Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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.




52 comments:

Gary's third pottery blog said...

BENNY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mental P Mama said...

That is hilarious. Go Skittles! But I do love that Benny;)

Thérèse said...

Simply loved it!!!

Cath said...

Hilarious. Go Skittles!!! (Hug for benny too but go Skittles!)

Frank Baron said...

Ben, like all men, simply wants a piece of tail.

Skitty, like all women, simply wants to make him work for it.

Hmm...I feel a column coming on....

;)

Daryl said...

I am so laughing .. especially that Benny, that imp, keeps looking to be sure the camera is still there.

Gus and Rose often play this game but it usually ends with Husband playing referee and sending them to their respective ends of the couch...

Go Skittles!

:-Daryl

Travis Erwin said...

Benny is becoming quite the star.

Anonymous said...

Bwahahaha! There's Skitty shaking her tail at him "C'mon, you know you want it" and Benny doing his best to get some Skittles!
Very fun!
I'm glad they get along so well. :)

photowannabe said...

Hilarious...What a pair. I love that teasing tail.
I can see that there is never a dull moment at your house.

Louise said...

Love this! Most of my life I've had both cats and dogs, and they always find an acceptable tolerance of each other. This one is funnier, however, because the cat doesn't have claws! I always thought my dogs learned to respect the batting cat feet because they all got a little scratch on their nose at one time or another.

It is easy to tell they are thoroughly enjoying themselves!

Michelle H. said...

Hee-hee. Nice. But I have a question. How did you come by the name Skittles for your cat?

RiverPoet said...

Oh, that was the perfect song to go along with Benny and Skittles' antics!

Great video...Peace - D

Unknown said...

what an adorable pair!

Reb said...

Well, at least they are close in size! That was very funny! Great music selection too.

Cedar said...

That Cat was waving that tail daring Benny to give it a go. Benny handled himself well.

The whole description of the two of them appeared eerily close to my ex and me. I will have to think about that.

Michele said...

Bwahaha.... I absolutely LOVED this... YAY Skittles!! LOL... what a fun post...

Hilary said...

• WooF, Gary!

• Hard to decide who to root for eh, MpM? ;)

• Welcome, Terese. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Cath, I'll deliver that hug for you. Thanks for the visit. ;)

• Frank, you're confused. Again. Skitty is a male kitty. He loves you anyway. And I'm looking forward to that next column. :)

• Daryl, yes - he is quite the ham and never lost track of the fact that I was there capturing it all. Neither one of them has ever actually hurt the other, so any refereeing is done by my other cat, Zephyr. He comes along and yeowls at Benny if he thinks Skitty is in trouble. That in itself is funny because Zeph is a big chicken. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Travis, he's a legend in his own mind. ;)

• KC, Benny is a high-energy dog and I think they keep each other slim with all this activity. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

• You're right, Photowannabe. Any dull moments that might exist end the minute Benny arrives for the weekend. Then this is an ongoing adventure. :)

• Louise, I have little doubt that Benny would have backed down after one or two whaps if Skitty did have claws. Instead he just closes his eyes and squints when that paw comes at him and the game continues. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• MLH, my cats are 8 year old litter mates. At that time, I had never eaten Skittles candy until just a few day prior to getting the kittens, and I was hooked on them. Skitty has spots on his belly that reminded me of the candies, plus he was a bit skittish at the time - so it just seemed like a natural fit. Thanks for asking. :)

• Thanks, Riverpoet. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

• Welcome, Sarah and thanks. :)

• Thanks, Reb. Yup, they've quite the match size-wise. I'm glad you liked it. :)

• LOL, Cedar. In retrospect, I'll bet that a lot of us can find similarities. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks so much Michele. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. :)

Country Girl said...

OMG, Hilary. I do have too much on my plate. But your comment brought a huge smile to my face. I have been frowning so much lately. We have just had so much trouble.

Thank you thank you thank you for the cheerful poem!

Russell said...

Heh!! Benny's a star and so is Skittles!

The final (yea!) debate starts in one hour - but this video is MUCH more interesting!!

Take care!

Shammickite said...

Hahaha That's Brilliant!
I love Skitty's come-and-get-it slo-mo tail wag, and then when Benny just can't help himself any more, Skitty whips the tail out of reach and swipes him in the chops!
The music fits the action so well, too! Somewhat Chaplinesque! Or perhaps more like Benny Hill.

Shammickite said...

.....and I can't help giggling out loud at Frank's comment....

Woman in a Window said...

HAH! Bet that cat could take that dog in a suitcase, a garbage bag or even a change purse. That's one tough cat!

the Bag Lady said...

Very cute! Benny is so brave...hehehehe.

Anonymous said...

The only thing missing was the assurance that no animals were harmed in the making of this video! Loved the soundtrack :), perfect for those tow. I could watch that for quite awhile. So cute!

Oman said...

verry funny, i love those critters.

Maggie May said...

That was really great. Looks like they are well matched and its all in good fun.

Tricia said...

This is so funny and reminds me of just about every sibling set I know. Thanks for posting this, it was so fun to watch!

Anonymous said...

Love this!

They are so well suited to each other

Hilary said...

• Thanks, Pat. I'm glad you did. :)

• Kate, I'm glad the silly poem could bring a smile to your face. :) As I said in email, I'll be thinking best thoughts for your and yours - particularly over the next few days.

