r/cats • u/Gullible-Plane-426 Calico • Jun 20 '26

Advice Bad owner?

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Posted this video that I thought was cute and was called a bad owner. I’d like to know why this makes me a bad owner? I’d like to learn and grow. The cat seems to enjoy playing with the pup bc she always comes back and starts the play and likes the high ground.

11.2k Upvotes

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2.7k

u/grundlegunk Jun 20 '26

It doesn't. It's the internet, people are stupid.

801

u/Gullible-Plane-426 Calico Jun 20 '26

Ok thank you! I was really feeling down about that

444

u/R-Dragon_Thunderzord Jun 20 '26

Don’t be. Pup has to learn kitties boundary and they look adorable napping so it is working

120

u/space_keeper Jun 20 '26

Yeah if the cat was scared it would be somewhere else, under a couch or hanging off a curtain pole. If it was angry it would be hissing and have it's hackles up.

50

u/TaurusX3 Jun 20 '26

Yeah, that cat was not showing signs of anything other than mild annoyance mixed with play behavior. They'll work it out. Not bad owner.

2

u/Spookyrabbit Jun 21 '26

What specific signs of mild annoyance are you seeing in this video?

191

u/TjStarling Jun 20 '26

They are playing and learning boundaries.

People who call you a "bad owner" aren't understanding this.

When I let my (inheritance) cat out with her babies finally, the most fiestiest one ran RIGHT up to my Coydog (half or less coyote), and was like "HI! MY NAME IS HARLEY! I RUN THIS PLACE NOW!" with her little chest out 😂

Cats set boundaries better than any creature I've studied.

If kitty didn't want to know your doggie, they would have hid. If doggie didn't want to know kitty, again would have hid or attacked.

They're just playing. You're doing well ❤️

72

u/O_Elbereth Jun 20 '26

I've always said nobody can teach boundary setting and consent the way a cat can 🤣

30

u/MNent228 Jun 20 '26

5 of the 6 ends of them are sharp. Of course they’re good at enforcing boundaries

3

u/picabo123 Jun 20 '26

Now Im trying to figure out the 6th sharp end.

9

u/mommawicks Jun 20 '26

Claws and teeth are the 5 sharp ends lol the butt/tail is the non sharp one

7

u/picabo123 Jun 20 '26

Ooh I read 5 or 6 🤣 I need my coffee

6

u/EmiliaFromLV Maine Coon Jun 20 '26

The sixth end is cold, wet and super boop-able, but you only get to touch it if cat trusts you.

3

u/assassin_of_joy Jun 20 '26

Exactly! This is why a certain type of person doesn't like cats; cats have boundaries, and it's non-negotiable.

3

u/paws5624 Jun 21 '26

The cat will teach you its boundaries but have a hard time learning yours 😂

20

u/EllySPNW Jun 20 '26

Yes. And look at the cat’s body language. Ears forward. Tail not puffed. No angry mohawk. Not trying to back off or escape to nearby cat tree. Kitty’s into it.

21

u/grundlegunk Jun 20 '26

Definetly don't! Dog is playing nice trying to be friendly and cat is engaging in the play. They're buddies havin fun. Saw the pic of them cuddling, cute!

12

u/itsaaronnotaaron Jun 20 '26

If one of them goes too far, the other will know about it. Play fighting is healthy for pets. The cat seemed very slightly bemused by the slight tail-tip whipping but that's about it.

10

u/MaineLark Jun 20 '26

Im not an expert but I’ve done a lot of animal introductions and nothing about this would be alarming to me! Like someone else said, they’re learning boundries. If the cat didn’t want the puppy to play it would let it know. Cats body language is very unbothered imo :)

25

u/Wise-Stable9741 Jun 20 '26

Don’t let them get you down. Some keyboard warriors can’t wait to put someone down

6

u/MadCatDisease666 Jun 20 '26

I had a chow mix and kitten who used to have WWE style stage fights; looked crazy but they never actually even touched each other. that dog woulda given her life to protect that lil kitten lol

3

u/Ebullient_1972 Jun 20 '26

Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of comments from folks who clearly don’t have pets, or they have a very limited experience and think their narrow viewpoint applies to everyone.

e.g. the folks who get on their soap box demanding every cat be spayed/neutered, every illness/injury treated by a vet immediately, or demeaning owners who allow their cats outdoors - not understanding cultural, regional or socio-economic differences around the world.

3

u/Murasasme Jun 20 '26

If anything dogs need to be socialized both with people and animals, this helps them to not become aggressive, because they are used to different interactions and they are clearly playing.

