Now Max no longer runs away from Nigel. He has begun to realize that Nigel is ‘all bark and no bite’. Nigel used to intimidate Max, but now Max seems to always get the upper-hand in any interaction and/or conflict. Max will now simply lay down in the middle of the living room floor and simply relax. When Nigel notices Max laying there, he will literally charge at Nigel – full speed – until he gets within 3-4 feet of the cat. At that point, Nigel will ‘put the brakes on’ and ‘screech’ to a stop right at Max’s feet. He then proceeds to pounce on the cat. Yup, Nigel will attempt to stomp on the cat. Of course, Max does not really appreciate Nigel’s desire to engage in puppy-play. The cat is really far to sophisticated to engage in such foolish behaviour. So, Max will often sit up and begin to slap the dog in the face! It is quite funny to observe. At times he will hit the dog hard enough that it makes a rather loud slapping noise – not unlike a boxer hitting his opponent. It is really quite funny. I will try and post a video clip showing their boxing match. Needless to say, Nigel really does not know what to make of the situation. He will try to play with Max by continuing to pounce and ‘nip’ (although he never actually makes mouth-to-cat contact). Max simply continues slapping Nigel until the dog realizes that he has met his match. Nigel will then begin to whine and walk off rather frustrated. He can’t play with the cat, and he can not pounce on the cat as he would like!

Rather fun and amusing…