5 Cats, 2 Dogs - Fun Cartoon Ideas, Or Life Of Harmony And Chaos?
Our family of fur babies was never meant to get this large, let alone this diverse. As far as I can remember, we have been a strict "dog only" family, and there was never any possibilities of a kitten being allowed in our house. When we came back from our time in Germany, we had one small, anxious Australian Terrier named Jax.
He is a small dog, with a big dog complex, and he was a happy dog, but we knew he needed a friend. That is when we started the search, and Max, a rescued mutt that we have come to believe is part Saint-Bernard, that has done nothing but love his little brother.
As the years went on, our family fell into a nice, and easy routine. Our dogs went on walks together, shared their toys, and shared the love in the house. Then came the time for me to go off to college, and I knew there would be a change in the house, but my one rule was "no cats". Fast forward to my first set of midterms, North Carolina was hit with an intense set of thunderstorms, and my family got word of a litter of kittens that had shown up on a neighbor's doorstep.
My sisters refused to let my mother leave those kittens behind and talked her into picking up one. I get a call that night, and a little black kitten named Jinx had been introduced to the family. Fast forward a few weeks, and yet another storm runs through my hometown, leading to another litter, and a black and white cat named Binx joined the Tavares clan. Although I was against the idea at first, when I came home to those little furballs of energy, I fell in love. They were so cute, small, playful, and cuddly. I was so happy that my family took in those little firecrackers.
When we first took in the kittens, we did our best to keep them upstairs as they grew, and away from the dogs. Max and Jax were none the wiser, and everything seemed like nothing had changed. Then it came for Christmas season, and seeing those big festive balls on the tree was too much temptation for a curious cat. Little Binx saw that the two big monsters were asleep on the couch and took his chance. He jumped down through the banister by the stairs and went right under the tree.
He was having so much fun under the lights and shiny new "toys", but when a ball fell from the tree and made too much noise, my boys perked right up. I tried to keep their attention away from the trees, but then Binx poked his little head out, looked at the dogs, then looked at me and he just thought "Oh Hope's here, I'm safe" and just walks his happy self right in front of the dogs. After the confusion had settled for the dogs after seeing a cat in their house for the first time, they sprung into action.
Max and Jax lost their minds and chased little Binx around the house, and Jinx took that as her moment. She jumped down and ran behind the couch. Max kept her behind the couch, and Jax chased Binx up the stairs. It was a good 15 minutes of pure chaos and confusion. Once I separated the dogs from the scene and got them outside, I pulled Jinx out from behind the couch and the first night was over. Little did I know, that was only the beginning, and those kittens would never stay upstairs for a whole day again.
Little by little the dogs learned how to live with two cats in the house. The kittens started to go downstairs more and more, and the dogs noticed them less and less. They would chase each other around every once in a while, but all in all, they were growing to like each other. As the months went on, we would catch them laying right next to each other, eating food and drinking water from the same bowls, and even walking around the yard together. Binx loved to lay down and play with Max's hairy tail as it wags back and forth.
Along with the love that has grown between the first two cats and the dogs, we had another surprise in store for us. Of course, never having cats in our home means that we did not know much about cats, including how to tell their gender when they are young.
This lead to us having one male and one female cat. We tried our best to keep up with Jinx's maturity, but before we knew it our kitten was in heat. We then tried to keep Jinx locked in my mother's room, but our efforts were futile. Jinx became pregnant, and soon gave birth to five little kittens, three boys and 2 girls. Once they were old enough, we gave the two girls away and kept the 3 boys. Now we have all of the fur babies in the world, running around outside, cuddling with each other, and driving each other nuts like actual siblings. And I couldn't be happier.
Opinions and Perspectives
What started as chaos ended up being a perfect family dynamic.
This gives me hope for my own mixed-pet household dreams.
Such a heartwarming example of how love grows in unexpected ways.
Who needs TV when you have this much entertainment at home?
