Allie's Cats

There are up to 6 feral cats living under and around our house and eating us out of house and home. Allie comes and helps me feed them as part of our evening walk. It is a good opportunity for us to practice Be Nice to Kitties. Or rather, Don't Eat the Kitties. Hah!

Actually, Allie is very good about cats as long as they don't run. Unfortunately, no-one has imparted this to the ferals, who tend to boot-scoot when they encounter something large, wolf-looking and obviously prey-driven. But Allie leaves the indoor cats strictly alone. This took a long time and a lot of patience to learn, but she is now able to sleep curled up with them on the bed. This is the Mal who once proudly brought me a cat carcass when she first came to me. If Allie can achieve the peacable kingdom with cats, any Malamute can.

When I adopted her, I made a dog-free zone by placing a backless bookcase in the hallway -- the cats could get through it, but not the dogs, without some effort. It was mainly a strong psychological barrier. There are also lots of bookshelves, filing cabinets, etc where they can find refuge. Then Allie and I immediately went to obedience class, where we worked hard on Attention. At home, we practiced: treats and praise whenever I called her name and she made eye-contact with me. LOTS of praise when she did so in mid-cat-chase. The first few days she was on-leash in the house so I had some control in case she got too close. After that, I just gave a sharp reprimand if necessary ("hey!") and immediately called her name -- chase cat = bad, look at me = good. At the same time, my dog-savvy cats reinforced the lessons with the occasional bat across the snout. Unfortunately they find the Malamute tail irresistible and used it as a toy from the very beginning, attacking it from under the bed or from a perch on a chair! Nowadays, when Allie rolls an eye toward a running cat, I just remind her quietly -- she doesn't move a muscle toward it -- but only in the house. Outside cats are still extremely interesting. And of course possums, squirrels, birds, mice, etc. are fair game. >Sigh<