Bravery

It's been a year, but it's official: Fox is no longer scared of Bear. This morning, Bear jumped up on the bed (as usual) to take a 'nap.'  Generally, his 'nap' consists of licking/sitting/laying on me, chewing on a rawhide that he occasionally drops to the floor with a bang, and actually sleeping.  Generally Bear is on the bed for roughly half an hour, then he goes back to his kennel to sleep.  Fox takes this opportunity to come sleep on my back, often rubbing his cheek on mine and purring happily.

Bear and Fox trade off getting to be on the bed in the morning until I get up.  This morning, Fox decided that he was no longer going to put off getting petted and the comfort of sleeping on my back while Bear was lounging beside me. Fox jumped up right in front of Bear, walked past him, and SAT DOWN PURRING!  Bear looked startled, and tried to tentatively sniff Fox.  And Fox didn't care.  He FINALLY figured out that Bear has never and will never try to eat/hurt/maim him.

My mighty orange cat seems to have gotten over his irrationally long lived fear of the 72 pound beast.  There is even another example of his bravery already this morning.

Bear came into the bathroom to see me, bypassing Fox who was sitting just outside the door.  Fox sat his ground.  Then, Bear tried to leave and felt uncomfortable going back past the Mighty Orange Cat.  He whined and bowed to Fox, then carefully trotted past him.  Fox not only sat his ground, but he sat back on his haunches, front paws in the air.  He didn't hit Bear, but was prepared to defend himself.

Someday, maybe, they could even play together. For now, the Medal of Valor goes to...