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Hi, I’m Dr. Maja! Read my introduction to learn more about me and Miki, the kitten who made me a cat person.
Cats are cats, aren’t they? They’re not even anything like small dogs. Completely different species and characters. Dogs can be trained, some more easily than others, to fetch toys, sit down, give their paw or come on command. Well most dogs, except my two who strongly believe that rules are made to be broken.
Cats are something quite different: they tend to be independent and have their own sense of the world. Of course, they can be taught various tricks as well. But they’re not really going to do something unless they agree with it (or see something in it for them!). They’re not people-pleasers like (most) dogs. Again, not mine.
But what about dogs and cats living together, from an early age? Do they pick up each other’s traits and behaviors? Miki certainly seems to be unsure of his own identity at times.
Do Cats Know They’re Cats?
Since Miki became a part of my family at the young age of 2.5 months, he’s been alongside my two dogs. Initially, he was unsure what to think of them, as they were probably like giants from his tiny perspective, but now they’re inseparable. Sometimes to the point that it seems Miki may think of himself as something between a cat and a dog.
Don’t get me wrong, Miki acts as a cat in many ways, from sleeping most of the day, having short bursts of energy, being able to sit patiently and stare at potential prey hiding spots for a good part of the hour, without making any efforts to move, and climbing trees (he’s still working on this one). But he also sleeps throughout the night, no longer attacking my feet, goes for walks with me and the dogs twice a day, as far as 2 miles from our house, follows me around like a puppy, and he does come when I call for him, almost every time.
One Big Difference Does Exist Though
When I remember how much time I spent teaching my dog Lava all the commands, since she was just a pup, and to have realized it’s still work in progress, as she seems to disregard most things I tell her when there is something more exciting going on. Like a deer two miles away.
And then it occurred to me, Miki seemed to have figured a lot of this out on his own. I did spend a considerable amount of time calling him and rewarding him until he learned his name, but I did not teach him to go for walks, he picked that up by himself. He also loves to assist me when I’m doing any gardening work or mowing the lawn, always staying close by and inspecting most of the tools I use.
Miki assisting with the mowing
Having a cat that goes outside, you always worry what kind of trouble and danger they may get into. There is no traffic where we live, so I decided to let Miki explore freely in the daytime, but the nighttime is another story. He stays in overnight, without an exception.
Miki also started wearing a GPS tracker for just a few hours at a time, to get used to it, and to allow me to establish the extent of his territory. Now, he loves to wander quite far, but as soon as I am out calling his name, nothing beats that feeling of a proud cat “parent” when I see him running up towards me. Such an amazing recall, that I rarely get from my dogs. Ahhh, all of those years of puppy training well spent.
Cats Can Go For Walks Too
Imagine my surprise one morning last summer, as I took the dogs for a walk, and let Miki out. Instead of him doing his own thing and waiting for us to return, he started following us. We had to slow down our pace significantly, so his little paws could follow, but he barely missed a walk since. Gradually, we have gone further and he will always tell us if we are too quick for his pace.
Miki joining the dogs on a summer walk
The dogs love to dig, luckily for me rarely finding anything, but they enjoy the activity, and Miki takes up the role of a supervisor. He sits nearby and waits to see if anything crawls out of the holes the dogs have made. It’s a unique kind of team work, with me as a sabotager. Miki tends to play with the dirt flying around, while I keep careful watch in case any little rodents need to be quickly saved. A stressful task, to be honest.
He stalks the dogs and pounces, and if they run towards him, Miki turns it into a game and climbs a nearby tree. Sometimes as if there is a little bit of disappointment on his face, as they can’t follow him there. But he may think they must be either very incompetent and clumsy cats, or just a totally weird species altogether. Miki always goes to the toilet during our walks, and we wait for him patiently. So much for needing privacy! He doesn’t mind our presence at all in such less than dignifying circumstances.
Although Miki doesn’t like snow (there’s nothing worse than having wet paws), he still joined us on our winter walks
However Miki Identifies Himself, He is One of a Kind
Whatever cats think of themselves and other animals, is likely to stay a mystery forever. Although it would be nice to get a quick peek into their complex little minds, not knowing allows our imagination to interpret their behavioral quirks in any way we want. One thing is for sure, cats are such special and interesting animals, that it’s an immense joy and privilege to share a home with one. Even though I will never know what he thinks of the deal, I know I feel very grateful our paths have crossed.
