Diaries I Read:
Our cat, Hondo, is a funny cat. He�s very mellow and sweet most of the time, but if you make him mad he will not hesitate to bite or scratch you. When B and I first started dating, Hondo did not like me. He wasn�t mean; he just kept his distance. Later on, he went through a phase when he liked to bite my legs. Not all the time; I think it had something to do with the lotion I used � he either really liked it or really hated it, because he would literally chase me around the house nipping at my calves.
He�s picky about how he is petted. Anything around the head is fine. The back is OK, but not for very long. Don�t even try to touch his stomach. Sometimes you can sit there petting him, and he�s purring loudly and obviously enjoying the attention, and then out of the blue he�ll try to chomp your hand. See, he�s funny.
So when B brought Dixie home for me over a year ago, I had my concerns about how Hondo would react to the new puppy. She was so small, and Hondo is a big cat, and I was afraid he�d hate her and try to kill her.
As it worked out, Hondo was more curious about Dixie than anything else. I think he growled once or twice when we first introduced them, mostly because he�d probably never seen a dog before. But then he just sat back and watched her.
That first night, we put Dixie in a crate next to our bed to sleep. Hondo stood guard all night long in front of or on top of the crate. I think he was watching to make sure she didn�t get out. He wasn�t quite sure about this little creature yet.
The next morning, I awoke to a commotion in the hallway outside our bedroom. There were little yelps and growls and tumbling sounds. At first I thought Hondo must be attacking Dixie. But then I heard B laughing. He was out there in the hallway with his video camera, filming the two of them as they wrestled and played by the stairs.
It was the craziest thing I�d ever seen. This little tiny black puppy and this giant black-and-white cat literally wrestling, rolling around with one another, gently biting one another. Hondo would swat at Dixie with his paw and Dixie would imitate him. Dixie would grab onto Hondo�s tail with her teeth.
The thing that really surprised me was how gentle Hondo was being with her. When he took a swipe at her, it was never with his claws out. He would bite her, but not hard � more like little nibbles. Dixie was rougher, but she only weighed three pounds so she couldn�t do too much damage.
And from that day on, they haven�t stopped. They carry on like crazy, wild beasts. Now Dixie outweighs Hondo (by a few ounces), but he is still so gentle with her. She�s not. She�ll go running full speed toward him and tackle him to the ground. Then they roll around, taking turns pinning each other. Most of the time, Dixie is the aggressor, but Hondo puts up with it, like he enjoys it. When he�s had enough, he just jumps up onto a table or countertop where he�s safe.
They chase each other around the house, from room to room, up and down the stairs. Dixie will literally put Hondo�s head between her jaws, and later we�ll go to pet him and his head is all slobbery wet. Hondo will get Dixie on her back and Dixie will beat at Hondo with her legs, punching them like a little rabbit.
And the noises they make! They really sound like they�re killing each other. Hondo does that human-sounding �mroooooooooow� noise, and Dixie grunts, �Mmmm, hmm, mmmm mmmh hmmm.� When people come over to our house and encounter one of their wrestling matches, they exchange worried, frightened looks as a ball of black and white fur comes tumbling down the stairs, growling and hissing all the way. We have to assure them that this is normal, that they�re playing, that they do this all the time, and that they will not, in fact, kill one another.
Often these wrestling matches take place when B and I are in bed watching TV and settling down for the night. They�ll come flying into the room and across the bed, down the hall, meowing and growling. They�ll wrestle at the foot of the bed while we watch Jay Leno. Sometimes we get annoyed when the matches are especially spirited, but most of the time it�s humorous, and we like that they�re such good friends and enjoy playing with each other.
So last night B and I were in bed, and Dixie was resting, if not sleeping, quietly at the foot of the bed. Suddenly, Hondo jumped up onto the bed, and they started to play. This was one of the rare times when Hondo was being the instigator, and he was on top of Dixie. They were wrestling fairly quietly � playing more than �fighting.�
B and I were enjoying the scene and they bit at each other and tussled around. Then, all of a sudden, Hondo shifted, perhaps to assume a better position, and he rolled right off the bed with a thump.
It was honestly one of the funniest things I�d seen in a long time. B and I sat there laughing our butts off, and Dixie just kind of peered over the side of the bed. Hondo must have been embarrassed, because he didn�t come back to bed for another 20 minutes or so.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004