Angus the Cat came to us as a 3 lb baby. We had discussed adding a cat to our menagerie, and one day we just got in the car and drove to the local shelter.

The little orange tabby was the loudest cat in the room. No way I was bringing home a mouthy, obnoxious cat home with me. But when I told the lady I wanted a cat that got along with dogs, guess which one she immediately pointed to?

I rather grudgingly accepted him when she placed him in my arms. He purred and stared at me, patting my face gently with his paws. I was hooked.

In fact, Angus is quite a source of amusement. We recently got an automatic waterer (boy, can these critters go through water!). The dogs drink from it if the other bowl is empty, but Angus sees it as a challenge.

Even just drinking from it requires making a small mess.

He loves the way it gurgles. If it is low on water, it's not as burbly and he bats it around. Of course, that brings a human to investigate, we fill the tank, and it gurgles again. We're well-trained.

I changed the fountain from a low trickle to a higher spout. I think I'm Angus' hero :-)

Things have been pretty busy here at the MacRae house. Two books within weeks of each other was a bit presumptuous of me over the holidays, but everything is on schedule, even if there have been a few late nights and at a couple of overflowing laundry baskets.

But, amid it all, we got the Christmas tree up--and have only lost 2 ornaments due to animal shenanigans, and the glittery poodle wasn't a popular ornament, anyway. The nephew and I baked cookies and I managed to send most of them home with him. I even attempted Christmas photos of the dogs, but getting all 4 of them to sit still was beyond my skill set--especially with the Mr. laughing instead of helping.

So, here are a few photos from Christmas 2015 at the MacRae house. Feel free to caption your favorite in the comments.

​Blessings from our house to yours this holiday season.

A little over a month ago, Angus the cat came to live with us. We had a couple of rough days in the beginning, but now Freki says he was the best gift ever.

Last week I caught the two of them piled on the bed playing. They must have played like this for 15 minutes or more. I thought I'd share some of the photos.

Note: Freki very gently mouths the cat and never closes her teeth on the leg or head or other cat part. Angus seems to reciprocate with feisty blows with sheathed claws. No cats or dogs were harmed in these photos :-)

An update from Wednesday's post.

Freki is now fascinated with the cat. She has made a complete turnaround. She now follows him around, literally on his tail, and observes every tiny movement he makes. 

It is such a huge relief from the barking and threatening behavior, but poor Angus likely wasn't looking for a nanny or guardian, either!

I know the post is late this week, but we've had a lot going on. Things have been in a rare upheaval, and it all began with a cat.

We'd wanted a cat for a long time. At least, we'd talked about getting a cat. Cute, cuddly, purring- what's not to like about a cat? So, Saturday, I picked out a cat at the local shelter, paid for his neuter, and waited for them to call Monday and say he was ready to come home.

We tried to prepare the dogs, really, we did. Showed them the litter box, the treats, crate, toys, food. But somehow, the message didn't get through.

Freki hated Angus on sight.

It was predictable. Clearly our alpha girl does not like things she cannot control. And she'd never encountered a kitten before. We were subject to her barking, growling, lunging. Angus didn't know what to do. We had ideas, but would they work?

With the kitten tucked safely in his crate, we allowed the other dogs a chance to meet wee Angus. When the Corgis didn't seem upset, we let the kitten out. Dixie gave a sigh that pretty much said, Just don't let it touch me. Ben crawled in my lap and nudged the kitten away. They have accepted the change in the house, though the kitten is low man on the totem pole as far as they are concerned.

Freki claimed the cat was evil. And her job was to protect the family. It was a long night.

I have to admit, things weren't looking good. My day was patterned with carefully rotating who was out, who was in, and who could exist in the same room together. There was no room for error.

And then we had a breakthrough. It wasn't easy. It took hours of Freki on leash, Angus given free rein so he did not feel trapped, and me offering calm, reassuring words to both animals. Yesterday morning, we logged an hour. 5 minutes of together time, 5 of treats and play ball in another room. Return to Angus' room, repeat. Last night, two hours. But at the end of the day, Angus stretched out on a box, asleep, I sat on the floor a foot or so away, and Freki laid beside me, gnawing a toy. 

I'm not saying there won't be spats. And, to tell the truth, Freki jumps two feet off the floor if the kitten so much as sneezes. But everyone has reached their version of a truce, and the house has gone from Defcon 1 (maximum defense readiness) down to Defcon 4 with an eye to everyone's mood and security measures in place. Co-existence seems to be just around the corner. Dare I hope for friendship?