For many years, this cheeky little squirrel
and this beautiful black-and-white cat, have been best friends. But their story got
off to a rocky start, and the cat was even a little hostile at first. Later it turned
into a beautiful and unique relationship.
It all started one April afternoon in 2014 when
Decan Andersen, a single father from Denmark, saw a baby squirrel fall from the fourth floor of
his apartment building. The little guy had been badly injured in the fall and was bleeding
on the ground in the middle of his yard.
As an animal lover, Decan wanted to run and
help the baby squirrel. But he knew that if the mother squirrel caught the human scent,
she would not approach. So, with a heavy heart, Decan waited. A short time later, the mother
squirrel did come down, but she decided that the baby was beyond saving and ran away.
With no other options, Decan gently lifted the baby squirrel from the wet grass and
rushed him to the vet. The tiny squirrel was no more than 4 weeks old and he had a nasty
cut on his chest. The injuries were so bad that the vet even suggested euthanizing him. But
Decan decided to give him a chance and tried to nurse the tiny creature back to health.
The vets stitched up the wound, and Decan took the little guy home and named him Tintin, after
a character from his kids' favorite cartoon, The Adventures of Tintin. He already had
two rescued cats, a brother named Tiger and a sister Coco. And he was afraid of what
their reaction would be. He expected anything, but what happened was truly amazing.
Coco immediately started taking care of the baby squirrel, washing him with her tongue and keeping
him warm. Decan gave the squirrel milk from a bottle and cleaned his wound every four hours. He
even made sweaters out of his son's socks to keep the squirrel from scratching the wound. With this
care, Tintin recovered quickly. All the while, Tiger chose to simply ignore the little squirrel.
And soon it was time to release the squirrel back into the wild. But Tintin didn't want to
go. He was afraid of the outside world and wouldn't even go for a walk in the backyard.
Then Decan made a leash to make Tintin feel safe, and it worked! With the leash, the squirrel
became quite adventurous and enjoyed exploring the outside world, knowing he could always come back
quickly and safely. And Coco was always watching him from a distance, ready to protect her baby.
Until one sad day Coco didn't wake up. She went over the Rainbow Bridge in her sleep. It was
a tragedy for all members of Decan's family, but her brother Tiger felt it the most. He
searched the house for her, not understanding where she had gone. And when he couldn't find
her, he began to protect what his sister loved, the squirrel Tintin. And soon it was Tiger who
began to look after Tintin during his daily walks. Their bond grew stronger every day. They
became inseparable. They ate and slept together, played together, and during their
walks, Tintin loved to ride on Tiger.
Tiger became like an older brother
or even a foster father to Tintin, always looking out for his little friend. If
he saw a danger like a hawk, another cat or even a dog, Tiger always protected his little
friend, no matter how big the opponent was.
And did you know that it is illegal to keep
a squirrel as a pet in Denmark? Decan had to convince the special committee that he
could keep Tintin. The authorities made an exception because of the special bond
Tintin has with his owner and Tiger.
But they forbade the use of the leash during the
walks, seeing it as a "captivity of wildlife", even though Tintin really loved his leash.
Fortunately, with Tiger watching, Tintin became more confident and began to enjoy walks
without his beloved leash. The squirrel was not tethered and could run away whenever he wanted,
but he always chose to come home to his friend.
In 2020 there was a new addition to the
family! A stray cat had just wandered up to the back door and started scratching
at it. She was about 7 months old and very small. She had lost her kittens, was
covered in fleas, and looked like she had never been properly fed in her life. Of
course, Decan, a man with a big heart, could not leave this poor creature without
help. He named her Miss Marble and she is a very gentle and polite kitty who loves to be
petted. She is not out of the woods yet, she was injured during her time as a stray and is still
recovering, I am praying for her well-being.
Sadly, Tiger died of old age 2 years
ago, but we will always remember their incredible friendship with Tintin.
Although Tintin has also formed a lovely bond with Miss Marble and they
enjoy each other's company very much, he still misses his best friend. As do we all.
It was such a joy to watch them play together.
