Oh Poor Suzie.
Bella is normally jealous of the cat to begin with but the past two weeks have been quite a difficult time for my kitkat. Suzie is on Antibiotics and the dog thinks she's getting treats everyday and she wants it herself!!! Bella has been experiencing many time-outs lately in her pen.
Let's keep in mind how spoiled this dog is first of all. She sleeps in our bed, she is allowed on every piece of furniture, and basically has run of the entire house. Matthew bought her a brand new Ford F150 Supercab because she outgrew our Altima. Bella gets Dunkin Donuts munchkins every morning when I get my coffee; even if I don't get coffee she still gets munchkins. She receives new tug and chew toys every few weeks. I also buy her a lb. or more of dog treats at Petco which she picks out herself each week. And lets not forget her buttered toast; she won't eat it without butter . The dog lives like a QUEEN.
The cat on the other hand enjoys a quiet life of solitude. Suzie ventures out to lay on the couch, sits on the back of my chair when I type, sleeps under the bed so Bella leaves her alone, gets treats only occasionally, and doesn't get to go outside and run wild because she is declawed. For the most part, many cat lovers would say I discriminate against her in favor of the dog. They may be onto something.
There is just something about being attacked by a cat unexpectedly at random that puts you on edge. I am sometimes leary of whether she's going to purr or growl when I go to pet her. Luckily, the front claws were removed when she was young because she loved tearing flesh. Yes, mine!!! Whether it be a finger, toe, ankle, swat across the face, or the worst; sneak attack while sleeping on your tummy and you wake up screaming because you have a cat using your back as a scratching post. Forgive me, if I chose to keep my skin where it belongs and that of my family and friends. It was for the "Greater Good" Suzie was altered.
Maybe subconsciously, I thought Bella could keep her in line. She definitely tries. They get along on occasion, but lately, the dog has taken to chasing Suzie away every time she sees her. On our trip to the vet two weeks ago, I was informed Suzie has infected gums. I felt like a terrible Mommy because, I didn't know. She was eating, was still being a normal crabby cat, and her disdain towards me hadn't changed. The Vet decided to put her on Antibiotics for 10 days or until the gums were cleared. My first thought was "I need to buy gloves". Sure enough, the Vet gives me a dropper and marks the measurement, etc. The next morning here we go....
I catch the Cat who is growling and hissing as expected. I place her on the kitchen island and here comes Bella. I have an open bottle of pink sticky smelly medicine, a screeching cat, and a growling dog pulling at my jeans because she thinks I'm giving the cat a treat! Long behold, Bella jumps up as I am trying to get the dropper in the cat's mouth while being bitten repeatedly. The dog grabs the open bottle and is off!!! Needless to say, the cat got squashed to the counter; medicine administered! Now to catch the dog. Well, there she is with the bottle halfway down her throat and pink sticky stuff on her paws and our beige couch!!! She couldn't have stayed in the kitchen because that would have been too easy. After extracting the bottle from the dogs jaws, I threw away what was left.
I called the Vet, explained what happened and asked if I could come pick up another bottle of Antibiotics. After she was done laughing at me, she says "Sure I will have it ready when you get here Mrs. George." So I said, "OK, how much is that going to be?" She checks, gets back on the phone and says "$29.00". I was floored!!! For a friggin cat's gums!! DAMN DOG!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I looked at Bella and decided not to say a thing more. I have always believed that if you say something hurtful, you can't take it back so I bit my tongue; afterall she is one of my children :)
The lesson I learned from this experience, is put the jealous dog in the pen if you are unsure of her reaction to a new situation. I'm thinking next time I have to administer something to the cat or one of the children who is uncooperative, I may have a bottle of Nyquil at the ready so Bella can grab that and run. Maybe she'll give us a few hours of peace while she sleeps like a baby!!! Well not seriously... but it has crossed my mind on occasion.
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