We know you don’t have a dog in your house, so maybe you don’t know how do deal with us, but we are two dogs who live in the same house as two cats. We don’t have anything against cats per se, but there’s some weird thing that comes over us when the black cat comes in the room that makes us jump up and chase him away. We never chase the old tabby cat out because she would kill us but the black one pretends he’s afraid and runs away.
But here’s the weird part: he’s not really afraid of us because when we’re under a blanket because it’s cold and we’re sleepy the black one comes over and steps on us! He KNOWS we’re there because we move a little bit he still steps all over us!
Why does he do that? We’re just sleeping, we really don’t want to have to go and chase him away but he seems to be begging for it!
Do you have any explanation on why he would do that?
Btw, his name is Motzy and here’s his picture.
- Jazzy and Poppy in San Jose
Dear Jazzy and Poppy,
I've received so many letters recently about the cat-dog dynamic. It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that there is a deep misunderstanding there. As I have with past letters, I will try my best to be objective and understanding.
In Motzy's case, there is definitely an interesting power dynamic at play. When you're awake and alert, you like to assert your power over him. However, as soon as you let your guard down, Motzy takes the opportunity to demonstrate his dominance.
The behavior of everyone involved is opportunistic, and lacks any real foresight and compassion. As long as you continue to assert dominance in such an aggressive and uncompromising manner, Motzy will continue to react, and assert power whenever he sees an opportunity.
Try taking the high road - when Motzy comes into your room, let him in, and see what happens. There's always a risk that he'll swipe you in the face and then pee on you, but I think it's a risk worth taking. The relationship won't change on it's own - someone needs to be brave.
XOXO,
Bubbles
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