Hey y’all,

This morning’s story is about our cat and dog, Solo and Squeeks…

Our growing young cat Solo can now completely engulf our little mini-dachshund in a full takedown! Solo is a very cool and beautiful mix of Siamese, Rag-doll and another breed or two and we love him, but he can be a handful with bursts of crazy energy and playfulness nearly beyond our energy capacity, patience and understanding at precisely the time(s) of day when we are most ready to mellow out and relax (read: rest) and/or go to bed.

Don’t get me wrong, Solo can be wonderfully loving and affectionate. Most of the time he is a pleasure to have around, other than when he plagues us with that “Play with me, play with me, play with me…” thing when we’re not ready for it, but he is still in need of intense activity at times at this young age so we give him action when reasonable. And he’s growing bigger all the time…

When he first joined our little family he was a tiny little kitty, skittish at the least little things. We did find however, that from the git-go he was willing to stand up to the dog who occasionally tried to assert herself when she felt her domain threatened by the new member of the family. From day one little Solo’s claws came out as needed. He wasn’t going to be bullied. That was pretty cute… and even reassuring at the time… but the cat is getting BIGGER…

Now, in fact, Solo is MUCH bigger. Though not yet fully grown the “little guy” is probably half-again the bulk of the admittedly small dog, perhaps more. Over time the cat and the dog have become great pals and get along well much of the time. However, in moments of playful aggression the young and irrepressible Solo will pounce on the much older and mellow Squeekie as she bounces happily along to “go outside” with one of us, wrap his furry arms around her and throw her to the ground, on her back, as if pinning her in a wrestling match, and assert his emerging dominance for all the world to see. Poor Squeeks is then forced to submit, lying helpless in the grip of the Monster Cat, until such time as the cat is removed, or removes himself from the dominant position. Poor Squeekie! ;-{ Not to worry… no one ever seems permanently damaged in these encounters. Solo is very good about holding back the claws unless he feels seriously threatened… other than an occasionally overly enthusiastic swipe at a play toy or at a leg or arm positioned too close to the edge of a couch, chair or bed as he flies around in one of his fits of frenzy. We’ve had to break out the hydrogen peroxide and bandages a few times, but with just a little care and common sense serious injuries are pretty much avoidable…

Anyway, all in all we wouldn’t trade either of our smaller family members away for anything and the two are wonderfully familial. A perfectly little happy troupe we are together. As you can see in the picture above Solo stays ready for whatever adventure may come along for his entertainment or cuddling, depending on the many variables life with the four of us may bring.

That’s all for now… Be well, be happy my friends! We’ll talk again soon!

K