Friday, August 29, 2008

Two Tribes

As I've noted in a couple of places, I have smooth fox terriers and cats. Three cats to be precise: Bix, a lovely black and grey tabby who is about 8 years old; Bhumi, an exotically patterned Siamese mix who is about 6 years old; and Lola, a fat little 5 yr old ginger tabby who is missing her right eye. All three are rescues. They get along well with each other. And they get along with the dogs.

For the most part, this interspecies harmony is because the dog tribe and the cat tribe ignore each other. There are intersections, to be sure. Bix comes into the kitchen when I'm cooking and weaves in and out among the dogs gathered at my feet. Bhumi and Jack and Dyna are my bathroom buddies and wait together for me to finish my shower. Mimi regularly humps Bix. I've been trying to catch this on tape because Bix's reaction, or rather, his lack of reaction, makes it that much funnier. Gracie likes to lick Lola's head.

(Here's a gratuitous picture of baby Lola with Bix.)


Jack has a complicated relationship with the cats, Bhumi in particular. He frequently charges Bhumi, trying to get him to run, and if he runs, then Jack chases him. I'd say that Bhum-bhum chooses to run about half the time. It's a choreographed game that both seem to enjoy.

But Dyna, Bix, and Bhumi lift interspecies interaction to new levels. Dyna has taken over the spot on the bed next to my pillow. She has always liked to be covered at night, so I keep a small fleece blanket on the bed and drop it over her once she settles in for the night. This is an irresistible situation for Bhumi, who has started cuddling up next to Dyna at night now that she's got this prime spot on the bed. And I've noticed the past few weeks that Bix wants to get in on that little love fest too. So he's been sneaking his way past Harry, who guards the bed against feline intruders, and curls up with Bhumi and Dyna.




Dyna doesn't seem to mind, so I don't interfere. Until the other night, when I rolled over and discovered a Dyna burrito! She was covered with her blankie and Bhumi had wedged in on one side and Bix on the other and the blanket was pulled so tight around her that you could have bounced coins off of it. No part of Dyna was visible. How could she breathe?

I unceremoniously pushed both cats off the bed and whipped the blanket up. Dyna lifted her head and blinked at me, all "what do you want?".

The generally peaceful co-existence of these two very different tribes has always been a bit of a surprise to me. Their fundamental rhythms could not be more different (the cats are stalking and tackling each other in the other room while the dogs are sound asleep around my feet), yet they find shared moments of calmness and even joy.

2 comments:

Rover Mom said...

Reminds me of "The gingham dog and the calico cat side by side on the table sat, twas half past twelve and what do you think - neither one had slept a wink." And how unexpected and wonderful our pets can be!

lilspotteddog said...

Wow--the gingham dog and calico cat!! Thanks for that memory!