Fable: A short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters.

Bandit and Angie meet for the first time.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, Joe and Sylvia adopted their sweet dog, Bandit, a loving, trusting soul. I already had Angie, an outgoing cat who loved to play. We decided to introduce them, hoping that a friendship would develop.

In the beginning, it looked like we would get our wish. The two were curious about each other, cautious, but more comfortable together with each visit. Bandit would tug on his leash as he and his humans walked by my place to let them know he wanted to come in. After checking out the cat food and cat toys, he and Angie would settle in my sun room along with the rest of us. Their eyes never left each other. They would inch closer together.

Then I brought another cat into my home. As I explained it to my spoiled, possessive Angie, I had no choice. Shadow had lost her home and her human when Mom moved to the nursing home. Of course, I didn’t mention to Angie that I loved Shadow too. But she figured that out.

The next time Bandit came over, the dynamics began to shift. Shadow, who had been described to me as afraid of dogs, hung back a bit, but not so far that she couldn’t watch Bandit from another room. It took several more visits before she ventured into the sun room to join the rest of us.

Now Angie had no intention of sharing the spotlight with her meek stepsister. She stomped up to Shadow, raised one of her front paws, and smacked her in the face. I watched Bandit as he watched this unfold. His eyes showed surprise, then disappointment, then trepidation. When Angie approached him, he backed away from her. She tried again, and he circled behind her and moved closer to Joe and Sylvia.

Poor Bandit was disillusioned. What he thought was a friendly cat had turned into a mean cat. Angie had done nothing to him, but he had seen how she treated Shadow. To be safe, he would have to avoid Angie.

Bandit, Joe, and Sylvia then went on a trip. When they next visited us a couple of months later, Angie acted like nothing had happened. Bandit was less apprehensive, but it was clear that he still remembered what he had seen. For now, their friendship is on hold.

Moral of the story:

A mean cat cannot be trusted. If she will smack someone else in the face without provocation, who is to say she won’t do the same to you or to another innocent creature? It is best to keep your distance from this type of person, regardless of its species.