I've been reflecting a lot lately about my former medical alert dog and furry soul mate, Betsy. I lost her two years ago but she left me with a ton of memories. One of which was how she turned from cat killer to kitten surrogate. I wanted to share for those who think once a cat killer, always a cat killer. Or maybe even those who have a dog they just don't trust around cats. We did not have house cats but did (still do) have assorted ferals and barn cats. Our yard was fenced for our dogs but has wooden posts. Occasionally a cat would climb into the dog's yard. I have no idea why they would do this but if Betsy was outside, you'd hear screams and not always be able to stop the fray before the poor cat paid the ultimate price for it's trespassing. Betsy was a jack Russell terrier so very wiry personality and incredibly fast. She was also quite territorial of her yard (obviously). She still hated cats, regardless. If we drove down the road and she saw one out the window, she'd let you know what she'd like to do. It was heartbreaking because I like cats and for the couple she killed, I bawled for feeling guilty for not having a better behaved dog (who was stellar trained otherwise). Then one fateful day I find a litter of abandoned kittens outside and had to bring them in the house to raise. Not yet weaned, this meant syringe feeding goats milk... and dealing with Betsy. They didn't even have their eyes open yet so I half humorously insisted everyone refer to the kittens as 'the puppies'. Betsy was pedigreed and had puppies before, a great mom. The kittens were about the same size. I rubbed them with her toys and such to make them smell 'better'. Of course, I never had them unsupervised. Long story short, she wanted those kittens BAD! But not for lunch, she truly thought they were puppies. Eventually, I came to know this was genuine. She was near frantic over wanting to be mommy. So, I began letting her lick them to potty as it was more gentle to their little sensitive niblets. I was guarded but she was truly just maternal about it. In a couple days, I noticed how swollen she was. I checked. She had come into milk!!! So, I went for it. Guarded but went for it. Yep. My cat killer finished raising these kittens. Even when they quickly grew to be obvious cats, they could do no wrong in her eyes even when grabbing at her and tackling her, bouncing on her from around corners, etc. Always referred to as her puppies! ;) She still didn't want barn cats around her fence. I decided to try bringing in a kitten that was not hers. A rescue. She did not like it at first. Clearly not one of her 'puppies'. But, I proceeded to reward her all excitedly everytime the cat was near. The cat didn't really get the attention, Betsy did. Eventually, she came to know the cat being near her meant she got special attention and she loved that cat, too. From that day forward, house cats were loved as her family, protected even. Barn cats... she still insisted they stay clear from her fenceline until her dying day. Sorry this is so long. I hope some insight may help someone else. Disclaimer: I train dogs. I knew my dog WELL. She was my medical alert dog. This will not work in all situations and all dogs but still worth noting what it took.
