by Jenna Obney

Created on: October 24, 2008

There are many humorous stories I could tell you about my cat Piper. From the day we brought her home she has provided endless hours of entertainment, but I think our most memorable would be her reactions to dogs.

My boyfriend has a Brittany spaniel, Shadow. We were going to take Shadow for a hike and so made plans to meet at my apartment after work. Shadow walked in the front door and Piper(who waits at the door every day) took one look and bolted. This cause Shadow to give chase. Shadow was raised around cats so we never thought this might happen, but then again, the cats that Shadow lives with don't run at the sight of him. All around my apartment the two ran. Eventually Piper was treed on top of the entertainment center, and Shadow barked for us to come see what he had caught. My boyfriend took Shadow outside and I picked up Piper and calmed her down before leaving for our hike.

The next time Shadow came over we were more prepared. This time Shadow was on a leash so he couldn't give chase. Upon opening the front door, we saw Piper waiting for me as usual. This time she didn't bolt. She froze! She held so perfectly still I thought for a minute she was fake. Shadow walked past her and into my living room without a pause. This was how cats usually reacted to him. I stayed in the doorway watching Piper. Finally she moved. She walked quite normally to the entry to the living room, then stopped again when she saw Shadow. Slowly, like a chameleon or other lizard, she crept step by step into the room. Her eyes never leaving the dog. If he so much as turned his head she paused in mid-step. Finally she made it to the window sill. From this perch she continued to watch the dog. The part of Piper not concealed by the curtain was completely still. By watching the shadows however, we were able to determine that her ear and tail(safely hidden by the curtain) we continuously flicking. Apparently she had reasoned that running equals chasing, but holding still means dogs cannot see you!

This little form of entertainment continues whenever a dog comes to my house to visit, but we have now added to the dog confusion by bringing over a Min Pin Chuhuahua mix. This dog is the same size as my cat, and thinks they should be playmates. Now matter how still and quiet Piper sits, this dog seeks her out and tries to play. He has even gone so far as barking directly in her face to get her attention. This illicited a growl that made him deliriously happy and made Piper look at me in confusion. This little dog is now a regular visitor at my house, and Piper continues to ignore his advances. Because he is so small he can follow her into most of her hiding places, and unless she gets very high up, she cannot escape. The looks she gives when this persistant dog tries to get her to play are priceless. Once he even brought her stuffed bone and dropped it in front of her like she might want to play fetch with him!

To add to Piper's consternation, we have recently adopted a kitten. She is tiny right now but is half Maine Coon so she will grow to be a good deal bigger than Piper(Piper was the runt and is still small at 3yrs of age). Between the friskiness of her new sister, and the peskiness of the friendly dog, I'm sure there are going to be many more humorous adventures for Piper ahead!

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