Gimme That Thing

"Jack Russell Terriers have the reputation of being aggressive towards cats."

When I first read those words, my heart sank. I knew that Benny was probably going to end up as a regular fixture in my life, and part of my life was already being shared with two cats. What if this puppy grew up to be one of the hostile ones? What if the tenacity which he had already displayed in other areas would steer him to dominate my furry guys? They'd be miserable. They'd be in danger. They'd run up huge vet bills.

Benny was just a few months old when he first crossed paths with Skittles, my tiger-striped tabby cat. Ready for action, he bounded up to Skitty who glared at him and promptly hissed his distaste for the furry foreigner. My worries were laid to rest. Benny let out a yelp as if his tiny tail (which took shelter between his back legs) was on fire. He ran behind the first set of human legs he could find and trembled. For all of thirty seconds. Then he inched around from behind those protective legs, and tried to nip at Skitty's hindquarters .

Thus began their regular game of "Chase me. I hate you!" Benny regularly tries to convince Skitty to take turns at being the chaser and the chased. Skitty spends a ridiculous amount of energy faux-hissing and growling, and swatting at Benny with his claw-free paws. Skitty could go elsewhere. He could retreat to any number of areas in the house to avoid what appears to be a hate-filled confrontation but he doesn't. He often seeks Benny out. The little stinker actually enjoys the challenge, despite all of the spits and yowls that come from his furry little face.

The game only winds down when both creatures are tired enough to ignore each other. Then miraculously, their tolerance levels increase enough to allow them to fall asleep near each other on the sofa.

As you'll see in the video below, Benny does in fact bite at Skitty. He goes for his tail, his ears and his ever-swatting paws. But you might notice that he's also very gentle, and that his stubby, wagging tail exposes him for the playful clown that he is. The video was taken when I was getting ready to go up to the cottage. Skitty is lying inside of a small overnight bag and Benny just wants some chase action.

I'll post some photos in a few days. Until then, I hope you enjoy these crazy critters.