Rarely do you find a home with both.
But when Alan Meilike, owner of two bichons, found an abandoned cat in the dumpster behind his work, he could not resist.
"He was maybe 6 pounds," Meilike said. "I felt so sorry for him."
The cat was friendly and not afraid of people. Unfortunately, Meilike was told his work already had a cat and another would be too many.
He borrowed cat food from his co-workers that day, but later in the evening, Meilike brought milk from his home.
"He gobbled it down," Meilike said. "Not sure what to do, my daughter suggested I bring him home."
Knowing his wife did not want a cat; Meilike and his daughter put him in the garage and named him Garfield after the cartoon cat.
But after one day, they realized Garfield was extremely sick and needed medical attention.
"Everything was wrong with him," Meilike said. "He had an infected claw, upper respiratory problems, ear mites, hook worms and chronic sneezing."
More than $550 later, Garfield started a special diet while taking medicine and moved into the house.
"He looked at the dogs, the dogs looked at him and it was like another roommate," Meilike said. "They didn't hiss, they didn't bark, they didn't growl. They just looked at each other like it was no big deal."
Garfield quickly won over Karen's heart with his playful personality and dog-like behavior.
"Just look at him; he's quite a character," Karen said. "He thinks he is a dog."
Nearly six months after being rescued, Garfield is a much healthier cat with two friends to play with on a regular basis. While most cats loathe dogs, Garfield and the two bichons live in harmony.
"They chase, run and wrestle together," Karen said. "They don't know they are supposed to be enemies."

