# Why does my cat suddenly love my dog? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748 "2008-11-02T19:33:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/1 "2008-11-02T19:33:46Z")
This might be more suited as a **MPSIMS** thread but I’ll started it here in case there is an actual answer. Own a cat. Male. Half Siamese, half American Shorthair. Fixed. Had him since he was a kitten. He’s 16 years old yet very spry and active. Own a dog. Male. Pure bred Pug. Had him since he was a pup. He’s 7 years old. Fixed. For the first 6 years of the dogs life the cat hated him. Even though the dog wasn’t aggressive towards the cat, it was obvious the cat hated him. Wouldn’t go near him, ran out of the room when the dog came in, occasionally hissed at him. Over the last 3 months or so this has changed dramatically. It’s at the point that the cat is always cuddling that dog. Walks right up to him, wraps his paws around him, nudges his head into him, grooms him with his tongue, and purrs so loud you can hear it across the room. It’s now obvious that the cat absolutely loves that dog! **W…T…F!?!** 😕:eek: My wife thinks the dog penetrated him and now the cat’s his bitch. But that’s too weird for me to want to think about. I can only put it down as strange ass cat behavior. We’ll never figure it out. Is this just a case of “if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em?” ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/2 "2008-11-02T20:05:23Z")
Could be a hormonal or scent change in one or the other of them. Are both in good health? Any other temperament or behavioral changes in either? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/3 "2008-11-02T20:40:18Z")
> [@Fetchund](#): > > Are both in good health? Yep. > [@Fetchund](#): > > Any other temperament or behavioral changes in either? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/4 "2008-11-02T20:51:45Z")
I’d guess hormonal. The cat may be trying to mother the dog. Loud purring is a mother cat thing, in my experience. So are the other things you mention. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/5 "2008-11-02T21:32:15Z")
I had a cat that lived to be almost 19 years old. He was primarily an outdoor cat for most of his life, and was–perhaps because of this–quite aloof. My mother and I had to move, and we could not keep the cat, but my grandparents (thankfully) took him in. He remained a primarily outdoor cat for years. When he was around 15 years old, though, he stopped being aloof. He could not get enough attention. He loved being held, sitting on laps, sleeping on laps, etc. I wonder if it is just a cat thing. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/6 "2008-11-02T21:56:35Z")
It’s a warning sign of the impending End Of The World ™. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/7 "2008-11-02T22:17:41Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > The cat may be trying to mother the dog. Loud purring is a mother cat thing, It’s male cat. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/8 "2008-11-02T22:21:58Z")
> [@erislover](#): > > When he was around 15 years old, though, he stopped being aloof. He could not get enough attention. He loved being held, sitting on laps, sleeping on laps, etc. This is happening now with our 16-year-old Ricky. Rick’s always been an indoor cat, but very independent, even standoffish. Sometimes we’d go days without seeing him and we’d go looking for him to make sure he wasn’t lying dead under a bed. Over the past few months, it seems like he can’t get enough of us, including lap sitting and sleeping, which he never did before, even as a kitten. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/9 "2008-11-02T22:27:18Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > It’s male cat. I know. I read your OP. That’s why I said I’d guess it to be hormonal. Could be that when a male cat gets older, the hormone that supresses the natural mothering instinct is no longer produced. Doesn’t this happen with men when babies are around? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/10 "2008-11-02T22:41:15Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > This is happening now with our 16-year-old Ricky. Rick’s always been an indoor cat, but very independent, even standoffish. Sometimes we’d go days without seeing him and we’d go looking for him to make sure he wasn’t lying dead under a bed. > > Over the past few months, it seems like he can’t get enough of us, including lap sitting and sleeping, which he never did before, even as a kitten. My indoor cat, Buddy, had a congenital kidney problem and wasn’t long for this world. He died at age seven, and he also got very loving some months before that. His disease made him seem much older (and weaker) than he was. I wonder if it’s a way to endear himself to those around him, due in part to lack of confidence in his ability to defend himself. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/11 "2008-11-02T22:44:45Z")
