#Cats_and_Dogs

I am a bonafide dog lover, so I harbour a natural dislike for cats . For the past many days a stray dog would drop by my house for a free meal. He was quite friendly. He would greet me with a "woof" &wag his tail.

One day a cat dropped by my house...(1/n)

The cat was in poor condition, & meowed piteously. Despite my dislike for cats I fed it some leftover fish. The dog didn't notice the cat, or probably didn't care. The dog arrived an hour after the cat had left. It sniffed suspiciously but raised no alaram.

Things changed.

The cat, a stray like the dog, took a liking to the fish & would drop by regularly. It would look at me & meow continuously. I would give it leftovers but it had developed a taste for fish.

By now the dog was suspicious that something was amiss. He would sniff & growl.

I think he either got the scent of a cat, or his 6th sense told him so. He would look questioningly at me, his tail not wagging. There would be a "woof?", as he would demand an answer from me. I tried to deflect his question by giving him extra servings of rice. (4/n)

The cat, being a cat, had no fixed timetable. It would come when it pleased, & walk about the house as though he was the master. The dog on the other hand usually arrived post lunch for his free meal. But the dog was a smart one, one day he arrived earlier than usual. (5/n)

My worst fears were realised. The dog saw the cat slurping up fish & rice. With a loud bark he chased the cat all around the garden, in vain. But he wasn't done. He approached me, look of anger & hurt on his face, and complained (barked) to me about the betrayal. (6/n)

He did eat his meal though, so I wrongly assumed that all was forgotten & forgiven. But things got worse.

The next day the dog again saw the cat , & once again a chase ensued. This time dog looked at me, snarled, & left without eating his food. He was angry. (7/n)

Oblivious to everything, or perhaps in glee of the chaos he caused, the cat became a regular visitor. It would meow loudly, walk into the kitchen, & demand food. The dog was missing in action for a few days, until it showed up one day with his gang. (8/n)

As the cat was in the backward, fiddling with a fish bone, the dog showed up with 2 more of his brethren and launched a surprise attack on the cat.

The cat was taken aback, but being a feline it managed to get away. But a feud was declared that day. (9/n)

After the failed offensive against the cat the 2 henchdogs went away but he came up to me with a stern expression on his face, and complained loudly. He was quite bitter that I was harbouring a cat when he, a dog, was around. (10/n)

So now I have a greedy #cat , who will drop by for a free meal irrespective of the danger. And I have a dog who feels betrayed that I am harbouring a cat, & he is raising an army of dogs to take out this cat.

How do I prevent a war between #Cats_and_Dogs ?
#CatsOfTwitter

Any cat/dog lovers in my list, if you are reading this thread please drop your suggestions.

The last thing I want is an armed conflict in my garden between an army of dogs and a cat.