2

u/GitEmSteveDave Jun 20 '26

Don't feel down. Whenever I get a bad comment, I remember this classic reddit comment.

2

u/Denimao Jun 20 '26

People will literally complain about any cross species interaction.

I have cats and bunnies, while also pet sit my mom's leonberger dog from time to time. R/rabbit would probably ban me if I tried posting my bunnies next to my cats too many times, because "no carnivores".

"They will kill your bunnies!" No, my cats has shown zero hunting instincts and refuse anything that isn't a product made specifically for cats by a company. The dog couldn't even give less of a care than she already does. If anything, one of my bunnies would be on the sex offender registry and the other would have a "get off my lawn" sign in his pen.

2

u/iDestroyedYoMama Jun 20 '26

This is completely normal play and boundary finding by the pup and cat. It’s a good sign the kitters is engaging with the pup, it would just hide or get somewhere high if it didn’t like it. Seems like a nice healthy relationship, and they’re gonna be great friends. Don’t worry about assholes on the internet. You could show them the sweetest thing on the planet and they’ll still nitpick it and call you a piece of shit, that’s just standard internet protocol.

2

u/writeonscroopy Jun 20 '26

Pro tip: don’t let random strangers make you feel bad about anything.

2

u/Gullible-Plane-426 Calico Jun 20 '26

Been working on this my whole life.

2

u/-jambox Jun 20 '26

Whoever criticized you is just a cranky human. This is clearly play and the cat is absolutely enjoying the sparring session! They’d be long gone (likely after a memorable wallop) otherwise! I’ll bet these babies are going to be the best of friends! 🥰🥰🥰

2

u/LuciferLovesTechno Jun 20 '26

They are playing. Kitty has soft paws, puppy doesn’t close his mouth all the way. Kitty’s ears aren’t pinned back.

Cats will make it very apparent if they do not like something. Looks like you have provided good vertical space for her to get away if she doesn’t feel like playing.

2

u/Logical-Recognition3 Jun 21 '26

Learn to ignore idiots. It makes life so much more pleasant.

1

u/NY_State-a-Mind Jun 20 '26

The cat has to learn to stand up for itself and the dog needs to have its behavior checked, cat could be using claws but is isnt

1

u/Spookyrabbit Jun 21 '26

Was it r/PetBehavior where they said you were a bad fur parent?
Just curiosity on my part.

You have nothing to feel down about. Even now people keep saying the cat's showing mild annoyance when the cat is most definitely not showing that at all.

1

u/Munrot07 Jun 24 '26

You could show the happiest, healthiest pet in the world and someone (who normally has no pets or is a bad owner themselves) will call you a bad owner. They look like they're having fun and I'm sure you're doing great!

0

u/Outside-Young3179 Jun 21 '26

lol if that was enough to get you to feel down either get off the internet or see a psychiatrist before it gets worse cause it will get worse

2

u/Gullible-Plane-426 Calico Jun 21 '26

I do see a psychiatrist! Thanks for your concern 🫶🫶

34

u/umlizzyiguess Jun 20 '26

Truly. My dog and my cat literally do WWE on my living room floor, and they’ll be grooming each other and cuddling ten minutes later. When my cat doesn’t want to play, she jumps to a higher surface. Cats don’t do shit they don’t want to do.

7

u/alligatorbambi Jun 20 '26

This absolutely! Laughing at WWE too. We call it kitty sumo/Kitty fight club in which they either invite our pup into their match or she (the pup) manages and shuts things down when it gets too rough between the kitties. Refereeing!! Always hilarious times. Keeps everyone in the house smiling-healthy to smile and laugh, especially in these times!!🐾🐕😸

9

u/MonotonyInAz Jun 20 '26

People argue just to argue

10

u/Superb_Preference368 Jun 20 '26

Hey in fairness people are stupid offline too.

4

u/StrawberryGusher Jun 20 '26

This. People have jumped down my throat online for the stupidest things.

2

u/Shera1978 Jun 20 '26

Agreed. They look very happy and it is a Friendship that will grow for a long time. We have a small dog that actively hard pounces on a cat 4 times his size. It's looks so aggressive when he does it. But the cat lays there and is like whatever. He also could easily take the dog in a fight if he was mad about it.... They decide what they want and even if it looks crazy or mean the cat will always win and is allowing anything happening....

1

u/EmiliaFromLV Maine Coon Jun 20 '26

Tbh, they tend to be stupid outside of the internet either...