Or to be more specific...a pet cat!

Murphy has been the terror of the neighbourhood's cats for these past 7 years. If any cat dared to walk in front of our gate, Murphy would create such a din till the feline got the idea and left. Oh...and woe betide any cat that dared take a shortcut through our garden. I've seen Murphy chase a poor cat from the back to the front garden with the intent of ripping it to pieces should he catch the darn thing. Thankfully, the cats have been faster.

One day, coming home late from work, I spotted my neighbour's old white cat sprawled close to the gate, and Murphy was happily ignoring it to welcome me home. When I told my dad about it the next day, he told me he'd seen the cat in our garden, nibbling at the leftovers in the Murphy's bowl, and the dog just stood there and watched it. Surprised, I didn't believe him until...

One evening with the french doors wide open to catch a breeze, dad whispered that the cat was back. And true enough. That old cat was again at Murphy's bowl in the verandah, eating his leftovers, and Murphy who was about 4 feet away, just ignored him. Cat-hater Murphy was letting this scruffy white feline near his precious dinner! I tried to get closer but the minute I approached the doors, my silly dog started barking and growling, driving the poor cat away.

Murphy's jealous? Apparently so. He will go into a barking frenzy if he sees me approach the cat or try to pet it. But if there's no one in sight (or so he thinks), with tail wagging furiously, he'll sniff and whine at the scruffy cat who lately has chosen this spot near our gate to sunbathe and catnap. I don't dare get too close or Murphy will go bananas again and drive the poor cat off.

Wish I could take a picture of them...it's actually quite cute. The only reason I can think of for my dog's sudden turn of affection is that this particular cat is old and sick. According to my neighbour Scarecrow (nicknamed by my mother, long story there), it's been to the vet many times but there's nothing much to be done now.

So I guess while you can't teach an old dog new tricks, old dogs are more forgiving and tolerant with age. Wish that were true of humans too.