Giverny Forbes thought she had discovered a special cat when she first spotted Bella at a New Zealand shelter, but she had no idea that Bella would also fall head-over-heels in love with a rabbit.
“From day one Bella was the friendliest cat I had ever met,” Forbes tells The Dodo. “She was smooching up to the glass, already wanting to say hello.”
Bella gets along with just about everyone – people, dogs, other cats. So when Forbes brought home a tiny rabbit nine years later, it was no surprise that Bella befriended her, too.
Poppy, the rabbit, is a Flemish Giant cross. Poppy was little and petite, despite her breed’s name, and Forbes was concerned that Bella may inadvertently damage her, but Forbes quickly understood she had nothing to be concerned about.
Poppy quickly came to trust Bella… and Forbes quickly came to trust Bella with Poppy.
Forbes describes them as “sisters.” “Poppy begs Bella for licks every day, so you can tell it’s one of her favorite things.”
Forbes believes that Bella grooms Poppy three to twenty times a day.
“Poppy grooms Bella on occasion, but only when she wants Bella’s attention,” Forbes continues.
Grooming. Licking. Then there’s the matter of snuggling. According to Forbes, this is what characterizes Bella and Poppy’s days.
“They usually start the day with a groom from Bella and a cuddle,” she says. “Then after breakfast, they hang out together again before they go to do their daily activities – Bella sleeping and Poppy roaming the house and garden. Some days they’ll lounge around together, sometimes they sit in the garden together, and then on other days, we all go on an adventure together.”
For Poppy and Bella, adventure days mean beach trips and visits to Forbes’ grandmother’s house.
They also go to the vet together, although Forbes doesn’t think Bella would think of this as an adventure.
“Bella hates the vet,” Forbes says. “One time I took her and Poppy at the same time, and Poppy put her head over Bella, and Bella hid under her. So Poppy definitely helps to comfort her.”
Like most sisters, Bella and Poppy occasionally have disagreements, Forbes says.
“Now and then they have disagreements when Poppy is being too annoying or Bella isn’t giving Poppy enough attention,” Forbes says. “But they always make up really quickly, just like sisters.”
Most of the time, Bella and Poppy get along famously – better than Forbes could have imagined a cat and rabbit ever would.
