From incredible diving pigs, to the richest cat on earth, here are 10 pets you won’t
believe exist….
10.
Biggest Goldfish
It’s not often you think of Goldfish as being very big- after all they’re a prize
given away at fair grounds in small plastic bags, but sometimes they can grow to be enormous.
When Ada Shaw, of Folkestone in England, bought her pet from a shop for less than a dollar,
she couldn’t have known the relationship she’d come to develop with the fish.
She named it “Goldie”, and began to take care of it like no one has ever looked after
a goldfish before!
There are two amazing things about Goldie- how long he lived, and how large he became.
Goldfish will usually live for a maximum of ten years, but Goldie was 15 years old in
2012 when official measurements were taken.
It had also grown to enormous proportions, more than 3 times longer than a typical fish,
at 15.7 inches, and weighing a whopping 2 pounds.
Ada Shaw had three pieces of advice to budding Goldfish owners who wanted to take the best
care of their pet.
Lot’s of love and attention, good food, and some warm water in the tank.
She would feed it flakes at the same time every day, spend hours talking to it, and
left a light on at night to ensure he was never left in the dark.
They developed such a bond that when she’d come home after a day out, the fish would
whizz around the tank for a few minutes in excitement to see her.
How many of you can say that about the fish in your aquarium??
9.
Smallest Cat Ever
Guinness World Records no longer accept new entries to the categories of largest pets,
because they realized that this was encouraging owners to overfeed or drug their animals in
order to get their brief moment of fame.
This doesn’t, however, affect their acknowledgement of small animals, and the smallest cat on
record is simply unbelievable.
Tinker Toy was born in 1990, and was a male blue point Himalayan-Persian.
He was owned by Katrina and Scott Forbes of Taylorville in Illinois, and was absolutely
miniscule.
When he had become fully grown at two and a half years old, he measured only 2.75 inches
tall and 7.5 inches long.
While the breed is naturally small compared to others, Tinker Toy was exceptionally small
all through his life until he died in 1997.
8.
House Hippo
Hippos are often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals on the planet, so it may
come as a surprise that Tonie and Shirley Joubert from Limpopo in South Africa have
adopted one as a pet- virtually raising it as their own child.
But Jessica is no ordinary hippo, and she has a rather unusual story.
She was born in 2000, and was separated from her family by devastating floods that hit
the region that year.
The Joubert’s were out walking one day, and saw a small hippo calf looking up at them
from the waters of a nearby river.
Clearly exhausted and unable to free herself from the raging waters, the couple rushed
down to help free her.
From that moment a bond was formed, and Jessica went on to be one of the most famous hippos
in the world.
Knowing that she stood very little chance of surviving on her own, they took her home
with them and looked after her themselves.
Today she has grown into an adult Hippo, but because she has spent her whole life in the
presence of humans, she’s incredibly friendly and playful with visitors- unlike those that
you’d encounter in the wild.
She still interacts with other hippos, as she’s allowed to roam freely, but she always
returns home and feels safest with her human companions.
They feed her milk from a bottle, and she has been featured in more than 90 different
movies and documentaries.
At 1.2 tons, it’s no mean feat caring for a creature like this, but it’s proof that
no matter how dangerous an animal is, there’s always room for them to get along well with
caring humans.
7.
Wealthiest Cat
Cats aren’t exactly known for amassing vast fortunes but, it turns out, the richest cat
that ever lived probably had far more than you in the bank.
Known as “Blackie”, the cat belonged to a millionaire antique dealer named Ben Rea,
who lived an isolated life with his 15 cats for company.
He didn’t’ have much to do with his human family at all, so when he died in 1988 he
left particular instructions in his will.
While his gardener, mechanic and plumber received small cash sums, and a friend of his received
a house- the biggest recipient was Blackie the cat who received a whopping 7 million
British pounds- that’s about the equivalent to 12.5 million dollars at that time!
It’s not entirely clear what the cat decided to do with its newfound wealth, but it was
left wanting nothing, had a house all to itself, and was definitely the cat that got the cream.
6.
The Incredible Diving Pig
While pigs are more commonly found on farms, they can also make great pets!
They are smart, friendly and loyal- and don’t really make any more mess than a dog might.
You can get standard types or even micro-pigs, but one from Australia has got all the others
beat.
Imaginatively called “Miss Piggy”, she belongs to Tom Vandeleur from Australia.
This pig made it into the record books in 2005, and you’ll never believe how.
Not content with being the biggest or smartest, Tom trained his pet to do one thing in particular,
and that was diving into water.
During a televised event, Miss Piggy was recorded diving a distance of 10 feet and 10 inches
into a 34 inch deep pool.
The measured distance is from the tip of the board to where her snout hit the water, and
it’s impressive for any creature, let alone a pig.
5.
