Life with dogs and cats: from calm to chaos in .3 seconds

What a rare and beautiful sight, I thought as I stepped into the family room. All three of my dogs and two of my cats were hanging out together.

Lilah  happily flossed her teeth on the whiskers of a fox toy.

Jasper stretched out on the floor, uttering a doggy sigh now and again.

Tucker positioned himself on the bench for optimum bird and squirrel watching.

Like a gangster in a restaurant, Calvin rested with his back against the cabinet, calmly alert to signs of Things that Needed to Be Pounced.

And Athena ruled from on high, since she was perched in our short cat tree, and was alternately watching birds and dogs, in case one of those large cretins decided to invade her space.

It was a wonderful example of peaceful coexistence. And while my dogs and cats do get along well, it’s rare to see all of them in one spot, close enough for me to take a picture.

I backed out of the room step by step, so as not to attract the attention of the dog posse that follows me everywhere, in case I’m going someplace important like Outside. I picked up my camera from the kitchen table where I had left it, and walked back into the family room with a studied nonchalance. I was trying to avoid the “It’s Mom! I haven’t seen her in forever!” greeting that usually occurs when I’m out of sight of the dogs for any more than thirty seconds.

Looking through the viewfinder, I saw that, even with my wide angle lens, I couldn’t get everyone in the frame without a little height. I climbed onto our coffee table. (Don’t try this at home.)

Even that didn’t give me the right perspective, so I held my camera high above my head and clicked the shutter button. I had to repeat this a few times to get the proper angle; without being able to see what the camera saw, I had to guess at exactly how to hold the camera to get everyone in the shot.

At last, success: proof that everyone can live together in peace and harmony.

The calm before the storm. Three dogs and two cats hanging out.

All together now: three dogs and two cats in one room.

I kept my finger on the  button to get a few more pictures, with different lighting or a slightly different angle. Which is why I was able to get just one picture of what happened next.

Elsa Clair came charging around the corner, running for no other reason than she’s a cat who suddenly felt the need for speed. She flew into the family room and leapt up onto the cat tree, expecting it to be unoccupied. Calvin, startled by the flying cat, jumped, causing Jasper to look up, timed perfectly to intersect with Calvin’s flight path.

In the meantime, I think Elsa Clair realized her mistake in midair, attempted a course correction, and landed inelegantly on the edge of the tree. Athena turned and hissed, Elsa Clair lost her balance and fell backwards, landing on top of Jasper’s back.

Tucker, who likes to maintain a safe distance from swatting cats, briefly glanced over and decided perhaps he should find a more protected position in the corner of the couch.

Lilah never stopped chewing on her fox whiskers.

Life with dogs and cats. Best. Entertainment. Ever.

Three dogs and three cats: chaos

Chaos in action.



5 Comments on "Life with dogs and cats: from calm to chaos in .3 seconds"

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  1. Pet Store says:

    Disregarding the chaos that can happen suddenly, you have one really interesting family.

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