Cattus X Doggus Dommus: cats and dogs

I'm not going to try to sum up everything that's happened since May (8 months!) since I think anyone who reads this blog already has the big picture on my life during that period. But now it's 2012, and as usual, we all have big plans about the year ahead. I won't promise anything more than that I'm aiming to be more communicative.

Animal Update: After long months of terror, Harry finally started accepting Priscilla as not being much of a threat -- about the time the weather got cold and he was forced to share space with her if he wanted to get out from under the bed. The two have since been nose to nose several times -- in no way is the lion laying down with the lamb, but at least the lamb seems to have learned that the lion is a little bit arthritic, essentially the same size as he is, and entirely uninterested in consuming him. (Tasha assumed a healthy snubbing of Priscilla early on, completely ignoring her presence.)

Then, last week, Nephew Birkie joined us in our commune, with Lily. Lily is not at all arthritic, quite a bit larger than the cats, and entirely interested in playing with them (or consuming them -- we frankly aren't quite sure). Birkie has done a masterful job of training her to mostly ignore them -- she has not leapt over the gate as we feared she might, although her ears perk up when they walk across the doorway 15 feet away from her. I am concerned as much about her level of freedom -- she is always behind a gate or in Birkie's bedroom -- as I am about the cats; I am hoping that she can calm down about them so that we can let all the animals free in the house.

Curiously, the cats are no more than healthily wary of Lily. It's as if, having conquered Priscilla, another dog is no big deal. Both of them like to sit well out of the way, and watch Lily watch them through the gate.