Goldie Locks and the Cat Hairs

Our dog is a Golden Retriever.  So that probably explains everything to anyone who has ever had interactions with such a breed.  Pippi loves people.  She loves cats, in spite of the fact that our cat sees her as a toy.  Hmm.  I'll have to include a picture of Purrsee "loving" our dog. 
Purrsee is a Maine Coon Cat.  If you have a cat with an attitude, you will understand our household dynamics better also.

Purrsee hugging Pippi.

When we leave the house, we put Pippi in charge, but remind her not to tell Purrsee.  We all know who's really in charge, but Pippi likes to think she has some say in what will go on while we are gone.  Twice now we've found Pippi without a tail wag.  We took her to the vet the first time it happened.  He said she had a slight swelling on her tail and to wait a couple of days and see what would become of it.  $175, please.
The tail wag came back in a couple of days.
So this time when it happened, we ignored it totally.  Most of her tail wag has come back.  She kind of twirls her tail in a circle now though instead of back and forth.
When she loses her wag, she looks so depressed.  Her tail hangs, her head hangs.  She eats and otherwise appears normal.  But she definitely needs her tail to wag to be her cheerful self.
Both times this has happened it has been a sudden thing.  One day she's waggy, the next day droopy.  And I'm wondering, as I did the first time, if the cat has anything to do with it.
You see, the cat is large and in charge.  Sometimes the cat will hide around a corner and pop out at the dog.  The dog will go skittering away, feet splaying, and sometimes she falls as she tries to maneuver a corner to get out of the way of the cat.
Sometimes the cat grabs the dog around the neck and bites an ear, or licks an ear (we never know what mood he's in when he starts the game), then runs off.  Purrsee usually only chases her a few feet and then turns around to walk away with an air of superiority about him.  The dog goes to her bed to play with a stuffed toy, like nothing ever happened, a cheerful "I wanted to be over here anyway" look on her grinny face, contented that the cat's attention has wandered to something else.
When we leave the house, I see their two faces looking out the window at us.  The cat's face usually is the first to disappear, leaving the dog to stare wistfully.

Pippi with Puppy

Pippi is such a gentle dog.  She loves stuffed toys, preferably ones that don't squeak.  If they squeak she gets concerned about their health and well-being.  When we come home she brings us one of her toys and will let us take it in our hands (like we really enjoy holding a wet stuffed animal) for a few seconds.  Then she gets nervous about never seeing it again and will request that you hand it back to her by opening her mouth and prancing around you.  She takes it carefully by the ear or leg, walks off a safe distance, sets it gently on the floor, and repositions it in her mouth for better carrying.
Pippi is so careful with her "babies", she would have every toy she ever owned if we didn't periodically get rid of some.  She currently has a Winnie the Pooh, a green swan, an elephant, a lion, a green monster and her Christmas puppy - a golden retriever from Cabela's .  As my husband and I manuever around these toys, it becomes apparent that we will have to cut down on her litter some.  It gets dangerous to walk around the house, and I'm getting so that I don't think I want to break a hip, or anything else for that matter.
The cat has one toy excluding the dog.  He is partial to a ring with a ball in it to bat in circles, with a center pad for clawing.  The entire house is his toy though.  We have open stairs and railings that he can crawl through and around and sit atop for surveying.  He has his jester dog.  He has his maid and butler who keep his bowls full and his litter box clean.  There really isn't anything else a king needs, unless you count that mouse he wanted to keep for a pet.  We drew the line there.  I don't mind playing a maid, but I'm not taking care of his pets.
Mouse is gone.

Okay, so are cats related to owls?