• Thanks, Russell. I'm glad you found the video entertaining. Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thanks, Shammy. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Funny that you should mention the Benny Hill theme. I had considered using it but found that the critters weren't quite active enough to merit the speed of that song. Frank's comments evoke a lot of giggles.. and eye-rolls. ;)

• Ha, WIAW. He's actually one of the most gentle cats you could know. Hard to tell by this video, but he's your classic "pussycat" when it comes to people - including rough toddlers. He's a gem but then again, so is Benny. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks, Baggie. He's about as brave as Skitty. ;)

• Thanks, MT. I actually had that claim on another video which covered one of their earlier fights
.. so you're not far off the mark. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

• Thanks, Lawstude.. me too! ;)

• Thanks, Maggie. Yes, they do this ALL the time. You'd think they'd get sick of it but noooooo! :)

• Thanks, Tricia. I'm glad you enjoyed the sibling rivalry. :)

• Thanks, Susan. Yup, they're quite a pair. :)

SandraRee said...

So sweet! And Benny is, you can tell the way he plays with Skittles. What a good doggy he is. :)

blunoz said...

That's really funny. Awesome music selection to go with the banter between Benny and Skittles. I, too, liked the way Benny kept looking to make sure the camera was still on.

Your description of Benny with his tale between his legs reminded me of one of my favorite blog posts this year. You'll enjoy this one.

Lulda Casadaga said...

I have to replay this when I get home...my work computer is silent...anyway, too funny. Love that Benny...
I'm a dog person myself, but all my friends and relatives have kittys and they all seem to like me. Also, a funny thing...last night my Boston Terrier was having a blast trying to tear up an empty bag of SKITTLES! My husband has a hard time finding the trash can...:D I'm sure my BeBe would love to have a kitty to tear into...LOL

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

haha........i think I will support benny.....i have that soft corner in my heart for dogs that cats (no matter how cute) can never claim :)

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Oh my goodness, this is so stinking Hilarious Hilary!

Go Skittles GO! And a smooch for Benny because you KNOW I adore him!

Anonymous said...

LMAO!!! That was an awesome vid!

Dave said...

I enjoyed your whole blog Hilary! Your writeup was wonderful and your amazing video topped it off perfectly. My wife is going to enjoy this too! - Dave

Jo said...

Omigosh, that video is too much fun! Benny is a little imp, isn't he? You can almost see him laughing as he's teasing Skittles.

Indrani said...

For some reason the video didn't play, but your write-up explained all very clearly. Waiting eagerly for your amazing photographs in your next post.

Crabby McSlacker said...

I gotta agree, go Skittles!

It's so funny the way cats, like some people I know, genuinely seem to LIKE to be annoyed.

Dianne said...

I watched it many times!!

I love when Benny does the butt up and then roll over move. Classic!!

and when he looks back to make sure HIS tail is still there

Skittles is huge! and clearly owns that bag

great stuff, thanks!

Real Live Lesbian said...

What fun! LMAO @ Frank!

Hilary said...

• He sure is, Sandra. He's also a loon. ;) Thanks for the visit.

• Thanks for stopping by, Blunoz. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I'll be by to check out your link as soon as I'm done here. :)

• Funny coincidence there, Lulda. :) I hope you got a chance to see the video at home.. and maybe even show it to BeBe. :)

• That's fine with me, Moi. I'm kind of the same - about cats though. But I sure have room for both. Thanks for the visit. :)

• MamaGeek, I expect Benny to arrive for the weekend any minute now. The first smooch he gets will be for you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. :)

• Thanks, Seamus. I'm glad it made you laugh. :)

• Thanks for your very kind words, Cimba. I'm happy you're enjoying the blog. :)

• You've got him pegged, Jo! Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Sorry the video didn't work for you, Indrani. Hopefully Sunday's photos will show up just fine. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• True, Crabby, but let's not give Frank any more fodder for his "cats are like women" theory. ;)

• Thanks, Dianne. I'm glad you enjoyed Benny's silly antics. Skitty is actually a fairly small cat.. he's just big on attitude! Thanks for the visit. :)

• Welcome, RLL and you're sure not the first to be laughing at Frank. Usually in the good way. ;)

steviewren said...

Good for Skittles! Don't you give an inch! Benny is such a clown!

Kerri Farley said...

Funny! I am so in love with Benny!!

JC said...

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! Watching the video has made my evening. Thanks.

elasticwaistbandlady said...

Hilary's Cat vs. Dog Rumble Betting Pool is now open.

Psssss.....hey, Hilary......put me down for 50 on the fesity kitty. Don't tell Benny, k?

Hilary said...

• Steviewren, I'm sure if he knew everyone was watching he'd ham it up even more. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• His charms are pretty hard to resist, Kerri. Thanks for the visit. :)

• I'm glad you enjoyed the video, JC, and that this crazy, little clown made your evening. :)

• That money is rolling in EWBL. and I think you're going to be rich! (Don't tell the Benny betters) Thanks for stopping by. :)

Kappa no He said...

That is too adorable. I've got to show Julyan. He'll get the biggest kick out it!

Anonymous said...

Poor Benny!
Not his fault; Kat keeps waving her tail inviting him to make a chump of himself. Somehow I think he knows that he can't win; he just loves the battle! Very nice blog site! My first visit here.

Hilary said...

• Thanks, Terrie.. I hope he likes it. :)

• Welcome Anonymous and thanks for the kind words. You've got Benny pegged! I hope you'll return often. :) and maybe even with a name. ;)

Anonymous said...

Can I just say how much your post makes me love the word "cottage"?

Hilary said...

Yes, ABeav.. please do! ;) Thanks for stopping by.