Who let the dogs out???

Hi. My name is Mandy and I, am a cat person!

I've always had cats and loved them best. When I lived with Princess though, I fell head over heels in love with her dog! It wasn't instant, like it is with cats, but she made me love her. She was the one who made me decide "okay, when I grow up, I want 2 kittens... and a puppy!". Princess's dog got out of her yard and was killed by a car over Thanksgiving. The last time I saw her was over a month earlier, when I'd housesat and taken care of her and her Kitten-brother. I cried for a week! I was so devastated by her death.

I'm beginning to think though, that it was just her that I loved.. not dogs in general. Dogs are fine and fun for a short time, but they are so much work!! I'm housesitting again, and this time I have Kitten-brother and Puppy-kinda-stepsister. They're probably both around 8 months old? Puppy is driving me insane! I spend half my time feeling guilty for putting Puppy out in the rain when I go out, and the other half feeling angry at Puppy for misbehaving while she's inside. She does not listen to anything. Maybe she has the same problem with my "no" as other Americans? No amount of stern talking, yelling, or physically preventing her behavior is working. If Kitten is within earshot, Puppy must chase him.

Kitten's idea of naughty is to jump onto the counter in Princess's bathroom, knock her hairties to the floor one by one, put them delicately into his front teeth, and carry them around the house. Cute? Yes. Puppy's idea of naughty is to notice kitten, run and jump on top of him, put her bottom on Kitten's face, pin Kitten to the ground with her paw, get hairtie, stick it far into her mouth and chew on it until I get the soggy thing away from her. Cute? Not so much!

All this is partly due to their age, Puppy's lack of training, and Puppy's desire to dominate. But this is Kitten's house, so I'm an advocate for puppy not becoming the boss! Also, the fact that they don't live together 100% of the time doesn't help because they're not so used to each other. I'm trying to relax and let them play while monitoring them, but they've made such a mess and I'm scared they will hurt each other. Needless to say, the evening hours (when Puppy has to be inside to avoid wild animals) are the most stressful times I've had in a long time. I'd really rather be taking care of children!!

It's late now, but this is the most peaceful time of day. Puppy is asleep in her cage downstairs, and Kitten is asleep next to me on the bed, purring his little heart out. I love cats! It's no longer in my personal life plan to have a dog.

xoxo
Mandy