KEY POINTS:
Tiddles, a resthome cat, has taken to sleeping with the enemy - a pigeon, which is now his best friend.
Tiddles and his owner, John Hoffman, have been residents of Cantabria Home and Hospital in Rotorua for the past nine years.
Mr Hoffman, a retired mechanic, one day noticed a pigeon sitting on his neighbour's roof and was initially concerned about how Tiddles would react to their new visitor.
But he needn't have worried. The laid-back cat never so much as lifted a paw as the curious bird began landing closer and closer to Mr Hoffman's front door.
Eventually, one afternoon it came inside and watched a bit of TV with him. By then Mr Hoffman had named the pigeon Bird.
To the surprise of staff and residents, Tiddles and Bird have become close. They've been seen sharing food, huddling together on cold days and even play-fighting - claws in, of course.
"It's incredible really, it's an unnatural thing," Mr Hoffman said.
'They are very sociable - the cat lies in the sun and the bird pecks her on the tail."
To add to the oddity, a couple of months ago a ring-necked dove - as yet unnamed - has started sitting with Tiddles and Bird.
Sadly, Tiddles has cancer of the eye and, at 16, may not be around much longer. But Mr Hoffman hopes Bird will continue to have the dove for company.
- DAILY POST
