Unlikely Friendships : 47 Remarkable Stories From the Animal Kingdom (4 page)

“We had a tiny kitten, a bobcat, already in a crate there,” says Julia Di Sieno, director of the team. “We had rescued him on the governor's property, and the animal needed round-the-clock care. We weren't sure he'd survive.” When she brought in the fawn, she found that crates, like rehab space, were in short supply. There was no choice but to put the two young animals together. And that turned out to be just what they needed.

“As soon as we let the fawn in, the bobcat went right over to her, curled up, and went to sleep. They were both so exhausted and weak. They cuddled right up as one.” The animals were only together for a couple of hours while rescuers found room for the fawn a few hours away, “but it was such an important time,” she says. “It offered them both warmth and comfort, and maybe alleviated their fear and loneliness. It was such a lovely bond.”

The rescue group, which on this occasion saved wildlife and domestic animals of all sorts, rehabilitates everything from ducks to foxes and, eventually, releases them into areas where habitat remains intact. After its much-needed rest with its bobcat friend, the fawn was relocated and placed with other fawns so it would grow up with its own kind. Months later, when the fawn was a year old, the deer herd was set free.

“It's funny because a fawn would normally be a nice little morsel of food for a bobcat—an adult bobcat, that is,” says Di Sieno. Indeed, the cat, still in captivity for the time being, has since become a stealthy and successful hunter. But under the stress of the fire, the two natural foes found strength in each other. “I'm sure it boosted their morale to be together at that critical time,” Di Sieno says.

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OUISIANA
, U.S.A., 2005}

When Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, Louisiana, in August 2005, thousands of pet owners were forced to rush to high ground without their animals. Most left food and water to tide their pets over, expecting to collect them within a day or two. But few were able to return home, and at least 250,000 domestic animals were suddenly on their own.

Scores of pets died. Many hit the streets, relying on their most basic instincts to survive. Some joined packs for protection. These two found each other.

The dog, a female, had a bobbed tail. So did the cat, a male. The dog had been tied up but had broken away, and a few links
of chain still hung down from around her neck. The cat followed the clinking strand as it dragged on the ground. They were likely wandering the city that way for many weeks. No one knows if they shared a home before the storm, but when a construction worker first took an interest in the animals, they were clearly together. In fact, the dog was quite protective of her feline friend, growling if anyone got too close to him.

Rescuers from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary brought the pair to a temporary shelter in Metairie, a New Orleans suburb, and named them Bobbi and Bob Cat, for the cropped tails.

“We were set up to house dogs and cats separately,” says the sanctuary's Barbara Williamson, who handles media relations and also helped watch over the two Bobbies after their capture. “But Bobbi wasn't having it. She had a piercing bark that would go right through you. And as long as they were separated, she got very upset and loud.” So the volunteers cobbled together a cage inside a longer cage, to give the animals access to each other without taking a chance on either getting hurt. “As long as Bobbi was near her kitty, she was calm,” Barbara says.

The discovery that Bob Cat was fully blind, probably since birth, made the animals' relationship all the more touching. Bobbi the dog had truly been leading him and keeping him safe. “You could tell by
the way she managed his movements,” Barbara says. “She'd bark at him, as if telling him when to go and when to stop. She'd bump her hind end against him, herding him the right way. It was incredible to watch.” Despite his handicap, Bob Cat “was very confident, almost regal,” Barbara says, “while Bobbi was more of a clumsy teenager. The contrast was a riot.”

News about the dog–cat duo quickly got out through the media, and Best Friends found just the right person to take these special animals. But sadly, not long after the adoption, Bob Cat became ill and died. The new owners decided the best medicine for the dog was to bring another rescue cat into the household, and they found one that, coincidentally, had a cropped tail. Bobbi the dog accepted the new feline right away.

“For me, the Bobbies demonstrated the depth of feelings animals can have for one another,” says Barbara.

Luckily, that emotional depth does at times include humans. The pet salvage operation after Katrina was one of the largest ever accomplished following a natural disaster. Caring volunteers and rescue organizations worked tirelessly to help find new homes for thousands of animals.

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ALIFORNIA
, U.S.A., 2009}