I’ve noticed that pregnant female cats seem to get more, I dunno, friendly before their kittens are born. There could be a connection. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/12 "2008-11-02T23:09:06Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > It’s a warning sign of the impending End Of The World ™. [QUOTE=Peter Venkman] “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!” [/QUOTE] 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/13 "2008-11-02T23:28:09Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > My indoor cat, Buddy, had a congenital kidney problem and wasn’t long for this world. He died at age seven, and he also got very loving some months before that. His disease made him seem much older (and weaker) than he was. I wonder if it’s a way to endear himself to those around him, due in part to lack of confidence in his ability to defend himself. This is what I’ve been thinking about Rick, that maybe he recognizes his mortality and has finally decided that he needs us. I hope I’m wrong, because I really like Rick 2.0 – the first one was hard to love. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/14 "2008-11-02T23:39:18Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > This is what I’ve been thinking about Rick, that maybe he recognizes his mortality and has finally decided that he needs us. I hope I’m wrong, because I really like Rick 2.0 – the first one was hard to love. You’d think that if they _really_ loved us, they’d get meaner as the end approached. Nah. That just isn’t a cat’s way. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/15 "2008-11-02T23:45:47Z")
Senility. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/16 "2008-11-03T03:19:35Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I know. I read your OP. That’s why I said I’d guess it to be hormonal. Could be that when a male cat gets older, the hormone that supresses the natural mothering instinct is no longer produced. I could accept that, IF I could see a cite. Up until now, my wifes guess is the only one that may make sense. I repeat: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/17 "2008-11-03T03:30:25Z")
Let me digress a tad and hijack my own thread: This cat’s name is Bunn E. Kitty [Bunny Kitty]. We adopted him from a neighbor who’s cat had kits. As a Kitten Bunn E. had spotless, pure white fur, pink ears, pink nose, pink paws, and blue eyes. Originally we intended to call him “Snowball”. At that time one of my sons had a pair of rabbits. Both had spotless, pure white fur, pink ears, pink nose, pink paws, and blue eyes. The cat continuously would get into the rabbits cage and snuggle with them. He would bring them his kitty toys, and even tried to suckle off the female rabbit. We came to the conclusion that he was half bunny, but all kitty. Hence the name Bunn E. Kitty [Bunny Kitty]. He’s an adorable cat. Very loving and cuddly. He’s been crazy about the other cat [Chartreux] he grew up with (now deceased) and the Korat we’ve had for the last 5 years. But he’s always hated the Pug. Until the last couple of months. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/18 "2008-11-03T03:39:04Z")
Maybe another cat encroached on his territory and tried to start a fight and the dog chased him off? Maybe he’s old and loopy. Either way, enjoy it and take lots of pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/19 "2008-11-03T04:35:06Z")
Has his thyroid been checked? We had a cuddly cat get standoffish when her thyroid went wacko - maybe your kitty is going the other direction? How long ago did the other cat die? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748/20 "2008-11-03T05:28:39Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Maybe another cat encroached on his territory and tried to start a fight and the dog chased him off? Nope. Indoor cat. Other cat doesn’t go near dog, both cats are lovey dovey to each other when dog ain’t around. > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > take lots of pictures. We have to or nobody would believe it (unless they see it in real life!). > [@Fetchund](#): > > How long ago did the other cat die? 5 years. > [@Fetchund](#): > > Has his thyroid been checked? We had a cuddly cat get standoffish when her thyroid went wacko - maybe your kitty is going the other direction? Well, that’s actually a really good point. But this cat has been on thyroid medicine for almost 4 years. Same dose, though. And he just had a blood test that showed everything is just where it should be. But it’s still something to think about. This is not the first dog/cat household we’ve had. This isn’t the first time we’ve had cats/dogs get along. It is the first time we’ve had a cat do a 180 and go from despising a dog to loving it. It’s cute as all hell, yet confusing!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-cat-suddenly-love-my-dog/470748.md?page=2)