A big part of the December move hilarity is going to revolve around bringing two cats into the house with Samson. Kind of a Brady Bunch situation; I’ve had Tucker and Veruca for going on eight years now, and they can be a handful just on their own. But flying them to California and chucking them into close quarters with a big honkin’ dog oughta make for a good story.
I’ll admit, seeing Samson in person gave me pause at first. He’s a big boy; if he wants to go somewhere, that’s where he goes. The cats have speed, manueverability, small size and jumping ability in their favor, but it may take them a while to figure that out. We also still have to figure out how best to manage the dog door, because Tuck and Ruca are both indoor cats and are going to stay that way. So we’re either going to have to install an electronic door for Samson or ensure that the dog door is blocked whenever the cats are free to roam.
When I was in Modesto, there was a moment when Samson was out in the front yard and a kitten went strolling by. He’d never seen her before, and so Kristi and I both were like, how’s he going to react? Chase? Bark? What?
We watched as Samson very gently played with the kitten, nudging her slightly with his nose while she rolled on her back to play with his nose with her paws. She eventually moved on, and Samson let her be.
That’s when I knew he’d be fine with the cats. They’ll be a bit stressed out (“What the heck are YOU?!”) but Samson won’t hurt them. He might get a nose full of Tuck claws on occasion, though.