It's been a while...

Hasn't it? Since I posted, I mean.
I find myself at a rather interesting quandary.
I don't want this blog to follow the events of my life, nor do I want to lament my emotional woes, as both are rather standard for a blog, and also rather personal. Also, anything I have an issue with I should be able to deal with, and isn't really that big a deal, big scheme wise.
So, what to blog about?
hmm...
You know that old phrase, "fighting like cats and dogs"?
Who came up with that?
Why do cats and dogs fight?
It's not like they're natural predators, or that they competed for food in the wild. Generally, they had different food sources, didn't they?
So what's with all the natural, vicious "fight-to-the-death" everyone expects when a cat and a dog get anywhere near each other?
I think it really has to do with the similarities between the species' psychologies, actually.
Both tend to be rather territorial, affectionate towards and protective of friends and extremely aggressive towards anyone or anything else. Often they'll get a sense of entitlement, and belonging to a particular person, thing, place (possibly an extension of the 'territorial' and familial instincts). So, I think much of it (in a contemporary setting, not out in the wild) will stem from the natural confrontations between two such animals natural instincts.
Take two pets, one cat and one dog belonging to, say, a brother and sister, respectively. Both, individually, are fond of either sibling though, of course, having a natural tendency to their "owner" (a laughable term, but it gets the point across). Now, bring them into the same situation: The one, say the dog, sees the sister with the cat. Now, several thoughts probably cross the dogs mind:
a ) Unknown figure, is it hostile?
-If the dog has had any run ins with cats before, this will definitely change the outcome.
b ) What is it doing with /my/ person?
etc. It feels something potentially hostile is intruding on it's territory and thus, as protector, the dog needs to eliminate said intruder.
Now the cat, sensing (and probably seeing) the aggressive behavior knows instinctively how to protect itself, and so prepares to fight. This, to the dog, is a sign of previously hostile intentions and, they are now and forever bitter enemies. Until, that is, until they can be taught that the other is /not/ a threat, that they are /not/ being replaced, and that they are /still/ loved more than the "intruder".
At least, that's what I think happened between my sister's dog and my cat.
As a rather humorous side note, the cat now has the dog thoroughly whipped. He (the dog) was nosing around her (the cat's) litter box the other night. I heard the dog's collar, and went to investigate (in case he would mess with said litterbox). I find the cat calmly sitting by the door, humorously eyeing the dog, who was stuck, hiding under the old baby's crib.
>:) Go Ninja.

*I know I said I would try not to post personal stuff. But a ) I'm in a writing drought, and needed to write /something/. b ) it's not me, it's my/my family's pets and c ) I used it merely to extrapolate on a curious behavioral phenomenon occurring in many modern day household animals.