A Cosy Introduction
In a cozy living room, the soft hum of evening silence is broken by the careful interest of two people who are just starting to become friends. A calm but aware Golden Retriever is lying on one side of the couch, and a tiny kitten with big eyes is sitting on the other side, taking it all in. The room is full of excitement because this is the first time these two house pets have met. Are they going to become friends? People love Golden Retrievers because they are nice and calm. This one in particular has always been calm and friendly, greeting everyone and everything with a wiggling tail. Not today, though. He has never seen this type of animal before, yet there is a little scrawny kitten sitting across from him on the couch.
Observing and Reacting
The Golden Retriever doesn’t move around much initially. He looks at the kitten with interested eyes as his tail moves across the couch pillows at a slow pace. The huge, gold cat was almost too small for him. First, the dog leans forward somewhat, sniffing at the air near the kitten. He is in no hurry and isn’t yelling—in fact, all that he does is whine softly as he tries to figure out who or what is there. On the other side, the kitten is interested and wary. She has never seen anything like this huge dog in front of her. Her small body, no larger than the paw of a Golden Retriever, is stiff. She senses everything much more sharply: her ears quiver, her eyes are wide, and her tail swishes with fear. She doesn’t know if this huge animal is a friend or potential danger.
Kitten’s Cautious Curiosity
Instinctively, the little kitten freezes. Her little paws are planted firmly on the soft couch while she says a little wavering meow-just to see what the dog is going to do That her hair stands up a little shows she is still wary but ready to fight. After what seemed to be a very long period of time just watching in silence, it was the Golden Retriever who made the first move. Moving his big body closer little by little, he did nothing provocative to this tiny kitten. He bobs his head and puts his nose on the edge of the couch where the kitten is sitting to smell the air. He’s cool and careful, as if he knows that moving quickly could scare the kitten away.
Slow and Gentle Interactions
The kitten is still being careful, but it is interested in the moving tail. She tilts her head, showing that she is now more interested than scared. As the kitten gets used to the idea that this big dog might not be a threat after all, her stiff stance starts to loosen up and her tiny body starts to lighten. The kitten is more comfortable with the Golden Retriever since it does not show any aggression against her. She makes a very courageous step forward and comes closer to him. As she sniffs him back, her tiny nose perks up. Since the dog did not even move, therefore, the kitten could look around. Slowly, the space between them gets smaller, and the cat rubs up against the Retriever’s leg to feel how warm his fur is.
First Signs of Trust
As the kitten starts to trust the Golden Retriever, he lowers his head even more and rests it gently on the couch next to her. He lets out a soft huff and a happy sigh, as if to let the cat know that he’s not dangerous. He makes the kitten feel safer, so she curls up next to him and rests her little body against his big, golden coat. What used to be a moment of hesitation now turned into an adorable scene where two were getting to be great friends—the Golden Retriever is getting used to having his new little friend, and his tail is still wagging but not too vigorously anymore. Now that she is in safety, still small and weak, the kitten starts purring, which means she is happy.
A New Friendship Blooms
After she is done with her small spurts of energy, the kitten then goes to the side of the Retriever and curls up in the soft fur on his belly. Then, when he feels she is tired, the dog places its head beside hers as if to keep watch over her while she sleeps. The shy kitten finds comfortable ground to stay at last and makes an acquaintance that could become a playing partner for Golden Retriever. That was how United Animal Kingdom had a first encounter between them three years ago, which has left a meaningful feeling about the individuals’ relations with animals, irrespective of the peculiarities and differences between both species involved here: dogs and cats. It was that warm couch on which everything started off as careful meeting by impulse, which later turned into moments of understanding, trust, joy, together with love towards one another.
