Service dog recovers from attack and becomes “instant soul mate” with new cat

A California woman has melted hearts as she shared the story of how the cat she adopted instantly became best friend to her dog, who was suffering from anxiety following an incident that left the dog traumatized.

In a post shared on Reddit in August under the username Ok-Marionberry-3109, a series of images shows the two pets Bear (the dog) and Niko (the cat), who look inseparable, cuddling, playing and sleeping together like siblings.

“I got my dog ​​a cat after an incident caused her to develop anxiety attacks and the two became instant soul mates,” reads a caption shared along with the photos.

The poster, 22-year-old Amelia, told Newsweek that she got Bear when the dog was only four months old and trained her to be her service animal, but soon after, an accident occurred that changed the puppy’s future.

“When she was a year and a half old and almost finished her training, we encountered three aggressive fake service dogs in a store that did not allow pets. These dogs came out of nowhere, the last one came incredibly close on the end of his retractable leash and tried to attack Bear,” she said.

“This led to her becoming afraid of all dogs, developing really bad anxiety and me having to ‘retire’ or ‘wash’ her from service. After that she would sit at home looking very bored and disturbed. She had been on anti-anxiety medication at the time. My partner and I decided it would be best to get her a friend.”

Then the couple found Niko in an online post and decided he was the one. As soon as they picked him up, he immediately felt at home, and after settling in a separate room for a while, he was eventually introduced to Bear, and the two became best friends.

“I want to tell anyone reading this to keep unruly pets away from businesses that are not pet friendly. This puts service dogs and their handlers in more danger than they realize,” Amelia said.

Because of what Bear has been through, she has gotten a friend, but she has also developed severe anxiety, and the author has spent over a year teaching her coping mechanisms. To this day, the owner says, the dog has a panic attack every time she sees another dog.

Although they are often portrayed as mortal enemies, dogs and cats can live peacefully together and even comfort each other.

A 2020 study by Italian scientists published in the journal Plus Onewhich surveyed over 1,270 pet owners who own both a cat and a dog found that the two can live together easily and without major conflicts.

According to the study, over 64 percent of cats and dogs living together played with each other, 58 percent chased each other, and 41 percent fought with each other. Almost two-thirds of the pets sometimes “attacked” each other playfully.

The post quickly went viral on social media and was viewed by Reddit users, garnering over 29,000 upvotes and 450 comments on the platform so far.

One user, Monty_kurns, commented: “Despite their reputation, cats can be so affectionate. When I get really sick, mine won’t leave my side.”

TheVideogaming101 wrote: “I am convinced that anyone who thinks cats are not affectionate has either never had a cat or is making their cat afraid of them.”

LRSartist added, “They are the most beautiful, photogenic couple I have ever seen. Plus, cat-dog friends are so sweet. You are blessed.”

Do you have funny and cute videos or pictures of your pet that you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and he could appear on our Pet of the Week list.