by Holle Abee

Created on: January 22, 2009   Last Updated: February 01, 2009

The Cat that Thought it was a Great Dane

I've owned several cats with interesting personalities, but only one with an identity crisis. I swear, this tiny little white kitten grew up believing she was a dog. And not just any dog. She was convinced she was a Great Dane!

I found the scrawny little kitten in our garage one morning, cowering under an end table. At first, I thought the kitty was smoke grey, but under closer inspection, I discovered she was covered with a mixture of dirt and grease. I took her inside and bathed her in the kitchen sink, and as the grime dissolved, her snow-white coat was revealed.

After drying her, I fed her a can of tuna, which she gobbled down greedily. She lapped a little warm water, then curled up into a ball and went immediately to sleep on the kitchen counter. When the kids got home from school and discovered the white furry ball napping soundly, they immediately named their new pet. I guess it was inevitable that the feline ended up with the monicker "Snowball."

At the time, I also had a huge black Great Dane named Ebony. Eb was a gentle giant, and I knew she wouldn't hurt Snowball intentionally. Her sheer size, along with the fact that she had never been around cats, did concern me, however. Just one playful swipe of an enormous paw could injure the frail kitten, so I introduced the two gradually.

My fears were unfounded. Ebony and Snowball quickly became best friends. Ebony's puppies had recently been weaned and sold, and I've often wondered if maybe the dog saw Snowball as a surrogate pup. Whatever the reason, Ebby and Snowball became inseparable. They ate together, played together, and slept together. It was quite a sight to see this tiny little white kitten sleeping on the head of a massive black dog. Talk about juxtaposition!

Since Ebony "raised" Snowball, the cat learned dog habits. Both animals were inside/outside pets, and whenever I went outside for a walk in the woods, Ebony followed me, like any good dog would. Snowball followed me, too. When I played fetch with Ebbie, Snowball played, too. It was amusing to see the cat trying to retrieve the large rubber toy I used with Ebony. She would grab one corner of it between her tiny teeth and try to drag it back to me. Ebony would usually offer assistance, so here they'd come, Snowball holding one end and Ebony, with head lowered, carrying the other end.

Ebony always got excited when offered special treats. She would stand on her hind legs and "dance" around, whining. Snowball

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