Old Dog, New Cat

Our dog, Fred, is gettin' really old, and in terms of deafness, senility, bladder control, and disposition, he's on par with an 85 year old man. The worst part is that lately he shits when the urge hits him, no matter where he happens to be standing. But apparently doggy elder care wasn't enough of a challenge for this household. We needed just a tad more to deal with, so we did what any self-respecting gluttons for punishment do....we adopted a kitten. Now, what was once home sweet home, has gotten dangerously close to becoming an insane asylum. First of all, Fred isn't at all thrilled with the pint-sized "intruder" that we call Dolly. And Dolly is more than a little intrigued by the shaggy mess that lies in the floor in the den all day snoring loudly, but never moving. She usually gives him a wide berth, except when she wants to play "the game". You know that game that kittens play - where they pretend they're in a brawl with other objects (animate or inanimate) and they skulk and crouch and pounce. Yeah, Dolly was all into playing that game with Fred, until Fred stood up just as Dolly pounced, and he barked at her. Loudly. That was, "Game over, I win, now leave me the hell alone." Since then, Dolly has given Fred even more respect. She sticks to pouncing on the end that has a tail instead of the end that has a head.  Poor Fred, he just wants things to go back to the way they were before the terrorizer came on the scene. And Dolly, being the normal crazy kitty that she is, loves to tear through the house like a chicken with its head cut off. But when necessary, she knows where to go to take care of business (litter box), while Fred doesn't know where he shit last.