Dog Steps in to Protect a Cat Friend

This is a very cute little video. It is not actually a video but what is called an animated GIF. It is a series of photographs strung together, which are presented rapidly one after the other. automatically. This, after all, is what a movie is. Only in this instance the quality is not that good because the individual images have to be quite small because there are a lot of them and taken in total they represent a very heavy file.

I like this animated GIF because it is hard to escape the conclusion that this sweet dog has deliberately stepped in to defend what seems to be his friend a cat who was, on the face of it, being bullied or pestered by another cat in the household. Enjoy.

To me, without being sentimental and without anthropomorphising animals, the behaviour of this dog strongly indicates a friendship with the cat that he protects, which confirms a lot of things about companion animals, namely that they have emotional connections with other animals and therefore have emotions and sentiments towards animals and feelings about the behaviour of animals that are within their sphere of activity. This dog is doing something that looks very human.

An alternative assessment is that the dog is mediating a dispute like a referee that being his role in the family.

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Comments

Dog Steps in to Protect a Cat Friend — 10 Comments

Dee (Florida) on March 9, 2014 at 8:01 pm said:
Perfect intervention, Doggie!
Firm stance, direct eye contact.
Love it!
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on March 9, 2014 at 3:16 pm said:
The dog is obviously the peacemaker, good on him
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Barbara on March 9, 2014 at 6:46 am said:
Yes that cat really looked intimidated, I’d like to know the story behind this, do the three live together normally, does the dog get on well with both cats or only one, do the cats normally live together ok or is one bullied constantly. A nice little film though, the dog was the good Samaritan for sure.
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- kylee on March 9, 2014 at 7:20 am said:
  i wonder if the first cat is a alpha cat
  Reply ↓
  - Michael Broad on March 9, 2014 at 7:40 am said:
    Could well be. In households where there are more than one cat it is not uncommon for a hierarchy to be set up and for one cat to be dominant within the group and this can cause problems with the other cats using the cat litter and when feeding. Cat owners should be aware of this possibility.
    Reply ↓
- Michael Broad on March 9, 2014 at 7:24 am said:
  A nice thing about this is that the dog just stands there facing down the bullying cat. He does nothing else and the dog’s demeanour sends a clear message to the cat. It is very human-like.
  Reply ↓
  - Barbara on March 9, 2014 at 7:44 am said:
    Yes that’s a good point Michael, the dog doesn’t try to attack the bully cat he just gets in between the two to break it up, nice dog.
    Reply ↓
  - kylee on March 9, 2014 at 7:44 am said:
    Very sure hes like dont boss my sister cat
    Reply ↓
kylee on March 9, 2014 at 1:51 am said:
aww so cute love how this dog goes into rescue his cat friend. see dogs and cats can exist together
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Leah on March 9, 2014 at 12:21 am said:
What a wonderful little dog he really is helping his little friend I think thats wonderful 🙂
Reply ↓

PoC

Cat Welfare at Heart - seen in 86% of the world's countries (168/195)

Dog Steps in to Protect a Cat Friend

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Dog Steps in to Protect a Cat Friend — 10 Comments

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