Frenemies
When cat and dog and sheep and goat, yea, fox and hen and hog and stoat
Befriend each other, work and play like boon companions, night and day,
It’s time to question if the world as we have known it is unfurled,
Unraveled, undefined, undone–if we should pack our bags and run–
For such behavior’s a disgrace and flies in Mother Nature’s face.
So, be alert! The fox and hen, sheep and the goats, like gods and men,
Belong apart; the stoat and hog must not be friends, nor cat and dog.
Art-Colored Glasses 
What a paradox that exists in our world…
No creatures more paradoxical than humankind could possibly exist, I suspect! 😉
We had a beagle who was hell bent on raising our cats kittens. She would steal them away from Mama Cat every time and it made the mama yeowl in anger and frustration and altogether, it drove all of us quite up the wall. 🙂
Oh, my, I’ve got quite the images playing in my head now! I’ve not been around beagles much, but what little I’ve seen makes me think they’re pretty fond of taking over the lead any chance they get. I’m imagining that if you hadn’t intervened occasionally you’d have had a houseful of barking, baying cats wanting to play fetch and bury chewing bones. 😉
I’ve had dogs and cats that got along just fine. Max, on the other hand, considers all animals smaller than himself as playmates. At 80 lbs, most smaller animals are terrified and, if not, one swipe of his paw, no matter how playfully intended, will insure that the animal will achieve terrified status quite quickly as I try to explain to the owner, “He’s only playing …”
Have outlived many pets, having been on the face of this earth more than a few decades. None of them have ever been friends at any given time. The dogs & cats fought with the dogs & cats. I have been in the middle of some of those arguments more than once myself. Presently, three cats live in our home but never speak to one another except in anger or disgust & outright hostility. Entertaining as it is, it would be more pleasant if they were compatible…
You make it sound like quite the adventure living among your menagerie! They’re just fortunate to be domiciled with someone so tolerant of their antics, I think. 🙂 xo