I know I treat my cat like a dog...

So this morning I was taking a shower and had a little visitor - Dexter. He has been interested in the shower since he was born - jumping in it from the moment he was able to jump. But this morning I was surprised to find him in the shower while it was on. Since I was done with my shower and about to get out I decided to give him a bath. I give him a bath weekly in the bathroom sink but since he was so interested in the shower I thought it might be quicker and easier (yup, it was). I know people are probably thinking "You bathe your cat weekly? Cats hate water". I hear this from a lot of people who hear what we do with Dexter. I even give him a good blow dry when we bathe him - it dries him off and prevents really any extra shedding. He is also so fluffy and smells delicious!
But the funniest part about all of this is the explanation of the coat he is wearing in the picture above. After I blow dried him he was still shaking from the cold (we haven't turned our heat on yet and it's a cool 63 degrees in our house). Since I've been sorting through the dog coats for the blog I thought I would try on one of Mia's coats from when she was a little puppy. It fit him like a glove. Sure, he was a little weirded out by the coat. But after he rolled around a couple times and acting like a limp, dead kitten, he sprang back to life and is nice and toasty. I promise - I won't make a habit out of this strange behavior of putting a coat on a cat - but when it's necessary, I'll do anything for my animals :-)
All in all, Dexter is doing wonderful. He's become a great part of our families. He's certainly won over a dog lover. I've never had a cat and certainly don't know how to treat a cat like a cat - but whatever I'm doing must be working because he's a friendly, sweet cat.
I've gotten some looks when I mention that our kitten is "crate trained" (he sleeps in his crate and is put in his crate when we need him out of the way and he likes it). We also get stares when I mention that we bathe and blow dry him weekly with the dogs. Heck, he even plays with the dogs like he is a dog.
Dexter has never known another cat. His mom left him when he was a little over a week old. So he grew up and learned from our dogs. It's interesting to see the dog-like characteristics he has learned and the cat characteristics that are just engraved into his brain (litter box use and when he goes on the prowl).
So I'll admit, I treat my cat like a dog. But who cares - he's sure one cute, loveable dog-cat!