Staff writer
A surprise snuggle atop a fluffy pillow could be the beginning of a beautiful interspecies “bromance” between one cool cat and an inquisitive pig.
The cuddle in question happened beside a fireplace sometime during the evening of Jan. 31 at the home of Jeff and Lori Methvin just north of Peabody.
“Smokey been here the longest,” Jeff said. “He’s a good cat but he thinks he owns the place, and if he can’t sit where he wants, well that’s just a horrible thing.”
Enter Chunk, a 20-pound potbellied pig who joined the Methvin clan last October.
“Chunk eats any and all food,” Jeff said, “but he’s a really smart pig like most potbellied pigs are known to be, and he trained easy.”
Chunk stays outside in a shop inside the Methvin’s barn during the day but they bring him in at night when it gets cold. When he’s inside, Chunk may seem a touch meddlesome to Smokey.
“Chunk’s in the way sometimes and Smokey’s not scared of Chunk,” Jeff said. “Chunk used to come up and nudge Smokey if he’s there by the fire, but Smokey’s batted him a few times in the face, and Chunk learned really quick not to nudge Smokey so much.”
The two were at odds over a fluffy dog bed that rests in a premium location by the family hearth, but their love of a soft spot by the fireplace seems to have brought them to an uneasy alliance Jan. 31.
Jeff recounted the moments leading up to their first cuddle.
“Smokey was there on pillow,” Jeff said. “He was just watching Chunk, while Chunk circled all the way round him and found his way up there and lay down beside him. They both love laying on soft stuff.”
Jeff said the cat and pig don’t really play together but they seem to tolerate each other a bit more since that night.
Although it didn’t take as long, it also took a while for Marty, the Methvin’s massive 110-pound, year-old female mastiff, to warm up to Chunk, he said.
“Marty is the big baby of the family,” Jeff said. “She and Chunk used still fight over food. Chunk is always underneath her. He eats the food that falls out of Marty’s mouth. They’ll like to play and chase after each other.”