman waiting for the apology for her having sat on the cat....the apology never came, but KoKo didn't sleep anywhere that could be used as a chair for some reason! I have been lucky that my cats don't deliberately antagonize the dogs and they have a mutual respect for each other. Other than Abby sitting on the cat I haven't had any serious altercations. CD, the mini dachshund, liked to pluck the fur off the cat when he was younger, but he's outgrown that activity. My herd has grown to the point of protecting each other, so it's a very happy family!

I haven't had those kind of problems with my cats...yet. But I have shut them in suit cases, closed in pots, locked in end tables, and I even gift wrapped one! That is one riot of a story!!! I was just starting out in the teddy bear business and my Mom and I had running gags with each other. One was about the size of the bears I make. One day Mom saw a picture of a stuffed coyote in Better Homes and Gardens. She promptly fell in love with him and wanted one. I checked out the cost of the pattern and choked...it was in 1983 and the pattern was $20! I couldn't see my way clear to spend that kind of money so I drafted the pattern. Instead of the coyote being the cute little 36 inches, I doubled the size! It was fiendish trying to keep the thing hidden from my Mom while I was stuffing it and doing the finishing work. I would have it in my work room and was able to hide it under blankets. I was finished with the thing and was ready to wrap it, but we were out of wrapping paper. So I would hide it in my bedroom during the day and behind my chair at night. We FINALLY got wrapping paper and I took the coyote into my bedroom to finally wrap him. I had to wrap it in two sections, wrapping the bottom part first. I then wrapped the top section and was ready to apply the ribbon....except....I couldn't find my cat, KoKo. She had been on the bed while I was wrapping the coyote and I had the door shut so she couldn't have left the room....where was that idiot cat? I finally had the light come on in my brain and checked the package. There she was, sound asleep between the coyote's legs! I had to totally unwrap the coyote to get the cat out! When I got to her she was still sound asleep!!! She was a great little cat, whom I adored. I think that is one of the reasons I totally adore having cats living with me, you never know what kind of trouble they will get themselves into. Mom had a Siamese that would crawl in the oven a few minutes after you got whatever you were baking out. Fortunately we wouldn't close the oven door totally so we didn't have to worry about injuring the cat, but that cat was constantly cold and would find the warmest places to roost.

My late dogs got along with the cats. However, my late feline niece did do that "fly-by" and lost a chunk of fur as a result; of course, she's also the one who stuck her nose in the rat cage--and got nipped for her nosiness!

Now I would be too! I've never seen a cat give up a treat except a mother teacher her kittens. Willy may not be the mighty hunter, but he's got the generous heart!

It's funny, but even now so long after Abby sat on Khuay, Abby still checks before she plops her fanny down. Of course Khuay is a LOT better about lingering under Abby's butt...I think in his mind it amounts to "don't tempt fate". I will say it is rather interesting about her, especially since she was rescued so late in her life. She's lived her for 4 years and has changed so radically. Before she was a reserved, shy, indifferent dog. Now she is very out going and very very caring. Her life revolves around the cats and she makes sure that they are okay, including checking on them if she hears some strange noise coming from where the cats are. Willy is her favorite and always has been. But the other two are very close to her heart. Willy was the brave one who curled up between her paws and slept with her, even before I was sure that she wouldn't hurt the cats. Willy also would be beside her filching bits of food from her dinner dish. He also would give Abby "kitty kisses" on her nose and bat her ears when she wouldn't pay him any attention. What was so sweet was when Willy had a piece of chicken and instead of his eating it he picked it up and carried it to where Abby was sleeping and gently placed it on her foot. She was asleep, so he gently patted her face to wake her so she could eat her treat. I was in awe!

Abby has gotten more careful about where she sits and who she sits on; especially when it comes to the cats. She has become a very loving and caring dog since she moved in with me. I never get to go to the bathroom alone. I tried locking everyone out of the bathroom when I went in there...the racket was worse than having them in with me! I had three cats lined up outside the door, and four paws reaching under the door "waving" at me. They yowled and complained like crazy. Then Abby chimed in barking and whining like nobody's business! Then she started "knocking" at the bathroom door and somehow managed to get the door open. That ended the closing the bathroom door! It was more peaceful having the clown crew in the bathroom with me!

He didn't learn much! Last night when I went into the bathroom to clear my mind in sails Khuay with Abby right behind him....and of course the little twit HAD to wander around under Abby and under the portion that caused the initial problem! It reminded me of "Try it again, I DARE YOU!!!" Of course it didn't happen again, but it's interesting to see if he's going to be "hatched" again.

"...if he's going to be "hatched" again" Well you could be a little mean and tell Abby to "sit" Of course if you must do that, you have to get it on camera..lol

What is remarkable about Abby is when I rescued her she "HATED" cats. Her previous owner made it a point in life to teach the dog how to hate cats. He wouldn't hesitate to turn her lose on a cat and watch the chase begin. I stepped in and rescued her when I kept getting called by the wife about how the man was missing and the dog needed to go out to relieve herself. I live 35 miles away from the woman and just couldn't take the bawling and whining that she couldn't walk the dog and the dog wouldn't go to the bathroom for her.(The woman weighs 350 pounds and claims that she has a bad heart etc. It's all a lame excuse to keep from having to do anything.) It was a ploy to get me to jump in the car and race to town to walk the dog and whatever. It didn't work. I went in one day and just grabbed the dog and told them that the games were over that the dog needed a stable environment. I then spent a couple of months teaching the dog NOT to hate cats. She is now the best and most loving friend of my three cats, especially Willy. (Willy used to sleep with her when he was a kitten.) With Labs, you don't have to worry about dropping anything food related on the floor. They feel it's their mission in life to perform the clean up. Where I live the popular dog of choice is the Lab, and there is never any problem with treats with them. Actually, I think they mostly sit beside the kitchen counters with their mouths open in hopes that something falls in it. I give the neighbor's dogs treats and they haven't turned their noses up at ANYTHING. Labs also are very loving caring dogs and also very happy go lucky four footed friends. I love watching their antics. And, as you say, they also are very forgiving and apologetic. If humans would stop and watch the animal world more, they would learn a LOT about greed, loyalty, love, sharing, forgiveness, hard work, and so much more! That's why I have a house full of critters...they are such good friends and give unconditional love.