Must be fun watching all their different personalities interact.
Your story shows that species barriers don't matter when it comes to family.
The bonding between Max and Binx with the tail-wagging game is too cute.
Going from no cats allowed to five is quite the plot twist!
I'd love to know how you manage the litter box situation with multiple cats.
Your home must be so lively with all those personalities!
Life really has a way of changing our 'never ever' rules, doesn't it?
The Christmas tree scene sounds like something straight out of a movie!
Reminds me of my own resistant-to-cats partner who now adores our three.
It's wonderful how they all eventually learned to share space and resources.
The dogs must have been so confused when the cats first appeared.
Those thunderstorms really changed the course of your family's pet journey.
I bet holiday gatherings are interesting with all those pets around!
Just shows how patience and time can help different species become family.
The mental image of all these animals running around the yard together is priceless.
Pretty brave of them to keep three more cats after the surprise pregnancy!
Do the cats and dogs sleep together now? That would be adorable.
Love how they went from chasing each other in fear to playing together.
I'm impressed that the dogs learned to be gentle with the cats.
This story gives me hope for introducing a cat to my dog-only household.
The unexpected pregnancy part is a good reminder for new cat owners to be proactive about spaying/neutering.
Seems like Max and Jax adjusted better than expected for dogs who'd never seen cats before.
Anyone else curious about the food bills for this many pets?
That first night of chaos could have gone so differently. Glad it worked out!
The progression from keeping cats upstairs to full house integration is fascinating.
I love that they all go outside together now. Must be quite the sight for the neighbors.
Seven pets sounds overwhelming, but clearly it works for them!
It's amazing how animals can go from mortal enemies to cuddle buddies.
Those first two rescue kittens really opened the floodgates, didn't they?
I'm curious about how you manage vacation time with such a large pet family?
The way Binx trusted Hope to protect them from the dogs shows such intelligence.
How do you handle vet bills for so many pets? That must be challenging.
This actually reminds me of my own experience. Started with one dog, now I have three cats and two dogs.
Did anyone else laugh at the part where they discovered they had a male and female cat the hard way?
The gradual acceptance between the cats and dogs is so heartwarming.
This is why I always say never say never when it comes to pets. You might surprise yourself!
I wonder if having a Saint Bernard mix helped with the integration. They tend to be such patient dogs.
Max sounds like such a gentle giant, especially for accepting the cats eventually.
Really appreciate how you gave the animals time to adjust rather than forcing interactions.
The initial 15 minutes of chaos you described gives me anxiety just reading about it.
I can just picture that first Christmas tree encounter. Must have been quite the spectacle!
This story perfectly captures the chaos and joy of a multi-pet household.
Interesting how they ended up sharing food and water bowls. My pets would never!
Seven pets seems like a handful! How do you manage feeding time?
The part about the storms bringing the kittens really got to me. Mother Nature works in mysterious ways.
My experience has been different. My outdoor cats and dogs actually look out for each other. They become quite the team.
Anyone else worried about letting cats and dogs roam outside together? Seems risky to me.
The transformation from strict dog family to cat-inclusive household is so relatable. Sometimes the best things in life are unplanned.
I understand where you're coming from, but sometimes these things happen when you're new to cat ownership. At least they found good homes for some kittens.
Not to be that person, but you really should have gotten the cats fixed sooner. Pet overpopulation is a serious issue.
This story really shows how animals can adapt and form unlikely friendships. My heart melted reading about Binx playing with Max's tail.
Honestly, I'm surprised the Australian Terrier adapted. Those breeds usually have such strong prey drives.
The Christmas tree incident had me laughing. Classic cat behavior with those ornaments!
I love how Binx just casually walked out thinking Hope would protect them. Cats really have no fear sometimes!
Those first few weeks must have been so stressful with the dogs chasing the cats. I went through something similar when introducing my cat to my dog.
What an incredible journey from being a 'no cats' household to having this amazing blended pet family!