Bella and Bo

By moving her "nursery" into our fenced-in yard, our mama barncat, Georgia, managed to save ~ from what we believe was a marauding fox ~ just one kitten out of a litter of four. Usually this mama cat keeps her kittens meticulously hidden from us in the eves of the barn, safe from predators, which is a good thing. But, we're always a little sorry that we never get to see the kitties until they're practically teenage cats, poisoned against us. They never do get tame. But, since this one lone kitty has been so wonderfully accessible to the children from very early on, she's come to be a cherished pet. The children are thrilled!

Since she was born on the feast of St. Rose of Viterbo, the girls named her "Bo," their own version of a saintly diminutive. She's such a fuzzy, sweet little kitty, everyone loves her, but Anna has adopted her. She is Anna's child.

The funny thing about Bo, though, is her relationship with our dog, Bella. Bella knows exactly what cats are for. They are for chasing. It's a game, you know. Sneak around until you find a cat, bark, and race after it until it climbs a tree, then sit at the bottom of the tree barking until it jumps down and you can chase it some more. There's no harm meant, no harm done; it's all just happy exercise. Bella understands her part of the game and the cats know just what to do, too.

Except for Bo. And she mystifies Bella. Bo does not startle. Bo does not run. She's not even a little afraid of this big old dog. When she sees Bella, she stares him down. When Bella pokes her nose at Bo to try to encourage her to play the game, Bo takes a swipe at Bella's nose with her razor sharp little claws. Ow! Man! That's not how you play!

Poor puppy! She doesn't know what to do about this kitten. So, she follows her around. Bella has become Bo's big white shadow. It's hilarious to watch. Here they are this morning on the kitchen window sill:

And here's Bella, getting ready to be really annoyed when Bo shakes her by going under the garden gate...I expect these two will turn out to be a most unlikely pair of best friends as time goes on. But right now, Bella is having a hard time trying to figure out her place in the universe when this little ball of fluff and claws is around. Check out Bella's predicamint this afternoon:

What's a dog to do?