Samantha, on TikTok, captured a sweet moment between her Pitbull dog, Hemingway, and a Russian-bred polydactyl Maine Coon, Ernest. Hemingway invites a cuddle from his cat companion. Hemingway slides forward with his forelegs to make contact with the cat’s beautiful, plumed tail. The plumed tail and the lynx-tipped ears and the general appearance, plus the polydactyl paws are typical of Maine Coons. The Maine Coon appearance is special and noticeable but, in general, they are like any other domestic cat in character. And there is nothing better than a close relationship between cat and dog in the family home. Think how much they improve each other’s lives. This sort of friendship takes a lot of the responsibility of stimulating your companion animal away from the human caregiver.
Earnest takes up Hemingway’s invitation for a cuddle, walks over and plonks down on his forelegs. He then rolls over on his side. Hemingway sniffs his cat companion. He loves that smell as people love the smell of their cat. It is a beautiful sort of nutty smell which is always enjoyable. And for dogs and cats, the body scent of their friend is so important. It is their identification. Domestic cats are fastidious in keeping themselves clean which results in this sweet body scent.
“I don’t think I could’ve got a better moment than this,” Samantha captioned the clip.
Of course, the video goes against the grain somewhat because we have a Pitbull dog “in love with” a cat. This brings to mind an article I wrote not that long ago about identifying aggressive dogs. Click on the link below to read that article if you wish.
RELATED: Public safety is enhanced when dogs are targeted by behaviour not appearance.
Animal laws in certain countries identify dangerous or aggressive dogs by their breed. Nathan Winograd, a very famous animal advocate living in America who has transformed the animal shelter sector in the US, says that you can’t identify a dangerous dog by their breed. You can only do this through behaviour.
When you identify or try to identify dangerous dog by breed you end up with the unnecessary euthanasia of seized Pitbull-type dogs, for example, who can be charming companion animals as can be seen in this video.
However, it is a challenge to local authorities and federal legislators to try and effectively and accurately deal with dangerous dogs.
Below are some more articles on interspecies relationships.
