Sylvie & jc

Oct 10, 20216 min read

Blog Dia 36: Dixie and the Cats 3/3

October is already here. Until now this would pretty much mean the end of the year for us. But this year is different. This year is the year after that other year.

So instead of telling you all about this year that's not over we'll fall back on our tried and tested content filler: Dixie and the Cats!

This 3rd and last chapter is dedicated to Dixie and her protégée, Cayenne.

Those who follow will recall we bought 3 cats and got a Villa in the mix. We call these 'original' 3 cats the Gringos. There is an obvious bond between them. Then came a dog. Now they had both a strong bond and a common enemy, Dixie de Dobbie Hope.

When I was young, not long ago, my family had had many dogs over the years, but 2 special ones changed my view. There are dogs, and there are Dobermanns. This was in Canada, and I was a kid. Still, as I grew up, moved to Luxembourg and climbed the work ladder, I longed to someday again have a dog, em...a Dobermann. One day I would have such a dog again, and I would give her the same name as our last one. Dixie. But first I needed to have space, lot's of it. And time, lot's of that too. In Luxembourg we had neither. But here, in Portugal, we would have plenty. So I got about describing to Sylvie what a 'Dixie' is. I could go on for hours describing the special characteristics of the breed. Cut very short this basically means everything contrary to what most people think when they see a Dobermann. Try to explain that they are in fact better family dogs, by nature, than Labradors. That's not an easy sell. But it's true if you ask me.

Dixie's family name comes from the association we got her from. Dobbie Hope is a dog rescue operation specialised in the Dobermann breed. Dixie was bought by a young couple living in an apartment in Lisbon. But then she grew too fast, as dobbies do. A big dog alone in a small apartment is not ideal. This one started chewing on it's own tail, to the blood. It became a medical issue. The young couple asked Dobie Hope for help just about the time I had posted a request to Facebook groups looking for a young female Dobermann. Elektra, as her name was then, was brought to us at our doorstep. It was love at first sight :-)

But she did still have this issue with her tail. The blood stains on the wall from her wagging it, happy to see us in the morning, were too much. We got a prescription for it to be cut off, legally. Because you are not allowed to cut the ears and tail anymore. That's a good thing. However Dixie, as she is now named, has natural ears, but no tail. And has been a happy dog since.

Dixie's favorite things in life in order of excitement, apart from food which is obvious, are 1) daily walks, anywhere, anytime. She tells us it's time to walk by taking a shoe...and keeping it. Go figure. 2) Denta sticks. 3) Going to the beach, preferably by boat to Barra Nova, and 4) Greeting new guests and old friends.

Needless to say, the Gringos were not happy. At all. But as mentioned in a previous episode, they would gladly share the sofa, even with a dog, if it meant they could sleep in the house rather than on it's roof. As long as the boundaries are clear: Left side cats, Right side dog.

This lasted long enough for the eldest cat, Tom, the male Gringo, to notice the concept of cuddles and treats. He quickly figured that whenever we would cuddle the dog, or give her treats, he would get some too just by being there and being loud about it, just in case. This wise cat soon made an ally of the useful idiot his slaves called Dixie. In no time Tom even got into getting his ears cleaned by the dog, just to make sure everyone understood who's the real boss.

The two other Gringos resist. As mentioned in another previous episode, not the one mentioned above, the other one, because there are only two previous and this is the third and last. So logically it's the other one. Best would be to read them in order I suppose. In which case you should skip the previous sentence when you do, assuming you 1, read it again and 2, remember to not read it. Which reminds me of Cayenne. Don't ask me why.

Cayenne for as far as we can figure, was deposited near our door, about 3 months old. That happens around here. A house known to have 3 cats will surely adopt a 4th little orphan pleading at its doorstep. I think I saw it the night before, out of the corner of my eye, through the window, a pair of little green eyes. I looked closer and saw nothing. I didn't mention it to Sylvie. The next day Dixie is going crazy around the Porsche Cayenne. We get involved and find a kitten. Sylvie brings it to the vet in a Land Rover. The car stalls, the cat gets out of it's cage and hides again. Finally at the vets, Sylvie declares "If it's a male call it Rover, If it's a female, call it Cayenne" (her family name is Del Villa). And that, in a nutshell, is how it happened. We now had 4 cats, and a Dixie.

Dixie was soon curious to know whom she saved and was very happy to finally meet a cat that didn't treat it as if it was just some sort of dog. Cayenne was too young to know better, but much better off for it. Because, even if Cayenne didn't realise it yet, Dixie would be her protector, for life. And that's when it got interesting. Dixie had been trying to convince the Gringos she was just a sweet dobbie who liked to run after cats, or lick those that didn't run. Tom didn't run. Winnie didn't run, she hid. Patch on the other hand was the youngest. She was the baby, she was the chouchou. Until that dog and new kitten came along, she was the 'favorite'.

A few years later her anger is still expressed on a daily basis. Patch chases Cayenne, Dixie gets involved and chases Patch. Sometimes she will just move between the cats and stare Patch in the eyes mimicking a bark with no sound. Sometimes she'll run Patch up a tree and bark at her until we get fed up and tell her to stop.

We have gotten to learn Dixie has several distinct barks and we now recognize when she is barking at Patch, as opposed to barking at any other unknown cat on our land, or barking at a dog or a person out of place, when she is scared or just barking back at the 48 other dogs barking in the countryside on a full moon. So Patch does not like Dixie. Dixie wants Patch to like her, even the neighbours cats like Dixie! But no, because Patch does not like Cayenne and Dixie is Cayenne's dog. That last sentence makes sense, trust me, I wasn't sure either.

Tom is now as comfortable with Dixie as he is with Cayenne, he's still the only male anyway. Winny observed Tom long enough (3 years) to finally conclude the canned food can't be so bad. So she tasted it and is now hooked.

Patch, seeing both other Gringos eating the paté, in the same space as that smelly dog and that 'Cayeeennne', is totally disgusted by their presence, but keen on some pâté too...if everybody's gonna have some. And so they all eat together now. That has taken a long time. Maybe the time it took for Cayenne to become a cat, if you can call it that.

Being the youngest and being under the dog's protection was always going to be a tough spot in this crowd. Making matters worse, Cayenne got all sorts of special treatments, special accesses, special feeding points. Cayenne was a kitten. Patch is jealous. Patch is a cat. Cayenne makes us wonder. She comes on regular dog walks with Dixie. It's been over a year and still amazes me. They appreciate each other. We often witness their complicity. She behaves a bit like a dog but with the added fineness of being able to sit on a chair at the table, like everyone else. She wanders freely outside, but if you call her she will come running, sometimes from afar.

She clearly knows she is Dixie's protégé and uses the fact to protect her independence from the Gringos. So she can sleep on both sides of the couch and on any of the dog's cushions. Like to say "we may be of the same Race, but clearly not the same League". Cayenne mostly enjoys her privileged status, being photogenic and a good daily dog walk. I'd say Cayenne has good taste in people too because I'm her favourite pillow. I've had cats in the past. Not a huge fan, but some cats are different. I know enough to say you never really own a cat, it's the other way around. Like Cayenne. She has adopted me, I think.