Mopsy's First Cat

Update to Bonnie Pratt, Mopsy’s breeder:

Why would Mopsy suddenly not go down the block on her leash? She’d learned to sniff and piddle but one day last week she just sat down on the sidewalk and looked at me with those big, brown Shih Tzu eyes. No cookies or enthusiastic thigh slapping, no pulling or jerking would budge her. I couldn't drag my twelve pound dog down the street so I gave up and we came home.

But then she would go with me, off leash. Very dangerous! Other dogs on leash terrify her, God knows why. But she would not go down the block with Jim, even off leash so he carried her to the end of the block, put her down but then carried her back past a friendly, sniffy dog. He doesn't mind. It's his first dog. But I imagine myself an experienced dog trainer. Hmm.

Now she may go down the block off leash and let me put it on before we cross the road. But she’s bored with that part of the walk where we might meet other dogs. Any size. Yesterday a Chihuahua charmed her so much little Mopsy leaned over to sniff, waggling eagerly. But the wretch suddenly snapped at her. Thank God she's fast!

She had never even noticed, let alone met, a cat until I happened to toss a bowl of water into the jasmise vines beside our back deck where Mopsy lay deep in her afternoon snooze. The wet and surprised cat, hunting birds in this exotic jungle, leaped out onto the deck. The big, fluffy fellow landed i right beside Mopsy with a thud and woke her up.

In a flash the cat flew off the deck with Mopper right behind it. Down the path, out through the gate--note to self, keep the gate closed— and down the long driveway as fast as a big cat and a short-legged dog can run. Barely ahead, the cat turned right onto the sidewalk with yapping Mopsy on his tail, her long ears twirling like two propellers. Satisfied, the Mop stopped a few feet down the walk at the property line, her pretty head and ears up. She snorted importantly and circled twice to be sure her territory was clear. Then she then trotted back into the yard, sneezing, extremely pleased with herself.

First cat, ever. And bigger than she. Four houses down, that rascal sat in the middle of the sidewalk, his sidewalk, watching us.