A Few Reasons I’m Convinced my Dog Should Have Been a Cat
Poppy is the most independent dog I know
My Jack Russell Poppy is lovely when she wants something from you – all waggy tails and these slightly over-excited sneezing barks she seems to do. However, most of the time you will find her sleeping somewhere on her own. Sometimes if she’s really comfy she won’t even bother to say hello to you when you come back home.
That’s one of the main reasons you get a dog over a cat - unconditional love and affection. Poppy on the other hand, loves me conditionally – for food and as someone to endlessly throw her ball.
(She’s lovely really, it’s only if she is really, really comfy she doesn't say hello – I hope)
She’s a sun-seeker
You see all of these cats curled up in sunny spots basking in the warmth, and some dogs are partial to this too. Poppy is an avid sun-seeker. One of her favourite spots is on the staircase by the window – it might not be very comfy (it’s a wooden staircase) and she might only just fit on there – but this is where she loves to be.
If there is a spot of sun – on a carpet, tiled floor, halfway off a cushion – you can guarantee she’s lying in it.
She’s demanding
This is a dog that knows what she wants. We’ve got into the bad habit of letting her onto the human beds in the mornings – but Poppy wasn’t happy with this. Poppy needs to be IN the bed, curled up in the warmest spot, leaving me wondering how she can possibly get enough oxygen there. She’ll come up to you and say hello with a brief tail-wag, but then she is using her little nose to move the covers out of the way and burrow her way to warmth.
She loves to curl up on your lap
Granted, as the phrase ‘lap-dog’ suggests, this isn’t just cat behaviour, but Poppy takes this to a cat-like level. I have a reclining sofa, and Poppy has a particular spot that she likes - but it involves her human sitting in a specific way, legs stretched straight out, so she can nestle in between them. I however, like to sit with my legs curled up. This doesn’t suit Poppy, so she’ll scratch at my legs until I move to suit her needs.
I’ve spoken to others who have similar stories to tell – fellow dog owners convinced they’ve got a dog that is much more like a cat.
We dog owners all know that all dogs have their own distinctive personalities, so it’s almost inevitable that some of those will be cat-like. Poppy has lots of lovely quirks that make her such an entertaining dog to have around, and her independent nature just makes me realise how clingy I am really.
She’s probably done me a favour.
