Can't believe what I have just witnessed

[Patriciathestripper1]

Ok I'm not going mad but this did happen:
Went over to my stables to show Dh where I wanted my outdoor security light putting.
Whilst he was up the ladder securing it to the side of the stables I started tying up hay nets and doing waters (we have two horses and my DD pony)
When I went into DD's pony's stable and whilst doing his net I heard something 'plop' into his water bucket (large builders rubble type bucket)
I went to look and it was a mouse that must have just fallen in (we find them sometimes in the horses buckets dead in the mornings but not very often)
I shouted for Dh to come quick. I'm not a wimpy sort but I didn't want to touch it but also didn't want it to drown.
My daughters pony went over to the bucket whilst I was standing in the stable door and looked down at the mouse and then to my utter amazement he pushed some of the straw up the side of his water bucket asthough he did it all the time so some of the straw went into the water and the mouse climbed out!
I have had horses all my life (parents had them so brought up with them) and I have never seen anything like that. One animal helping another from a different species?
My Dh thinks iabu and the pony didn't 'help' the mouse out of the bucket but I saw it with my own eyes so I know it happened.
After a lot of 'yes it did'. 'No it didn't' I tried to recreate it with my DD wind up fish which her pony promptly picked up out of the water bucket (I think he thought it was a treat I'd dropped in as she sometimes puts an apple in there for him to 'bob' to occupy him) and he bit and broke it but I know he did it.

Ahhh lovely lots of heart warming stories. What a sweet pony :)

Can I add mine My son was extremely distressed about a bereavement and couldn't go to school, was lying face down on sofa, crying quietly and hopelessly . My generally very slap-happy cat, who is aloof with the dcs much of the time, went over and licked and licked my ds's head. It went on for absolutely ages, my ds's hair was soaking in that spot and in the end it cheered him up as he giggled and said it was beginning to hurt because of the raspy tongue The cat also always sits next to anyone who is poorly.

Years ago, dh and I went to a wedding and took our dog with us. We got back to the hotel room and fell into bed tired and a bit drunk. The wedding finished in the early hours of the next day as it was abroad. In the morning, I woke up to find a poo in the bidet. I imagine the dog had been desperate to go out but hadn't been able to rouse me and realising he shouldn't poo anywhere copied us by pooing in what he thought was the loo! Clever dog.

I remember breast feeding ds, and my bloody cat would "kneed" the sleeve of my dressing gown, trying to get some milk like a kitten. I loved my cat, but not so much that I would bf him!

My friend had a huge lovely Rottweiler dog, she looked more like a bear she was so massive. Whenever she rescued a pregnant cat, the dog would have a phantom pregnancy. When the kittens were born, the dog would lactate as well as the mother cat. This massive Rottweiler would love lying on its back, allowing the kittens to suckle milk. My friend asked the vet if this was ok, and the vet said that it was fine for the kittens to drink dog milk.

This one is a little bit sad, but it was strange at the time. We had 4 cats at one point, and sadly one day one of them was accidentally run over and killed. We were devastated, and my df was burying her in the back garden. Our other 3 cats didn't get on particularly well, but they gathered around where we were burying the deceased cat. The eldest one sat up on a bench, and the other 2 sat apart. They formed a perfect triangle. Even next door's cat arrived, and sat up a little way away. They just sat and watched, in the same position. Paws neatly together, and tails wrapped neatly around. When my dad finished, the cats turned and walked slowly away. I couldn't believe it, but it was like something out of a Disney film. A little cat funeral. I've never seen anything like it since.

these stories are all amazing and beautiful

That's a wonderful story, itsallbollocks. I can just imagine it, having once had four cats myself. Your description of the cats with "their paws neatly together, and tails wrapped neatly around" is so realistic!

That's so lovely. I miss horses. I had a horse when I was pregnant and before I even realised I was he suddenly went very over protective, standing between me and anything "dangerous". This included other horses, men, dogs and a tent .

and a tent

I just remembered the counter story of horses saving wildlife. I didn't see this but was told of it by a mounted policeman. He covered London. When in Trafalgar square his horse would stand stock still on 3 legs, with his front leg up. If a pidgin went under the leg then the horse would stamp on it!! After a few times they stopped taking him as it upset the public.

Just had to add my story-

Several years ago when I lived at home I had a lovely pet rat. We also had a staffie as the family dog. One day rat wasn't in her cage so started searching the house in a complete teary panic thinking I'd never see her again. Eventually found her snuggled up with the Staffie in her blanket in the dog basket! This is the same dog that hated squirrels so not sure why she took to the pet rat so well! Also have no idea how she got there!

The cat also always sits next to anyone who is poorly.

Wasn't there a story a few years ago about a cat in a nursing home who would predict who was going to die in the night, and would go and sit with them.
The nurses knew after a while that if the cat was adamant it wanted to be in a certain room, it wasn't good news for the occupant

Oh dear, the cat of doom!

That was a lovely rat story, hadenough and, to be fair, there aren't many of those

My horse would have been terrified of it :-)

Yes, our cats always lie on us when we're ill. Maybe they're being nice, maybe they're just taking advantage of the body heat from our fevered temperature. Who knows?

"Wasn't there a story a few years ago about a cat in a nursing home who would predict who was going to die in the night, and would go and sit with them."

Yes, the idea was used in a storyline in House. Eventually, Dr. House figured out it was because the patients had high temperatures or had been covered with thermal blankets.

When I was a child one of our cats was run over, and the surviving cat and his friend from down the road both came to 'funeral'. And for a long time after they'd sit by her grave as though they were paying their respects.

Here's a better pick of 'mouse lover' waiting to be tacked up...,,

When one of our cats was very sadly hit by a car, the other was found trying to drag her off the road - heartbreaking.

On a happier note, when our rabbit got out of her hutch and we had no idea where to look first, we asked our (different) cat to find her. Sure enough, about an hour later, along came our cat with our big old bunny lolloping alongside. Our cat even supervised bunny getting back into the hutch. Strangely, it didn't seem all that surprising as I just knew that if I asked dcat to bring Matilda back, she would.

Oysterbabe

Did anyone watch Spy in the wild. I cried all the way through it. It was so moving watching how they live and protect themselves and their babies. The monkeys even had teenage monkeys minding their babies. They were fighting over who got to look after the baby. Just like human children do.
Lots of other gorgeous babies as well. Including a little baby elephant with a tuft of ginger hair. I wanted to jump in the telly and eat him. l

Here's the giver of my bestest hug ever.

Haha, good photo. Aw, you're so lucky - I don't ride but it's always been a little fantasy of mine. The hug story was lovely.

frouby aaaaw, buster and his friend! Just read ur story that's so funny (*im imagining the 'littlest hobo'!)

bummymummy77 I never know it it's deliberate or not, but reading the post about the police horse and the pigeons I'm guessing he's not entirely innocent

Awwww lovely thread. I believe you.

Animals are amazing and do have empathy.

Please add this thread to classics as it is so heartwarming to read on a very cold day.