Since Speedy (the d-thing) joined our house in November, Pine Cone has
been one disgruntled cat.  His girl, aka the blonde wench, has added a
huge smelly, butt sniffing, woofing, cat food eating, greebling
spawning, monster into his comfortable existence.  Needless to say, the
other cats have learned new curse words that that salty old sea cat.

The battle has taken on interesting dimensions.  At first Speedy would
sneak up behind PC and bark right behind him.  PC would jump straight
into the air, do an 180 degree spin in mid flight, and land in front of
the d*g with his fur up, eyes blazing, and claws extended for fight or
flight.  It almost always ended in flight.  Then QC got tired of the
barking, four to eight people yelling at the d*g to shut up, and Pine
Cone running away from the battle.  He took ON the enemy.

We no longer have to yell at Speedy not to bark at the cats, as QC will
attack him if he does.  Speedy can bark at anything else, but the minute
he barks at a cat, QC attacks.  Anyone who has ever had a 20 lb. Maine
Coon cat, puffed up into fighting mode, hisspitting, and aiming his
claws of death directly at your tender nose learns quickly not to use a
vocal invitation to play.  Pine Cone has noted that Speedy is terrified
of QC.  This is fair, as PC is sorta terrified of Speedy.

I was on the net talking with buddies a week or two ago, when I heard a
bit of a wuff.  Then there was a thud, thud, thud, of a heard of beasts
careening down the hall.  As I looked at the door, Pine Cone came to a
stop then paced casually into the room.  At the door Speedy's nose
appeared.  He looked around, saw me looking at him, saw QC rising and
stretching on the bed, and took off back down the hall with a thud,
thud, thud, of his own.  QC laid back down.  Pine Cone stared at me
intently for a few seconds, as if to make sure that I neither saw his
entrance or was going to laugh at him if I did and crawled under the
bed.  I think he was plotting, or was it pouting?

Yesterday, I was walking through the living room into the kitchen.  I
said hi to QC, who was curled up in a mound on the living room floor.  I
noticed Pine Cone leaving the cat condo in the living room and walking
into the foyer and towards the dining room, but didn't think much of it.
 Until I got to the kitchen, where I looked into the dining room and
saw Speedy in one of his favorite resting places under the dining room
table.

I watched, fascinated, as PC walked past the table.  Speedy immediately
got up and followed PC from the dining room and into the kitchen.  PC
got Speedy into the middle of the kitchen, then suddenly took off
running with the d-thing scrabbling and trying to get purchase on the
slick linoleum beneath his paws.  The two of them were barreling through
the living room (honest, the house isn't that big) when Speedy spotted
QC who was standing upright looking at the d*g with a glare of death in
his eyes and claws at the ready.

Speedy tried to stop, but the momentum was too great.  His paws had some
traction on the carpet, but not enough.  Pine Cone shot past QC, Speedy
met QC head on.  QC became a whirling buzz saw of claws, hisses, and
attitude and Speedy turned into a whimpering mass of husky/shepard
puppy.  He turned tail and barreled past me, slipping a couple of times
on the linoleum.  He cowered under the dining room table, butt to the
wall, looking for the furry monster who has became a mainstay of his
nightmares.  Pine Cone climbed to the top of the cat condo where he
preened and cleaned himself in triumph.  QC went back to sleep.