There Is A Cat...

Wandering around our complex, mewling like his heart is broken. I went outside earlier, and he came right up to me. It was a combination of wrapping himself around my legs, playfully batting at my shins, and hissing and trying to bite. He followed me onto our deck, then took off when he saw the dog. He's very cute, is a little schizophrenic, and he's clean and well-fed, so I doubt he's a stray. But his mewling is breaking my heart! I just want to bring him inside and cuddle!
Something tells me he and the dog might not be best friends, though.
Although it wouldn't be on her part (the dog's, that is). A couple of years ago I found a beagle puppy roaming the streets of our neighborhood. I took him home, put up notices, and he stayed overnight. Luna, our dog, wasn't thrilled, but being part Corgi, she looked after him anyway. (The next day his humans called, and came to bring him home.)
A couple of years before that, we found an injured baby bird in the yard. We put him in a box and brought him in, placing the box on the dining rook table. Luna stood guard by the box, and every once in a while would place her front paws on the table and peer inside to make sure the little guy was OK. (Later in the day, his mom came to our walkway, and we put him outside so he could skip over to her. She took him home. It was very cute!)
She's very protective of our kids. The other day I brought them out onto the front deck to play. She came out and sat by them, keeping them in sight at all times. She's also been keeping an eye on our daughter, who isn't feeling well and has been crying a lot. Luna stays with her, comes to her whenever she cries, and makes sure to check on her first thing in the morning.
She's also protective of any child she comes into contact with, as well as pregnant women. She was only 2 when I got pregnant for the first time. Overnight she went form being the somewhat hyperactive baby of the family to my personal bodyguard. And the day we brought our son home from the hospital, she very gently put her paws on his crib to look in on him, saw that he was sleeping, and very quietly took her paws off to lay down by his crib. When we brought our daughter home, we put her car seat on the floor with her asleep in it. Luna came over, sniffed, and sat down next to her.
She lets them pull her tail, yank at her fur, use her for a horsey, a slide, a stepstool, and a foot massager. She lets them play with her food, her water, and her toys. She understands that they come first.
A year ago, when I had to take her to the vet at 8:00 on a Friday night, she was very patient and let them poke and prod her. When we were in the lobby and another woman came in, very upset because her old dog was quite sick and was going to be put down, Luna went over and sat at the woman's feet while she cried.
She stands still when I clean out her ears, even though she hates it. She takes her medicine, even though she doesn't want to. She leaves the room whenI swear, because she's sensitive that way. And when our other two dogs passed away, she was very sad.
She's a wonderful dog. An old soul, I think. And I hope she sticks around for a long time to come.