In a viral video, a Belgian Malinois can be seen pushing his cat sibling in a way the feline is not particularly enjoying—nobody is ready for what happens next.
The hilarious TikTok clip shared on Tuesday by @anikathemali313, shows the black cat chilling on the table when, all of a sudden, his Belgian Malinois sibling starts pushing him to play. But the cat is not in the mood and starts pushing back until the pup gives up.
“POV [point of view]: How my dog would terrorize the cat before we got another dog,” the caption says. “Who was here first do you think? They do love each other really.”
In another viral video, the Belgian Malinois is captured having the best time with his new sibling, a lurcher dog, who shares his exact same idea of play time.
Cats and dogs have historically been portrayed as enemies, but this isn’t always the case; in fact, more often than not, the two can not only live together peacefully but also become best of friends.
A study carried out by Italian scientists and published in 2020 in the journal PLOS ONE surveyed 1,270 pet owners who own both a cat and a dog and found that the two can easily cohabit without much conflict.
Findings from the study showed that over 64 percent of the cats and dogs living together also played together, 58 percent chased each other and 41 percent fought. Almost two-thirds of the pets sometimes playfully “ambushed” each other.
Introducing a new cat to your dog should be slow and careful to help them get along. Start by keeping the feline and canine in separate areas and switch their scents using soft cloths rubbed on each animal.
Place these scented cloths in the other pet’s space so they can investigate at their own pace. Continue scent swapping over several days until both animals seem relaxed.
Next, allow them to see each other without physical contact, for example, through a glass or mesh barrier, and only move forward when both show calm behaviour.
When you begin face-to-face introductions, keep your dog on a lead, make sure they respond to calm commands, and reward them for good behaviour while giving treats to the cat so they associate the dog with positive experiences.
Never force contact, make sure the cat has escape routes, and always supervise interactions. Gradually extend their time together until they are comfortable with each other’s presence.
The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 676,000 views and more than 94,000 likes on the platform.
One user, Clare Sullivan, said: “The cat was really standing his ground tho!”
Heli wrote: “Honestly the dog probably learned this from the cat in the first place.”
Bentae added: “The cat’s like ‘never in my 8 lives have I ever…”
Newsweek reached out to @anikathemali313 for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
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