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Yes time really does fly, it is hard to believe that it is now two years since Ellery, the puppy, joined the family but it is in fact more that two years. The last time I did an update the cats were trying to understand what had happened to turn their world upside down but now they have become accustomed to a lively black and white flash dashing by and each one has developed their very own strategy for dealing with him. Max is very much the disciplinarian around the house, right from the start he was determined that Ellery would understand his place. Anytime Ellery chased him Max would turn around and chase him back. When he caught him he would pin him down and bat him with a paw which at first took Ellery by surprise. It wasn't long before Ellery decided that was a great game so, from time to time, I would see him following Max, Max would stop and turn around and Ellery would freeze, Max would give chase, Ellery would run off only to be back moments later doing exactly the same. I guess Ellery had decided it was the closest he was going to get to a game although I doubt that was Max's intention at the time. The only problem with that as a strategy was that as Ellery grew he got a bit bigger than Max and we did have a couple of occasions when he would decide to take Max on. Now they have found their own level and live contentedly side by side and although I doubt you would ever call them friends they do tolerate one another as you can see in the photograph on the left with Max happy to snooze upside down right next to Ellery. Lara has always been very much the lady of the house and, as you may remember from that early video, was not about to lose her dignity playing with a puppy. That hasn't changed. She watches him from a distance, ignores him when he tries to persuade her to play and is very adept at staying out of reach. Ellery for some reason appears to regard her with some awe so if she appears in the garden when he is running around he will run up to her but always stays out of her range. He still squeaks when he sees her but seems to know she is 'the untouchable' so he treats her with great respect. Oscar was the one I worried about most at the start. He was truly mortified by the new arrival, he retreated upstairs (I had screened off the stairs from the start so that the cats could get up there out of his way and they therefore had a safe sanctuary which was dog free) and stayed there for most of the time. I tried hard to persuade him to venture into the same room when Ellery was safely in his crate but he resolutely refused to do so which I found really upsetting. He stopped cuddling up to me during the night as well even though Ellery slept in his crate and I began to despair or ever getting him to accept the puppy. I put Ellery's crate in my bedroom over the first few weeks and that certainly seemed to upset Oscar so as Ellery grew and became used to the routine I decided to leave Ellery's crate in the lounge overnight and gradually Oscar got his confidence back and came back to sleeping on the bed again. It took time but eventually Oscar realised that Ellery meant him no harm and now it is Oscar who is by far the most tolerant of Ellery and is completely unpeturbed if Ellery is racing around or following him. Oscar will happily flop down right in front of him and doesn't seem to care if Ellery climbs over him. The two happily co-exist. Although it would be stretching it a bit too far to say they are close friends they have no problem romping across the garden side by side or sitting together behind me when I am preparing their food. |
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That means that whilst I would never say the introduction of a dog into the household has been easy - everyone does now get along and there are only odd occasions when I need to tell Ellery to stop being too rough with either Max or Oscar. I now also have a cat flap installed in the back porch which is suitable for a large cat or small dog so that on nice days they can all come and go as they please. At first it was a bit of a novelty to Ellery who thought it might be fun to lie in wait outside it but now he happily bowls in and out through it without bothering the other 'users' anymore! I suspect it helps that Ellery is training to do dog agility which means he and I are out training several times each week. That leaves the cats with the house to themselves and I think they are happy enough with that arrangement. The months since I last posted haven't been totally event free so far as the cats are concerned. Max developed a nasty abscess on an anal gland last year which reappeared a few weeks after we thought we had resolved it. Sadly it recurred again a couple of weeks ago so I am watching him carefully because if it becomes a recurring issue the vet may wish to think about surgery to resolve it. Other than that Lara, Max and Oscar are all well, Lara will be 10 years old just before Christmas with Max follwing suit January. I can't believe how fast the years have gone by, it seems no time at all since Lara was just a tiny kitten. |
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Ellery does love doing his agility and I have entered him in a couple of small local competitions. He suspects that his biggest problem is his very inexperienced handler (me!) and I can't help but agree with him! However he does enjoy himself which is actually what it is all about for both of us. We get a day out and lots of exercise and the Birmans get a lovely peaceful day at home - who could ask for more? Just look at that eager expression as he makes his way through the weave poles and you can see he is having fun. I love to see him in full flight with his ears flying - Powderpuffs are supposed to be blessed with a 'soft veil of hair' - Ellery, it would appear, never read that bit and has masses of the stuff which does take an awful lot of brushing but he is a happy little dog and he is certainly distinctive. Joan July 2011 |
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