Meet Douglas – the cat who thinks he’s a dog

Douglas sits on command, begs for treats and loves to play fetch.

Sounds a bit like a dog, right? Well Douglas is a cat – but after years of growing up with his best friend Phoebe the golden retriever, he shows a lot of canine behaviours.

After a tough life on the streets, being bullied by other cats because he was so weak, he was adopted by Luci Mahon, from Derby, and her husband Geoff Fisher and brought to live alongside Phoebe.

Realising he could trust her, Douglas started copying Phoebe’s behaviour and they became quite a team.

Together they helped to care for and comfort Luci when she suffered a brain injury because of medication she was taking for anxiety. She also has Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) – a long-term neurological condition that causes symptoms affecting many body systems.

‘We were both lucky because I found him when he needed me and and now he’s there when I need reassurance,’ Luci told Metro.co.uk for Cat Week.

Luci found Douglas when he was living as a stray in 2015. She spent some time trying to catch and help him to find a new home before deciding they should adopt him.

She explains: ‘I got off the bus one day and he just darted out of the bushes. I know most of the cats in our street and I knew he didn’t live around here.

‘I was in a bit of a rush to get back but I took a photograph to ask around to see if he belonged to anyone.

‘For about three days after that, we would go searching for the cat. We borrowed a cat carrier from our neighbours and got some cat food.

‘We found lots of other cats, but not him. We were going out shopping on the Saturday and we were in the car and I just spotted him. I shouted “stop” and Geoff ran back to get the cat carrier.

‘We just wanted to get him to a vet and get him checked over. He was so thin and weak, I picked him up and he just fell into my arms.

‘We were going to get him rehomed but we just fell in love with him. He and Phoebe got on straight away and it was just all meant to be.’

Douglas was covered in fleas and bites from other cats and he was missing fur. He was very underweight but a few weeks of care and attention made him much better.

Although Luci and Geoff were worried about how he would get on with a dog, he quickly fitted into the family.

Luci adds: ‘He is a very sweet cat. He puts his paw in the palm of my hand to reassure him and that’s how he falls asleep sometimes still.

‘It’s funny that he exhibits dog behaviour. He used to look to Phoebe to figure out what to do.

‘He sits on command, gives his paw, goes around in a circle, begs and retrieves toys for you. He’ll jump up and catch treats in the air. He’s so smart.

‘Phoebe would sort of mother him and the interaction between them was lovely. Douglas is much more keen on dogs than cats and we think that might have been because when he was on the street, he was beaten up by other cats.’

With such a close bond with Phoebe, the pair were an incredible support for Luci when her health deteriorated in 2017.

Although her ME has always meant that she suffers from severe fatigue, she also suffered an iatrogenic brain injury which meant she became even more unwell and was often bedbound.

‘They were both by my side all the time,’ Luci said. ‘They just knew that I was ill and would come and cuddle up to me as comfort. It was incredible how instinctive they both were.

‘Even when my husband had a bad day, they would know that he was upset and go to him straight away.

‘They were such great companions as well because my husband would be away at work and they were there to reassure me and give me company.

‘Sadly Phoebe died this year, which was a huge loss for us all, including Douglas, but he’s continued to be a massive support for me.’

Luci’s health has improved slightly but she still needs a lot of rest – and Douglas is still by her side.

‘He still loves to cuddle up to me and he’s just such a positive force to have around,’ she says.