That 2nd photo made me laugh...talk about leading the life... They are cute together.
I never had a cat of my own until I was like 24 or 25, then I took home an abandoned 1 year old kitten who had been hanging around our store all summer. The momma cat and other kittens disappeared one by one.
I had 2 dogs at the time and Ashley, my cat got on well with both of them, and the dogs, at first never paid her much mind. But over the years, Ashley and my one dog Hey You became kind of like buddies. If Hey You was outside, Ashley was right there with her. They slept close to each other on the sofa.
I had to put Hey You to sleep when she was 16, and I remember watching Ashley prowl around the house and outside looking for her. She would then jump up on the sofa go sit in the corner where Hey You use to sleep then let out a long wail...not a meow...a wail. It would leave me just in tears to see her so. Even now thinking about it, I'm tearing up, and Hey You passed away around 20+ years ago.
Ashley lived to be 21. After she passed away, I got my 2nd cat, Kayla. She acted like she might like a friend, whereas Ashley was cat aggressive. So I adopted her a friend named Shayle (spelled with the same letters as Ashley).
None of my dogs ever had issues with my cats. But when Shayle disappeared one year and I got Kayla another friend....for some reason, while Kayla and Shayle got along fine. Kayla and Song don't. They don't fight...they tolerate each other. Sometimes they will play chase...and look they they enjoy it, they look playful, until they catch each other then it's an instant fight.
So, I think dogs and cats have a better chance at getting along than cat and cats at times : ) Problem is, it takes a long time (there's a method to it) to properly introduce cats and even then you will never know how it will turn out.
Congrats on getting such a wonderful cat for your first one. I'm sure he's impressed with his new servant too.
Stormy