So, I wasn't sure which category this would fit into, but I was curious if anyone else's Shiba ever developed a particularly strong bond with a cat like mine did.
Story:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll261/HaruspexLamb/Harker_zps906bcc34.jpgThis is what true horror looks like. It's name is Harker, and it takes the form of a seven year old house cat that consists of 14 pounds of solid muscle with a meow that rivals the piercing persistence of an infant's wail. I got this cat when he was eight weeks old from the humane society because I decided that I didn't have time for a dog yet and wanted a lower maintenance animal. He would be roughly the tenth cat I'd ever owned, so going with what I knew couldn't hurt. I thought. That Marley dog has nothing on this cat. While he possesses a keen eye for mechanisms (he can open virtually anything and has figured out how almost everything he encounters works) he is actually an idiot savant. I'm not sure if he has balance problems, whisker problems, vertigo, or what, but he smacks into every wall and takes a prat fall dive of of every surface.
From the moment I brought him home he went haywire. He unraveled the toilet paper, dragged it to the tub, and jammed most of it down the drain on multiple occasions. He hordes objects small enough to carry--not things that make sense, mind. Not cat toys, not wrappers, not shiny stuff. I'm talking kids' toys, chapstick containers, dollar bills, and once he dragged someone's prescription pill bottle into the yard for his stash. When he's annoyed or anxious, he opens every single cupboard, drawer, and door in the house. Not to get in them, just to have them open. Every time he's done drinking he flips his water dish over. I once refused to feed him off my plate and he responded by defecating on my bed. I could go on for pages, but the point is---I SHOULD HAVE SAVED MYSELF THE TROUBLE AND JUST GOTTEN A DOG. XD
The vet diagnosed him with OCD. I don't know how accurate that is, but it explained some of his compulsions. I always planned to get a dog, but frankly, with this cat, I didn't know if it was a good idea. While he was fine (if a little rough) with other cats, I could foresee him terrorizing a small dog. As he got a little older (around two) he started to mellow (slightly) and I decided to go ahead with the Shiba. I didn't know what to expect. He's such a big cat I thought he might try to attack the new puppy, so I was extremely cautious when introducing them. Instead, Harker was absurdly excited. It was as if he thought I got HIM a dog. The dog was immediately terrified by his size and hid from him for the first few days, but as soon as he realized the cat was trying to play and not devour him, they were rarely ever seen apart. They would take turns chasing each other, wrestled, slept together, and would even tag-team antagonize me--the cat would jump up on the counter to knock mail onto the dog so that he could destroy it. He never knocked it off before the dog. You know that grunting noise Shibas make? The cat started to imitate that, as cats do when attempting communication, and there was a constant chorus of weird grunts throughout the house.
Anyway, they were thick as thieves. So when the ex-fiance took the dog in the split, Harker was...devastated. He went into his covered litter box and didn't come out for two weeks except to eat and walk around the house for a few minutes at a time grunting, looking all over and hoping he'd be answered. I'd never seen anything like it. A depressed cat is really...depressing. After a few weeks, he started to come out more and do regular cat stuff. One day I saw the neighbors kept this little Border Collie chained outside all day (it was so sad--no one ever seemed to be there with it) so, with the best intentions, I allowed the cat to come outside and thought maybe he'd enjoy playing with a dog again. Harker sat, looked at the dog and hesitantly grunted. The puppy quickly jumped forward to lick his face and the cat seemed to think about it for a moment--then smacked the dog on the nose, retreated back into his home, and went to the litter box again, where he refused to come out for two more days. The dog wasn't hurt, but I felt bad. Sheesh, first you were neglected, now you're abused! Have a nice day! It was a dog, sure, but it wasn't HIS dog.
Ever since then, Harker's been extremely dismissive of dogs. He refuses to go near them. I'm a little concerned that when I get my new dog, he won't take to it nearly as well. And some of that's to be expected--he's not young anymore after all. I think he will learn to get along just fine eventually, but it'll never be like before. I've just never seen a cat and a dog get that close before.
How close is your Shiba with your cats?
[mod edit: changed category]
