Strange friendships

Text by S.THEODORE BASKARAN

Can a cat and a dog be friends? Yes, provided they get to know each as kitten and pup. Billy Arjan Singh, known as India's Tiger Man, has documented one such friendship. His dog Tera and three hand-reared leopard cubs are great friends.

My dog Paari, a Fox terrier, stuck a similar friendship with a stray kitten. Named after the legendary Tamil king known for his generosity, Paari lives up to his name.

Paari came to us when he was a month old. One day, while romping in the garden he came upon a kitten. In the first few days, whenever they came across each other, the two stood still, staring at each other, expecting the other to make a move, like two boxers in a ring. But soon, they became friends.

Now the cat (for she is no more a kitten) appears every day at lunch time and Paari lets her eat his food. He watches her eat and he eats later. One day, we served him his favourite lunch and watched to see if he would still let the cat eat first. The cat came in and started eating from his dish. Paari waited for sometime but the aroma was too much for him. He moved in gingerly and began eating from one side of the dish. It was a touching sight to see the cat and dog eating from the same plate.

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