Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Cat Dog


We have seven furry critters residing in our house -- two dogs, four cats, and Lincoln, pictured here, who is our "cat dog."

Lincoln looks like a cat and meows like a cat, but we think he's really a dog in what is either a very clever or very dangerous disguise. He plays with the dogs, naps with the dogs, tries to eat the dogs' food, and howls after the dogs when J takes them for their nighttime walk. He even sits on command in return for a small taste of dog kibble. The only time that Lincoln associates with the other cats is when I dole out cat food or when he needs to use the litter box. The rest of the time, you can pretty much bet that he is hangin' out with the shepherds, Jacob and Amos.

To further solidify Lincoln's claim to dogdom, J got him a kitty harness-and-leash combo and is toying with the idea of taking him on the nighttime dog walks. I'm largely in favor of this plan because, if successful, it would spare me from having to listen to Lincoln howl for 20 minutes every night. However, Lincoln is a gray cat, and we are a bit concerned that the other dogs in the neighborhood might mistake him for a squirrel and try to go after him. Jacob and Amos made that mistake -- once. Lincoln quickly and fearlessly let the dogs know that cat-chasing was not acceptable, and then he decided to make friends. Now we think that he is trying to work his way up to pack leader. Although Jacob and Amos still don't know what to make of this somewhat unorthodox arrangement, it has become a constant source of amusement for J and me.

8 comments:

Barbara said...

What a cutie! I think you should just let him play our his dog fantasies. It sounds like he can take care of himself if necessary. I would love to see a picture of Lincoln and his two dog pals.

Looks like you found the cable!

A picture really is worth 1,000 words...

Hadrians Wall said...

lol- this one looks a real character.
I was browsing a few of the funny cat video's on You Tube earlier, and this sounds like a definite contender...

virtualjourney said...

Ooops! Hadrian shares this laptop for blogging!!

Steve Reed said...

How funny! He looks like a Russian Blue, or some mix containing Russian Blue.

I'm always wary of cat leashes because cats are so darn slithery. They can get out of anything!

Tess Kincaid said...

We used to have a "cat dog" when our household was full of two labs, numerous cats and three children. He was an adorable little ball of fluff as a kitten and was given the sweet name of Muffin, which turned out to be a silly name for such a husky, take charge kind of cat dog.

Anonymous said...

I don't see what all the fuss is about. It is a simple fact that cats rule and dogs drool. My mom taught me that at an early age and I'm not about to let any dog forget it!

Reya Mellicker said...

I love Steve's adjective "slithery." Yeah.

And I love Lincoln and his plight - being a dog in a cat suit. Surely many members of the transgender community can relate to his situation.

He must have been a dog in many past lifetimes.

Great pic - he looks very fierce.

Reya Mellicker said...

I think dogs are color blind, so his greyness wouldn't be an issue with neighborhood dogs, yes? Also, I think they hunt squirrels based on smell and movement rather than appearance.

But it's also true that dogs chase cats. They just do. Darn that food chain - it's so inconvenient!