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A tortoise rides on the back of a blue-gray British Shorthair cat across a sunny yard. 7 / 21

A British Shorthair Gave a Tortoise a Ride Across the Yard

AI imagebritish shorthairtortoiseyard

A round blue-gray British Shorthair walks across the yard with bright copper eyes and a serious face, and on his back, perched like a tiny hill, sits Gus the tortoise. The tortoise's head is up and his front legs are braced against the cat's fur. The yard is sunny, with a wooden fence behind and fallen leaves nearby. The cat's thick, plush coat makes a soft saddle, and he walks with such care that the passenger hardly sways. Everyone seems to be taking the ride very seriously. A few leaves cling to the grass, and the cat steps around each one.

British Shorthairs are calm, easygoing cats with dense coats and round faces. They tend to be affectionate without being clingy, and they usually handle a quiet home well. That temperament makes them a good fit for a gentle mixed household, though it's best never to encourage one animal to carry another. A fall could hurt a tortoise, whose shell is bone covered with sensitive tissue and can't protect against every drop. Tortoises should be handled gently and kept close to the ground. Letting animals meet on level ground, with room to walk away, is a far safer way to build friendship. A clean, soft place to meet and a quiet voice from nearby people go a long way.

For this stroll, though, the cat's slow, careful steps seem to say that he'd never let go of his passenger. Gus doesn't say a word, but his head stays high.

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