Strange but beautiful

Etheridge with Snowy and Gladys - Image from All-Creatures

Unusual friendships are not a rarity in the animal world. This one is between Gladys the chicken and Snowy the cat who live in Middleton, England. The story begins when Jane Etheridge's bantam hen hatched a batch of 14 chickens about two and half months back. Sadly, that number was reduced to just three chickens after a fox marauded the coop leaving only feathers behind. Two of the survivors died soon and only Gladys was left. Etheridge brought a shaken and traumatised Gladys into the house to help her get her bearings. Thats when Snowy took over. For 10 year old Snowy, Gladys was like a little sibling to be taken care of. He cleaned and washed her and made her comfortable. Now Gladys is two and half months old and is inseparable from Snowy. Etheridge says that they are, "the best of friends, very much so, and when she first started going out she would not go unless they went together."