Bully

In an earlier post, I may have claimed that Smokey wasn't a bully. (I can't remember if I ever published that post.) I am wrong. He is.

A friend of ours is heading home for Christmas and asked if we might be able to take her adorable beagle for two weeks, so we introduced Smokey and Riley to each other. We thought it might be possible since Smokey lived with three dogs in his previous home.

The truth is, we introduced Smokey and Riley months before, but it did not go well. Riley went crazy in our apartment and upset Smokey when she sniffed at Smokey's food dish and especially when she ran into our bedroom. You should have seen how Smokey followed after Riley into our bedroom--you could tell he was going in to regulate.

The second time, we thought maybe we would give them more time to get used to each other. Maybe they would warm up to each other. Riley was brought in on a leash and Smokey was given free reign since I had read that it was the best way to introduce dogs and cats. Riley walked in super happy while Smokey seemed at ease.

So it turns out Smokey steps up his game with animals the same size or smaller than he. This is so unlike his cautious self during walks and laid back self all other times. In the face of other similar or smaller sized animals, he becomes the alpha cat. He was not afraid of Riley even though she beats him by about 10 pounds. In fact, in every encounter, he placed himself at strategic, higher ground to watch Riley's every move and to prepare for attack. Yes, attack. This time, he did not care if Riley licked his dish or drank his water, but he did get mad when Riley approached his bed. He would jump in to defend his territory. If Riley ever looked like she was going to meet him face to face, which was very rare because she was more the scaredy cat, Smokey would charge and threaten to scratch. It was like he was taunting Riley to come closer: "Hey, b****, you want some of this?!"

Riley did not come closer. She kept up her good spirits, tail wagging throughout even when retreating away from Smokey's reach. Ah, lots of backing away, yes, and hiding behind the people, too. Upbeat yet disappointed she didn't have the courage to meet Smokey eye to eye.

At one point later in the meeting, it actually seemed like they were going to warm up to each other. But it was just the calm before the final threat of attack.

Yes, our cat is a bully, but we still love him.

Oh, and if we ever bring a dog into the home again, it's definitely going to be a big dog (of course one who likes cats in a non-threatening way). See if he likes them apples.