PETS
My Cat Thinks He is a Dog
One of my cats is a dog trapped in a cat’s body
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened” — Anatole France
Dog is a Cat’s Body
My cat, Dark, thinks he is a dog. He improves my life every day with his antics. Dark is a pure breed Sepia Ragdoll. His markings resemble those of a Siamese with a dark mask and dark boots on his feet. His eyes are a light green aqua or sapphire depneding on the light.
Dark looks and feels like a very soft, mink coat. He falls over on his back the moment he is rubbed and goes limp — fun to watch; even more fun to rub. He is not a cuddly cat; he will sit on my lap but not for long. What he loves to do is lay pressed against with his full length stretched out against my body while I rub his belly.
A Place to be Himself
This is because he came from a breeder where he was considered a disappointment. Dark was a black kitten when we got him. He was not the mink color that he was breed to be. His value as a black cat versus a Mink Ragdoll cat was tenfold less. He looked stressed out; like he needed a place to be himself.
A month after we got him, his coat began to lighten to the light and dark brown that it is now. Even his face mask and his boots are much lighter than his original color.
He has a very nice litter box and a cat bowl shaped like a cat head. I brought him a fluffy (it’s so fluffy!) heated bed. He will not sleep in the fluffy bed, preferring instead to lie on the cold wood floor.
My cat patrols every room in my house every night. We sponsored my son’s basketball team for an away tournament. We had eight teenage males and two coaches scattered throughout our home. The cat hid out most of the time as the teenaged boys laughed and played games. At night Dark would ease along the walls, walking stealthily into each room and checking out the kids as they slept.
A Growling Cat
Dark peers out the front door checking out the people and passing judgment on them. When the doorbell rings, my cat growls like the dog he is not. He doesn’t run to the door, yet. But, eventually, he will be at the door. Each day he moves closer to the door.
When I come home, he greets me loudly, vocalizing his pleasure that I have returned, bumping my legs with his head, walking around and around and jumping on my legs.
Dark brings his ball to me for me to throw. He bats it around a few times, chasing and biting the ball. Then he brings it back for me to throw again. He can play this game forever.
I told him they are going to collect his cat card. No matter how he acts, we know he is a cat because my opinion means absolutely nothing to him. He couldn’t care less. He does what he wants, all the time looking at me with those big beautiful aqua eyes.
Dark follows me from room to room walking beside me like a dog. I have owned other cats who followed me from room to room, but they appeared in the room after I settled down. They didn’t walk into the room with me.
At night, once his house patrols are done, Dark will come and lay under my bed as I read. Once I stop reading, he will climb into his cat tower, or he will lay next to my head snoring loudly. Dark will come when I call him 70% of the time. My spouse thinks that is amazing as his cat comes 0% of the time when he calls him. Dark also likes to climb as high as he can and to lie in the sun; both more typical cat behaviors.
Owning a cat that behaves like a dog has been way cool. My presence does not matter to him, but he won’t listen. I told him they are going to collect his cat card. No matter how he acts, we know he is a cat because my opinion means absolutely nothing to him. He couldn’t care less. He does what he wants, all the time looking at me with those big beautiful aqua eyes.
That darn cat makes me laugh with his antics. I tried to help him be a more traditional cat. He won’t do it. The dog union is not going to let him be a member so he is stuck with me.
It’s ok with me. I love my mixed-up pet. I am his forever home. Dog, cat or whatever, he is safe and loved with me.
I can be reached at https://www.tonicrowewriter.com/