They are ‘two peas in a pod.’
By Sarah Ashley
Published on Jan 28, 2026 at 1:43 PM
A few years ago, a stray calico cat wandered around an animal sanctuary in Alberta, Canada. Wary of humans, she darted back into the wilderness anytime someone got close.
A calico cat sits outside and looks into the camera.
FARRM
“We would just see her from afar … kind of going around where we put food out for everyone,” Melissa Foley, owner and operator at Farm Animal Rescue and Rehoming Movement (FARRM), told The Dodo.
The calico, whom Foley named Jade, bopped around the property for about a year before Foley discovered several kittens in a hay bale. Recognizing the opportunity, she successfully trapped the cat family so Jade could raise her babies in a safe spot.
A calico cat nursing her three tiny kittens.
FARRM
When the kittens were old enough, everyone — including Jade — was spayed and neutered. While her babies remained among the other sanctuary cats, Jade was released “back out to do her thing,” Foley said.
Only this time, instead of heading back into the woods, Jade found her way to a pig named Gordo.
A cat and a pig hanging out in an outdoor fenced-in area.
FARRM
Gordo arrived at FARRM in rough shape. He’d suffered from constant seizures at another rescue before vets diagnosed him with a heart condition that stunted his growth. Due to his delicate health, he lives alone in a tiny heated cabin away from the dusty area where the other pigs live.
“He’s been honestly, like, his best for years now,” Foley said. “We have to just mitigate those risk factors for him, which unfortunately means he lives on his own.”
Then Jade showed up.
A pig and a cat cuddle on a blanket together.
FARRM
Whether the warmth drew her in or she sensed a kindred spirit, Jade began regular visits to Gordo the pig instead of finding companionship with any of the 57 other cats at FARRM.
Volunteers would see Jade wander into Gordo’s cabin, nuzzle against him and fall asleep under his blankets. Friendly and sweet, Gordo didn’t seem to mind at all.
A cat and a pig sharing a snack outside.
FARRM
“I think he does just enjoy that little bit of company,” Foley said. “And if you know anything about pigs, they don’t like sharing food … Gordo will allow Jade to, like, share his food dish and lick yogurt out of his plate.”
FARRM
A bond quickly formed between the cat and the pig. Then Foley witnessed something she never thought she’d see.
Jade’s defenses came down.
A cat pokes her head into a pig’s cabin, trying to stay warm.
FARRM
“She was never feral [or] mean or anything, just very scared,” Foley said. “Gordo’s kind of, like, brave … and his interactions with us really rubbed off on Jade. All of a sudden she became, like, the friendliest cat in the world and just wanted love constantly.”
A cat and a pig stand together outside, looking up at a camera.
FARRM
Gordo taught Jade what safe, unconditional companionship meant. Beyond interacting with volunteers more often, Jade started caring for other farm animals, too.
A cat cuddling with a goat in a barn.
FARRM
Foley would find her grooming baby lambs who missed their mothers or kneading other pigs.
“When the babies come in … she just goes to town mothering them,” Foley said. “It always surprises me just how unaffected she is by the size of someone or by them being different from her. It just doesn’t seem to matter.”
FARRM
But Jade always returns to her Gordo — and he always welcomes her back.
Foley knows she’ll never completely understand what exactly drew Jade and Gordo together, but she guesses it has to do with compassion.
A pig and a cat on a pink blanket inside a tiny cabin.
FARRM
“Animals always lead with their heart,” she said. “Both of them came from places where they were struggling and maybe weren’t in the best place, having their needs met, and were in survival mode … I just adore them.”
If you’d like to support Jade, Gordo and FARRM, you can donate via their website.
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Lonely Cat Hears Tapping On Window — Then Gets What’s She’s Always Wanted
“Nonna desperately wants a friend …” 🥹
By Ashley Ortiz
Meet Nonna: an 11-year-old house cat whose biggest dream is to make a friend. As much as she tries to win over the other cat in her house, 7-year-old Stevie sadly ignores most of her advances. She’s even tried to befriend her mom’s friend’s cat, but they only get to hang out now and then.
Nonna’s quest for a companion seemed hopeless until the other day, when someone unexpected showed up at her house with the same goal of making a new friend.