A Crisis of Cats and Dogs

We had a Mail Time crisis the other day involving this little guy:



Doogie lives for Mail Time. He's always waiting in the foyer at approximately 2pm every day, as he knows that's usually when we go out for the mail. He comes outside with me and enjoys sniffing around and gnawing on grass. He's scared of practically everything, so lately, he's taken to going into the bushes where he can't be seen from the street.

The other day I'd already been to the mailbox and deposited Calvin, who was acting up, back inside. I stood on the porch going through the mail to allow Doogie a little more outside time. As usual, he was in the bushes. I heard a rustling behind me and assumed it was Doogie coming out of the bushes. But when I turned around to look, there were 2 strange dogs standing on our sidewalk just feet away from Doogie. I did what any reasonable cat mom would do: I panicked.

I raced into the bushes and grabbed Doogie. As soon as he caught sight of the dogs, he FREAKED. I ran to the front door, but I couldn't get it open. The latch has been sticking lately, and this time, it stuck at the worst possible moment. As I was desperately fiddling with the door, Doogie was fighting to get out of my arms. He doesn't believe in fight or flight; he believes in fight and flight.

Doogie flew out of my arms and back into the bushes. I was so scared for him that I started screaming. Good thing I did because as soon as I screamed, the dogs took off running down the street. I scooped Doogie back up and managed to get the door open and everyone inside. Calvin had been watching from the window, and both boys looked like little bottle brushes from fluffing out in fear.

Everyone was fine, although my shirt did not survive the incident. In Doogie's attempts to get out of my arms and run, he shredded my shirt and a bit of my stomach. I'd much rather have cat scratches and a shirt in the trash than a lost or dog-attacked cat. I think Calvin and Doogie prefer that option, too.