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Unlikely friends: Why we love odd animal pairs
But are these unusual relationships real — or do we just want them to be?
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These unusual relationships are celebrated and admired. But are they genuine — or do we just want them to be?
They’re often actually the real deal, says John Wright, Ph.D., a certified applied animal behaviorist and professor of psychology at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. Given the right set of circumstances, and the right animals, they can form close and lasting relationships.
Heather MacLeod has seen it firsthand. She credits her white German shepherd, Faith, with helping save the life of her cat. Nearly nine years ago, MacLeod was driving home from work when a kitten tottered in front of her car. She swerved to avoid her, stopped the car, rescued the kitten and drove immediately to her veterinarian, who said she was so malnourished she probably wouldn’t survive the night. But MacLeod named her Hope and took her home, where the dog and cat became so close that Hope even nursed from Faith, who had never been bred but nonetheless produced milk for the little kitten. MacLeod, who lives in New Brunswick, Canada, says the two are still the best of friends.
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Courtesy of Heather MacLeod Hope the cat gives Faith the dog a kitty kiss. Their owner, Heather MacLeod, says the two are practically inseparable. |
Young mammals are often open to different kinds of experiences that tickle all of their senses. The most important of those experiences is a thermotactile sensation, a combination of warmth and softness.
“If you get a kitten and a mouse together at an early enough age, and they’re sleepy and well-fed and they’re both a little chilly, and they cuddle up to one another, you can certainly create a bond very early on that will carry on into adulthood, as long as the needs are met for both individuals,” Wright says.
Allowing two young animals to be comfortable with each other in this way creates the condition for a bond to occur, but it might not take place if their biological needs aren’t met. That doesn’t mean the kitten would try to eat the mouse — kittens must be taught by their mother to consider mice as food — but an irritable kitten might strike out against the mouse.
Wright says that even unlikely animal friendships can endure if both animals belong to a social species. But some animals, such as raccoons, become more solitary as they mature. That can put stress on the relationship and bring a natural end to the bond.
Friends of a different feather
Wright said he himself had a chicken that forged a relationship with his late chocolate Labrador retriever, Charlie Brown.
“We know they were bonded because they cuddled up next to one another and that’s where they rested. They hung out and did just about anything together,” he says. “They were true friends.”
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When Susan Fox of McKinleyville, Calif., brought home a 9-week-old collie puppy, Niki, she said her three cats raised him to treat them with respect and taught him to speak cat as a second language.
“They taught him when he was a puppy to do nose-to-nose kitty greetings,” Fox says. In return, the cats have learned to tolerate having their rear-ends sniffed.
“He comes running if any of the cats make a noise that sounds like distress and that one gets sniffed from one end to the other,” Fox says.
These days, Fox has a new cat, Alexander, who hangs out with Niki, now 6 years old. Alex snuggles under Niki’s chin and Niki pokes at him with his long collie nose.
The only collateral damage so far is that Niki wants to get close to any cat he sees and occasionally gets swatted by those who don’t appreciate it, Fox says. She has taught him to approach them slowly and carefully, and occasionally he is rewarded with a nose touch.
It’s not unusual for animals to be nurturing toward the young of any species. The instinct to care for another animal can be hormonal or simply related to the age of the pair.
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“If they’re both young, their behavior is what we call ‘plastic,’” Wright says. “It’s very malleable and they’re open to just about any experience and opportunity.”
In other words, if it feels good, they’ll want to do it more. It can also simply be a matter of what the animal is accustomed to.
“Cats raised with rats and not cats will be more friendly with rats than other cats. It’s the same with cats raised with dogs and dogs raised with cats,” says veterinary behaviorist Terry Curtis at the University of Florida in Gainesville. “I would imagine it’s a ‘what you’re familiar with’ thing.”
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