Seven Golden Retriever puppies excitedly groom cat simultaneously

Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Cat enjoys being licked by Golden Retriever puppies. Screenshot from video by owner of the dogs and cat. Image © Jukin Media.

The ginger tabby is lapping up the adoration and grooming by seven puppies at the same time. It is vigorous and almost overwhelming but the cat is accepting. There is a very close relationship between these animals. Using feline terminology this is ‘allogrooming’ but it is interspecies.

This is an unusual image and video and I think what has happened is that the cat is female and for a period of time she raised these seven puppies. An alternative possibility is that all seven puppies where close to the ginger tabby cat when newborns. They imprinted on her more or less and perhaps regard her as their mother. It’ll be something like that because what we see in the video is extraordinary and very cute.

The cat totally accepts the adoration until it gets a bit too much and she leaves wet through with saliva!

It is another example of an interspecies friendship of which there are very many examples. There are hundreds of thousands of homes in the US and UK and elsewhere where cats and dogs cohabit in complete harmony. Often they are raised together or the dog is very accepting of domestic cats.

Some dogs are great with cats because they have been raised with cats around them. This is the key: that often quoted word – socialisation. It is so important to ensuring that domestic animals get along with other animals and humans. Socialisation is the most important aspect of the domestication of cats and dogs. It’s everything. Without it there would be no domestic cats and dogs.

Note: The story is from The Mail Online. Their headline refers to Labradors and their text refers to Golden Retrievers. I have decided that the puppies are Golden Retrievers. If I am incorrect I apologise 🙂 .