If it was up to Mako, he’d be scratching a post, kneading a cushion or stalking a toy mouse.
You see, Mako, a 2-year-old pit bull, has no idea he’s a dog. Rather, he believes he’s more like the dog’s frenemy: a cat.
Adopted by the Castiller family in 2018, they first noticed that something wasn’t exactly right with their puppy.
“We started noticing some cat-like behavior into the first week of getting him,” says Bethany Castiller.
She explains how in the beginning they would keep Mako separate from their two cats, Pecan and Gizmo. But when they slowly started introducing the animals that is when things “got a little weird.”
“I’d come to get a snack and just see all my animals on the counters together,” says Castiller. “Mako wanted to be on all the elevated surfaces around my house like the cats.
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And this wasn’t a phase; it continues to this day.
“Whenever Mako sees my cats on the counters or cabinets he hops up to join them,” says Castiller. “He really just wants to be around the cats all the time. If he is not in the room with one of us humans, he’s with the cats.”
And it isn’t just small jumps. Mako has been known to leap on top of the refrigerator. “I think people underestimate how high dogs can jump,” says Castiller. “Mako can easily hop up on the counter and then onto the fridge like his cat brothers.”
But Mako’s cat behavior goes beyond jumping on high surfaces. Castiller says he goes crazy for cat treats, loves playing with their toys and imitates their other behaviors.
“He also likes to lay on the tables with my cats and look out the window at the birds and deer with them,” she says. “When he sees one of my cats lay on their backs for a tummy rub, he comes over and does the same thing!”
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As for what do Pecan and Gizmo think of Mako wanting to be one of them? Well, like many cats, they just tolerate him.
“Mako definitely wants to be around them more than they want to be around him at times,” she says. “The cats usually don’t have a problem with him, but you can tell they are always surprised when he gets on the tables with them.”
To follow Mako’s shenanigans, check out his Instagram account Mako_TheCatDog.
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