ODD ANIMAL FRIENDSHIPS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 39, 14 August 1926, Page 16

ODD ANIMAL FRIENDSHIPS

A very interesting article was published a couple of months ago in "The Evening News," by Frances Pitt. It was called "Very Odd Animal Friendships," and told, among other instances of animal attachments, of a cat which reared a rat along with her kittens; of a terrier which was great friends with an otter; and of a gander which ran with a flock of sheep. Mrs. Puss had kittens at the same time as a litter of young rats was found in a heap of potatoes. One of the baby rats was dropped among the kittens and pussy tended him with the same devotion as her kittens; and what was perhaps the most surprising part' of the business, she never forgot him. Even when mothering subsequent families of kittens she remembered young Whiskers, now grown into a fine farmyard rat, and often brought him offerings of mice and sometimes young rabbits.

As for the terrier, Tiny, she was bought specially as a companion for the young otter cub, and they had great fun together. She didn't mind him playing in a bath of water, for she got a lot of fun grabbing at his tail as he swam round, but she didn't, for some reason, like him swimming in the garden pool. However, to even that Tiny became accustomed, and sometimes jumped in after him so that they might not be separated.

The case of Mr. Gander was really sad. He was happily paired with a nice goose, but when she made a nest, laid eggs and began to sit, Mr. Gander basely deserted her and joined a flock of sheep. Meanwhile the poor goose had no mate to look after her when she left her eggs to go and feed. She sat closer and seldom left them—and still the gander stayed away. One morning she was found floating dead on the wator, dead of a broken heart, I vorily believe. The gander continued to go about with the sheep, but one winter night Nemesis overtook him.' The faithless spouse was eaten by a fox.