Blind Dog and Cats–Where?

Our dog and cats have had a hate relationship the nearly twelve years they’ve shared our house.

The dog, Suzie, is relegated to the living areas–the family room, kitchen and living room.  The cat has all the rest, and you better believe she guards her turf.

Suzie is a Gordon Setter and is supposed to be a bird dog.

But somewhere along the way, her genetic lines got a little crossed and she’s far more interested in four-legged creatures than birds.

That accounts for the whirl of interest whenever a squirrel chitters by, but it also explains why she’s so set on the feline.

Dog and cat: why not shoot her?

The noisy calico liked to sit at the end of the hall–the hall the dog was barred from traversing–and yowl.

Back in the days when Suzie could see, she stared at the cat as if willing her to silence.

The cat didn’t care. Yowl away. The dog pointed.

You know, nose forward, paw up, tail plumed.

We would laugh, but not shoot.

My husband believes Suzie gave up on the full hunting point when she realized he never was going to shoot the cat. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t interested and wanted to warn us of Kali’s obnoxious presence.

Cat’s opinion of the dog

Kali, for her part, has never had any patience with dogs. They’re bigger than she is and, as in Suzie’s case, like to hunt her.

Once Suzie arrived, Kali gave up on the backyard and became a house cat, usually sulking on the bed and glaring out the window at the dog peering in.

She never came into the family room/kitchen and if she did appear in the living room, she watched us from the safety of the stairs.

Because, well, you never knew what that dog would do next. Like point.

Blind dog and cat

Suzie went blind almost two years ago. She no longer sits at the end of the hall staring at the cat. Indeed, we often find Suzie standing in a corner staring at the wall, so Kali really has nothing to fear.

About six months ago Kali stunned us by casually entering the family room. She jumped up on the end table, sniffed at the dog practically lying at her feet, and walked along the back of the couch.

She did not emit a sound, though her ears twitched continually as she kept track of the somnolent dog.

Suzie never moved.

That puzzled us because the vets assure us the dog’s sense of smell is heightened.

Kali’s been back visiting frequently since and recently settled down on my husband’s lap to snooze. Have we reached canine-feline detent in our own home?

Maybe.

Or perhaps my husband’s theory is more likely.

He believes the cat thinks she’s invisible.

That really would explain a lot.