Soma and Boo-Boo Tail chase dogs

One of our very first cats (aka the “starter” cat) was very territorial.  Her name was Soma (though my mom called her “posessed”), and, remarkably, she would chase dogs out of her yard.

It’s true.  Back then (around 1980), we lived in North Miami and owned a modest duplex with a large front yard and even larger, but fenced in, backyard.  I worked at that time at the City of North Miami Beach, and one day, the Purchasing manager for the City came to the office with a “box of kittens”.  They were really cute, but, I selected the one that seemed to have the worse personality – after all, why not?  Alice I named her Soma, after the drug cited in the book, “Brave New World”.

As it would come to pass, we absolutely fell in love with the cat and she would do “unusual” things.  She liked to sleep on your head.  Yes, you would lie down in bed, on your pillow, and she would snuggle up onto the TOP of your head and that’s where she would sleep – no where else.   She also would jump (somehow) onto the top of open doors – the narrow piece of wood on the top of an open door.  There, she would wait.  Meanwhile, you would be walking though the house and SUDDENLY a cat would descend upon you, unseen, from above, and equally remarkably, land perfectly onto your shoulders.  This was a unique SOMA-Only antic that no other cat that I’ve had since, has ever repeated.  And lastly, there was the dog chasing.

Soma, like I said before, was very territorial.  She would play (and patrol) in the front yard of the duplex.  One day, while we were watching her, a medium sized dog walked onto our yard.  He was about 4 times larger than Soma.  Nonetheless, Soma, upon seeing the dog, immediately charged towards the dog – in fact, towards the dogs hind legs.  As she ran up to the dog, the dog then (belatedly) noticed that he was “under attack”, and immediately ran.  Soma increased her speed and – I am not making this up – she seemed to run with only her back legs in motion, as her front legs, and open claws, reach out in front of her and began to enclose the rump area of the fleeing dog.  The dog was nothing less than terrified.  The cat was matching and increasing her speed to that to the dog and was able to snap her paws unto his thighs.  Go Soma! The chase continued for over 100 feet – the width of our front yard!  Luckily (for the dog), Soma gave up the chase as the dog ran into the street and across to another neighbor’s yard.  Over the years we would see Soma repeat this for other stray dogs that entered her territory.

Well, it now almost 30 years since Soma chased dogs in North Miami.  We (sort of) lost Soma a long time ago after we had moved from North Miami to North Miami Beach.  I think she got pissed that we acquired some new cats into the Clary household, so, she packed up her bags and moved in with one of the neighbors – a very nice older woman.  The kind woman renamed Soma to “Pumpkin”, and “Pumpkin: lived a long and happy life.  We knew that “Pumpkin” was “Soma” when the woman told us how her cat would sleep only on her head, and loved to jump onto the top of open doors.

So, you would think that would be the end of cats chasing dogs.  But, no.  Boo-Boo Tail (someday, I’ll explain how “Boo-Boo” got his name), chases dogs too.  This is his story.

Now living in the former Everglades, in a neighborhood called “Silverlakes”, we live on a man-made, but “wetland restored”, lake.  We have neighbors on either side, and our homes are separated by nice looking, all-white, aluminum fences.  The distance between the wall of my house, and the wall of my neighbor’s house is about 25 feet.

These 25 feet are very important to Boo-Boo Tail.  These 25 Feet are as important to Boo-Boo Tail as the DMZ is, in separating North Korean from South Korea.  The reason is that 12.5 feet of the 25 feet belong to Boo-Boo Tail, including the fence that separates his 12.5 feet from the enemy’s 12.5 feet.  So, the fence and the 12.5 feet closer to his house is “Boo’s” territory, while the remaining 12.5 feet closer to the neighbor’s house belong to the neighbor’s dogs.

The neighbor’s dogs are Bichon-Frizes.  They are really cute, very energetic, very territorial, very yappy and absolutely no match whatsoever against Boo-Boo Tail.

For a little while the Bichon’s (“Princess” and “Cosmo”), would walk or run through the fence seperating the properties.  If Boo-Boo happened to be outside and noticed one of these incursions, then, Boo-Boo would immediately attach the dogs.

It is a remarkable sight.  Boo-Boo, just like Soma, would accelerate towards (not one), but both dogs. The dogs would immediately perform and about face, discountine the incursion into enemy territory, and beat a hasty retreat into friendly territory.

Boo would have nothing of it.  He chased the dogs from his own 12.5 feet, past the gate and then into the enemy’s territory.  At this point, the dogs were YELPING.  They were running as fast as they could and yelping – screaming – for help.   Boo was right behind them.  And, like Soma, he would somehow be able to appear to run on only two hind legs, as his front legs were extended into the air and onto the rumps of the fleeing and yelping dogs.   Go Boo-Boo Tail!   What a sight!   If the Bichon’s stopped and held their ground, Boo didn’t care, he continued the advanced and would leap onto the dogs with his claws extended and his fangs exposed – usually bearing down onto one of the dog’s necks.  The dogs would then resume their retreat and the noise of the yelping was incredible.

After too many of these incursions and counter-incursions, the good neighbors placed chicken wire onto the fence to prevent the dogs from coming into Boo’s territory.  This also helped Boo as well.  He could no longer do an incursion into enemy territory and then quickly sneak back into his own territory.  So, finally the cat/dog wars of Silverlakes came to a successful and peaceful conclusion.

Boo, meanwhile, not being able to continue chasing dogs, has focused all his hunting and aggressiveness onto rodents.  If you are rodent, and you happen to have the misfortune of being born in Silverlakes, then your days on this planet are numbered.  Boo will get you. This is a harsh fact.  You can run, but you can’t hide. And, if you do run, Boo will outrun you. And if you hide, Boo will discover you and eat you.  And, if you are a dog, and you make the serious mistake of walking onto Boo’s yard, then you will be pursued.