Dog with the Longest Ears
Some dogs are bred to carry out very specific roles, but this dog had a unique feature that
was completely useless, except for making him one of the coolest looking animals ever
and earning him a spot into the Bloodhound Hall of Fame.
Tigger belonged to Bryan and Christina Flessner from Illinois in the US.
You’ve probably guessed what led to him winning more than 180 best of breed awards-
it was his massive ears.
They broke the record for the largest ears on a dog, ever, and were measured at 13.75
inches and 13.5 inches for his right and left ear respectively.
4.
Fennec Fox
Most species of fox are wild animals that cannot be domesticated, but there is one breed
that is different.
It’s called the Fennec Fox or the desert fox, and comes from the Sahara in northern
Africa.
These cute creatures behave very similar to dogs, but need strict training to ensure they
are properly socialized.
They are tiny, apart from their massive ears that have developed to allow them to detect
prey and predators during the hostile desert nights- as well as an effective means to dissipate
heat from their bodies.
They eat insects, small mammals, and birds- but if you raise them in the same way you
would a dog, they will adapt to the usual food.
The Fennec Fox is incredibly curious, and precautions need to be taken to prevent them
from digging and escaping.
They have a habit of exploring absolutely everything, so they are renowned for keeping
their owners busy.
Their fur is really soft, and is prized by many cultures in their native region.
If trained well, though, they can be one the most unusual and cutest of any pets you could
have, but be careful!
They are illegal in some places.
3.
Skateboarding Goat
Goats are usually seen on farms, but they also make great pets too.
They can grow to be loyal and friendly, and have some odd behaviors that will provide
endless entertainment- such as their crazy shrieking and warm temperament.
They can also be trained to take part in human activities- which brings us to one particular
goat called Happie.
She belongs to Melody Cooke and her family of Fort Myers, Florida, and is taken to various
charity events to help raise money with her skateboarding skills.
That’s right, this goat holds the world record for the farthest distance travelled
on a skateboard by a goat.
The attempt, made in 2012, saw Happie go 118 feet down a road in 25 seconds.
This isn’t something goats know how to do naturally, though, as her owner can often
be seen taking her to the local park where she spends hours perfecting her talent.
Apparently she had a natural aptitude, though, and figured out how to get on the board herself
and things took off from there.
2.
Fashion Squirrel
Nowadays, no matter where you look, you’ll see a celebrity modelling the latest fashion
trends by the big designers- but it wasn’t always humans who fulfilled this role.
In 1940’s America things were very different, and one of the most famous models was actually
a squirrel!
Tommy Tucker had been adopted by Mrs. Mark Bullis from Washington, D.C.
She had found him in a tree, recently born and he hadn’t even opened his eyes yet.
She saw that his mother had died, so she took him into her care.
The story of Tommy Tucker was featured in Life magazine at the time, where they began
by saying “Most squirrels are lively and inquisitive animals who like to do tricks
when they have an audience”.
They went on to suggest that, because Tommy had never roamed free in a tree before he
was adopted, that he never took on the traditional behaviours of a squirrel.
Instead he was calm and well behaved, which made him ideal for Mrs. Bullis’ plans.
She designed and made over 30 unique costumes for him.
He had a coat and hat that he would wear when they went to the market, a silk pleated dress
when visitors were over, and even a Red Cross inspired uniform for visits to the hospital.
Tommy really was a squirrel about town and brought joy to all those he met.
He toured the country to help raise funds for the war effort by selling war bonds and,
when he died in 1949, was sent off to be preserved so a museum could showcase his exploits.
That never came to pass- it turns out the Smithsonian wasn’t too keen on displaying
the squirrel, so to this day Tommy is still lying in a cardboard box waiting to find his
final resting place.
1.
Matilda the Alien Cat
This is without a doubt, the most unique looking cat on the planet.
Known as Matilda the Alien Cat, this Tabby Cat has plenty of fans around the world because
of her unusual eyes that are a little unnerving.
She was adopted when she was just 12 weeks old and, while her eyes seemed normal at first,
she started to develop a squint, and then they turned into what they are today.
Her owners took her to a vet to find out what was happening and, while they weren’t sure
in the beginning, it soon became clear when some of the others from her litter started
experiencing similar issues.
It turns out she has a collagen deficiency that makes it difficult for her to heal from
injuries.
Her eyes look like this because of what’s known as a spontaneous lens luxation, where
the lenses in her eyes have completely detached.
This, in itself, is not too unusual with cats, but she also suffers from glaucoma, which
means that there’s a high pressure within her eyes that causes them to enlarge and stretch.
Sadly this is a painful condition, and also means Matilda is unable to see very well.
There’s not much that can be done to resolve the problem, because surgery would be too
stressful, so she is prescribed medication to reduce the pain.
Despite all this, she’s a super friendly cat, and has two very caring owners.
They do everything they can to look after her, and part of the social media drive is
aimed at helping to raise funds for her treatment.
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