This is just a general curiosity question, first and foremost. While I would eventually like a dog, as I do love canines, it's at least five years in the future, more likely ten, and will not happen until I have enough space to keep the two separate if they prove unable to get along. As Hunter is accustomed to hearing and smelling dogs in our current apartment building and pretty much just tunes them out, it shouldn't be an issue. But that doesn't stop me from being perplexed by some pretty odd behavior.
You see, Hunter appears to like some dogs and not others. Let me explain. The first time we were at the vet, a dog came over and sniffed at his carrier and he actually took it pretty well, sniffing right back and looking relaxed and friendly, to the shock of the cat owner sitting next to me. I figured he'd probably been raised with dogs and counted that as a boon that would make my life easier 5-10 years down the road. The next time he met a dog, however, he hissed immediately. I shrugged, decided he'd probably just been overwhelmed by his first vet visit and didn't like dogs after all. But this Saturday, he met another dog, who snuck his nose right in from of his crate and started sniffing pretty vigorously. I was getting ready to intervene when I saw that Hunter looked...perfectly happy, even curious. This dog was a pretty large pit mix while the dog he did not like was a golden retriever. I don't remember the breed of the first dog, but I'm sure it was short-haired and it may also have been a pit mix as well. Anyway, the million dollar question is what the heck? Was he raised exclusively with short-haired dogs? Is he picking up on some sort of canine body language I'm not? When, in the very distant future, I do get a dog, should I take his preferences into consideration? Ask if he can meet potential canine friends as another dog would? He seemed to almost immediately know who he did and did not like. I didn't know cats did that and I'm just a little confused as to what's going through that little brain of his. This isn't an urgent question by any means, as it's not a problem, just a funny little quirk I don't quite understand and would like to. Because, if I do get a dog at some point, I'd really, really like it if they could be friends, particularly as I suspect Hunter does not like other cats judging by his response to any video with cat sounds in it.
You see, Hunter appears to like some dogs and not others. Let me explain. The first time we were at the vet, a dog came over and sniffed at his carrier and he actually took it pretty well, sniffing right back and looking relaxed and friendly, to the shock of the cat owner sitting next to me. I figured he'd probably been raised with dogs and counted that as a boon that would make my life easier 5-10 years down the road. The next time he met a dog, however, he hissed immediately. I shrugged, decided he'd probably just been overwhelmed by his first vet visit and didn't like dogs after all. But this Saturday, he met another dog, who snuck his nose right in from of his crate and started sniffing pretty vigorously. I was getting ready to intervene when I saw that Hunter looked...perfectly happy, even curious. This dog was a pretty large pit mix while the dog he did not like was a golden retriever. I don't remember the breed of the first dog, but I'm sure it was short-haired and it may also have been a pit mix as well. Anyway, the million dollar question is what the heck? Was he raised exclusively with short-haired dogs? Is he picking up on some sort of canine body language I'm not? When, in the very distant future, I do get a dog, should I take his preferences into consideration? Ask if he can meet potential canine friends as another dog would? He seemed to almost immediately know who he did and did not like. I didn't know cats did that and I'm just a little confused as to what's going through that little brain of his. This isn't an urgent question by any means, as it's not a problem, just a funny little quirk I don't quite understand and would like to. Because, if I do get a dog at some point, I'd really, really like it if they could be friends, particularly as I suspect Hunter does not like other cats judging by his response to any video with cat sounds in it.
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