A

TRUEfriendalwayshas

your back – but in some

cases, this is more literal

than others.

Take the remarkable

case of Morris and

Champy, for instance.

These two are stuck at

the hip – or rather, the rump. Because

Champy’s broad rear is Morris’ favourite

place on Earth and woe betide anyone

who tries to remove him.

The striking black cat and beautiful

chestnut horse, who are both seven,

share a bond that sees them going every-

where together. Perched on his best

friend’s back, Morris is perfectly content

spending his days in the paddock gazing

out at the world.

“They’ve been best buddies their entire

lives,” says owner Jennifer Boyle, who

lives with a menagerie of rescue animals

on a smallholding in New South Wales,

Australia.

She adopted Morris from a cat shelter

and says Champy immediately showed

an interest in the kitten when she

brought him home. “He just knew Morris

was going to be his best friend.”

But Morris took about three days to be

persuaded. “Champy just wouldn’t leave

him alone. Eventually Morris gave in and

they’ve been inseparable ever since.”

There may just be something magical

about Morris because Jennifer, an equine

acupuncturist, says she too had an in-

stant bond with the little cat.

“I wasn’t planning on getting a cat

when I met Morris,” she recalls. “I’d been

havingseverebackissuesandwent into

Morris’happyplaceis astrideherbestfriend

Champy– andtheirunusualfriendshiphas

madethemfamous COMPILEDBYNICIDEWET

towntobooka massage.I waswalking

pasta petstorethathadrescueanimals

andwhenI sawhimI justhada connec-

tionwithhim.”

Morris,whowasbornintheshelter,

wasaboutninemonthsoldwhenJennif-

eradoptedhim.

“MyonlyregretisI didn’tfindhim

soonerasI feltbadhe’dbeenwaitingso

longfora foreverhome.ButI’mextreme-

lyluckyI foundhimatall.”

AndJenniferisn’ttheonlyoneen-

tranced bytheunusualfriendship

betweenMorrisandhisbestbuddy.

Theirkinshiphasseenthemfeatured

in TVshowssuchasNationalGeograph-

ic’sUnlikelyAnimalFriendsaswellas

numerousmagazines,onlinearticles,

twobooks,severalcalendarsanddozens

ofblogs.

Unsurprisingly,they’realsosocial

mediastarsandeverydaythousandsof

fanscheckouttheirInstagramaccount

tocatchuponthelatestadventuresof

Morris and Champy.

T

HE horse and cat aren’t only

good for each other – they’re

therapeutic for Jennifer too.

“I’ve been diagnosed with

two autoimmune diseases,

two chronic stomach disorders

and other health issues. Because of

this I can only work at certain times

YOU SCRATCH

MY BACK!

horse are best friends. ABOVE: Owner

Jennifer Boyle holds Morris as Champy

greets him.

84 | 22 AUGUST 2019 you.co.za

YOU NEWS