For those of you who don't know, Pumpkin was a severely injured adult stray I adopted from a local vet in early December. Upon bringing him home we learned he HATES dogs and has a real issue with fear aggression towards them. The only dog he's not violent towards is my Saint (who could really care less about him).
We also learned that he LOVES other cats. But of course, my boys - being very 'cat' - hated him. After a few weeks their relationship grew tolerable. He followed them everywhere, did what they did, etc., almost like a game of copy cat (haha, pun!
). Every once-and-awhile he'd tried to play with them or groom them, lay with them, but they simply weren't having it. It was a little sad to see him pining for them and constantly being rejected.
Then came "the night"! My brother stayed over with his dog (who stays outside because he does NOT get long with cats). The moron ended up bringing him inside without telling me and then falls asleep, allowing his dog to escape. I'm startled awake by cat screaming, dash into the dining room to find his dog practically on top of Billy. Pumpkin flies out of nowhere in attack mode, jumps on top of this dog and pretty much rips him a new one before chasing him from the room.
After I got the dog back out and went nuclear
, I found Pumpkin grooming Billy in my bedroom. Ever since then they have been inseparable! All of the cats are pretty fond of him now.There have been a few times since when Pumpkin seems to protect Billy. Like when someone accidentally stepped on his tail. Not seconds after he let out a yowl, Pumpkin barreled into the room. Billy had hidden under the coffee table, so Punky went over, laid on top of him and stayed with him.
Did Pumpkin do this to earn Billy's trust? Is it common behavior for cats to protect each other or 'go into battle' for one another? Would that make Pumpkin the alpha cat now? I'm still new to the whole 'cat hierarchy' thing, but very interested on any knowledge any of you might be able to share about these behaviors!
Gee, I sure am good at keeping a long story short.
We also learned that he LOVES other cats. But of course, my boys - being very 'cat' - hated him. After a few weeks their relationship grew tolerable. He followed them everywhere, did what they did, etc., almost like a game of copy cat (haha, pun!
Then came "the night"! My brother stayed over with his dog (who stays outside because he does NOT get long with cats). The moron ended up bringing him inside without telling me and then falls asleep, allowing his dog to escape. I'm startled awake by cat screaming, dash into the dining room to find his dog practically on top of Billy. Pumpkin flies out of nowhere in attack mode, jumps on top of this dog and pretty much rips him a new one before chasing him from the room.
After I got the dog back out and went nuclear
Did Pumpkin do this to earn Billy's trust? Is it common behavior for cats to protect each other or 'go into battle' for one another? Would that make Pumpkin the alpha cat now? I'm still new to the whole 'cat hierarchy' thing, but very interested on any knowledge any of you might be able to share about these behaviors!
Gee, I sure am good at keeping a long story short.