Not fighting like cats and dogs Dina writes about

By Dina Eastwood Not Fighting Like

CATS & DOGS

Jujube the Formosan Mountain Dog—a rescue from Taiwan—is a diligent big sister. Well, she’s more like a hall monitor, making sure her feline siblings, kittens Cheeky and Jiggy, stay out of trouble. “The cats play chase all morning with each other and the dog polices them and encourages them to settle down. Jujube also grabs her toy when the kittens run around, sets it in her paws, and puts her head on

it so they aren’t tempted to play with it or take it away,” owner Sherri Harvey explains. But that’s as unruly as it gets between the two species. “When we leave the house and come home, they are all sleeping together.”

The old idiom, “fight like cats and dogs,” needs a revamp. Its usage dates back as early as the 1500s, and the phrase has been widely printed in American literature and journalism since at least the early 1900s. However, major studies—the most recent conducted in 2018 and published in the Journal of Veterinary Medicine—debunk the myth. The study, spanning three continents, surveyed nearly 750-households with both dogs and cats and showed that an overwhelming majority of kitties and pups—eighty-percent—live in harmony. Just three-percent of those polled said the two species hated to be around each other.

Marieke Lexmond of Moorpark, California had six cats and three dogs co-existing at one point. “Even in our California King bed, my husband and I barely fit with all those cats and dogs,” she recalls fondly. “One of our cats, Frans, has always been in love with the pugs. The moment we adopted our first pug, Frans saw the opportunity of having a snuggle buddy. The pugs indulged him, as they preferred Frans’ ear cleaning technique to the type performed by humans. That lovely, scratchy cat tongue was so much better than a cotton swab. Wherever the pugs chose to snooze, Frans was quick to join them, using the pugs as a headrest or the other way around. It always melted my heart.”

The 2018 study showed that, for the most part, the family cat appeared to be in control of determining the amicability in the cat-dog relationship. Cat behavioralist Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado, a researcher at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, agrees. “Something we’ve gleaned is these relationships go much better when the cat is happy. When the cat isn’t happy, it just doesn’t go well,” Dr. Delgado explains. “Grooming, napping, playing is possible. But even if they’re not going to be best friends, they can exist peacefully where nobody is getting scratched and bitten.”

Dr. Delgado cautions that for the living arrangement to go most smoothly, pet owners should make sure the cat, the more finicky of the two species, feels like he or she has some control in the home. “Your cat will need ‘cat only’ spaces; shelving, a cat condo, a cat tree, a litter box not accessible to the dogs (because dogs do like to eat cat poop.) And don’t forget to include some positive reinforcement training for your dog.”

Further results from the 2018 study shows felines stir-up the most trouble. They were called-out as the instigators at a rate triple to that of dogs being the bully. And in fights, cats did the most harm.

A large tabby cat with one mangled ear, a broken fang, no collar, and no identification chip, arrived in our own yard in June of 2019. We had five dogs, and still, the cat moved right in. Four of our dogs were seniors or super-seniors at the time and, at first, feathers were ruffled but the gang quickly bonded. Our kitty, who we named Gigi, is estimated to be a fully grown adult, and she’s acclimated as if she’s owned—I mean, lived—in our house for years.

“It’s remarkable. I’ve had cats and dogs—never at the same time—my whole life. The way the dogs accepted the cat, and vice versa, is almost bizarre,” says Gigi and the dogs’ dad,

The cats play chase all morning with each other and the dog polices them and encourages them to settle down. Scott Fisher. “The cat thinks she’s a dog. She comes running when I shake the treats container, just like the pups do. She tries to go on every walk. She even tries to groom her canine siblings every now and then.” “ ”

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According to Dr. Delgado, these results are not the norm. “Research shows the younger the animals are, the easier the adjustment will be. Two senior pets may take longer. We all get more set in our ways when we get older. Even we humans are more apt to have roommates when we’re in our twenties. You’re asking them to accept a companion you chose for them.”

“We still have one dog, Tango who’s fourteen, who isn’t quite sure of the cat. But we’ve let them take their time and settle in. He’ll sleep next to her all night and wake up, looking over at her like, ‘Uh, who’s this?’”

Dr. Delgado cautions people who plan on the cohabitation of dogs and cats to make sure to be aware of any type of damage between the two. “If it isn’t physical, it can be emotional. Your dog may get depressed, the cat may hide under the bed and not come out, and that’s when you need to call a vet or behavioral professional.”

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Meantime, Sherri Harvey looks to her fur babies’ comingling as a greater life lesson for all of us. “Watching my dogs and cats interact makes me so happy. It’s a reminder that when given the opportunity, cross-species relationships somehow provide the promise of hope for all of us—that we can all get along if given the chance and space to work it out on our own terms.”

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Dina Eastwood is a longtime Peninsula resident who has worked in the media for more than 20 years. She has been an anchor at KSBW-TV and featured on the TV shows “Candid Camera” and “Mrs. Eastwood and Company.” She is currently getting a master’s degree in creative writing at San Jose State University. Her Instagram handle is @dinaeastwood.

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