By Ben Wheeler
MEET the adorable squirrel called TinTin who has struck up the most unlikely of friendships with his owner’s other pet, a 13-year-old male cat named Tiger.
The owner in question is Decan Andersen, 38, from Denmark who adopted the cute little rodent when the then one-month-old squirrel fell out of a tree four stories high and into his back garden.
Upon seeing TinTin’s injury from the fall, a deep and nasty chest wound sustained by hitting a branch on the way down, Decan backed into his home waiting for the mother to come and save her baby.
However, after coming down from the tree and inspecting TinTin, she swiftly left the youngster again, probably deciding he was done for.
Decan has nursed and cared for TinTin ever since after gaining exclusive permission from the Danish Wildlife Preservation and with the help of Tiger and his sister Coco who has since passed away, having adopted the felines four years prior to his encounter with the Eurasian Red Squirrel.
“As soon as I brought TinTin home Coco was cuddling and cleaning him whilst Tiger had gone out,” he said.
“After Tiger came home he understood his sister had claimed TinTin and wanted nothing to do with him so stayed well clear.
“Then, about a year later Coco died which devastated Tiger, he went out searching for her day and night, so much so that we had a complaint because of his constant calling.
“Eventually he came to terms that she wasn’t going to come home and Tiger and TinTin began to bond on a level I never thought possible.”
Decan went on to describe how the pair’s relationship has blossomed in the years since, detailing what the partners in crime get up to together and how Tiger fiercely protects his now best friend.
“They love exercising outside together and their favourite thing to do is taking walks and climbing trees,” he said.
“Tiger is like a step father or big brother to TinTin, but he’s also definitely the boss.
“They always greet each other with nose bumps and Tiger always accompanies us when we are out walking, never leaving TinTin’s side.
“I’ve lost count of the amount of times Tiger has spotted and chased off hawks, cats and even large dogs! No matter the size of the dog, Tiger will stand his ground to protect his friend.”
