It’s all about compromising

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight when it came to Jaz and our two cats. Especially Nana, our eldest, used to tell Jaz off all the time. What did we expect, with a house full of females?! (I can hear one of our dog trainers say: “It’s why they call ’em bitches!”) Jaz tried to get the cats to play, but soon discovered that that’s easier said than done. “These are some strange dogs…”, Jaz must have thought “…they seek refuge in higher places as soon as you as much as wag a tail or move a paw!”

And although in the beginning it seemed as if they weren’t interested in the dog whatsoever, and tried to resist getting to know her, the cats were definitely intrigued in Jaz. Slowly, bonds developed between them, and canine and feline lives started to integrate. Our youngest cat, Bibi, started drinking from Jaz’s water, and even utilizing Jaz’s beds (before, she would frantically try to ‘bury’ anything with Jaz’s scent on it, because, to her, it all stank!). Nana would even be as bold as to come and check out what was going on during our grooming sessions, with Jaz still on the table!

Although the cats sometimes still jab Jaz in passing (often well-deserved, because Jaz can be quite pushy), and Jaz still chases them around the living room every so often, the three of them have somehow come to an agreement to share part of their territory also known as the living room. The cats used to rule the house. All three floors. They now have to share one of them. And although Jaz only gets to use this one floor (which means that, sometimes, she is left out when the cats are playing upstairs), she has the great outdoors to explore. Each has their own privileges. Occasionally, a cat toy will make it down to the main floor, which gets Jaz all excited. Similarly, if Jaz happens to drag some twigs, sand, or ocean water inside, the cats are the first to inspect Jaz, closely examining every square millimeter of her fur.

So everyone has compromised around here. The cats have learned that sprinting will only result in being chased. And Jaz has learned that being too enthusiastic will cause the cats to scurry off. And since they’ve admitted to the fact that they are curious about one another, both parties have started to change their behaviours. The cats tread slowly through the living room. And Jaz almost turns into a statue when either of them is close, hoping for some good body-rubs… Witness the mutual compromise at work between Nana & Jaz, it’s a thing of beauty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wepAz6cSrTM

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