Cat Test - Passed

Folks who are interested in Indigo have a cat so we needed a cat test. Clay's mother lives in Charlottesville and she has a cat. Portia is a young cat and I don't know how good her instincts are about dogs. She seems to like them all, or at least she's willing to give them all the benefit of the doubt. I took both Danes because they like to go together and it would be another new experience for them both anyway.

I started with Hunter because he was the first one I pulled out of the van. Hunter is really beginning to warm up to life. He's not nearly as shy and scared as he was. He's curious and willing and wanting to explore new things. When we've been hiking he has really alerted when he saw a squirrel or small rodent running through the grass, so I wasn't sure what he would think about the cat. This cat didn't run, of course, and Hunter just checked him out and went on his way to explore the rest of Berta's kitchen.

Portia is a very chill cat.

Hunter accepted both treats and petting.

After giving Hunter plenty of opportunity to check out the cat, I took him back to the van and brought in Indigo. Indy is coming around too, but not quite as quickly as Hunter. She's pretty good with me now, finally, but new things and new people are still quite suspect. It took a little while for her to realize that the black object on the kitchen counter was actually alive, but she didn't react with any fear or any sign of prey drive. If these dogs were kept by a hoarder for breeding and sale, they probably didn't know any more about cats than they seemed to know about humans. I expect that if Indy is in a new home, a cat will be just one of many things that she would need to learn about and get used to.

I grade cat tests on a pass/fail basis and I'd give a passing grade to both Hunter and Indy.

I took Maya along too, because it's easier than leaving Maya at home, which requires taking out the trash, clearing the counters, and making sure that cabinets doors are all shut. Even then it's a crap shoot as to what she will get into while I'm away. She prefers to come along and generally speaking, what Maya wants, Maya gets.