A video chronicling the intertwined lives of a cat and dog growing up together as best friends has left delighted viewers on social media.
Nash the golden retriever lives in Minnesota with his owners Ben and Paige. They’ve had him from when he was a puppy. Around the same time, they also adopted his feline pal, a calico they eventually named Nala.
Though it took a little while for the two to get used to one another, in time a lasting friendship formed built on play-fighting and cuddles together on the couch.
Ben and Paige regularly post videos of Nash and Nala’s exploits together to TikTok and Instagram under the handle Nashypaws. One of their most recent clips has proven especially popular, having racked up over 33 million views and counting.
“Thinking that adopting a cat and getting a retriever at the same time was a bad idea,” an onscreen subtitle reads, while a montage plays clips featuring Nash and Nala wrestling and enjoying some snuggle time together.
It’s footage that goes some way to further dispelling the myth around cats and dogs disliking one another. In 2020, a study published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE saw 1,270 pet owners with both cats and dogs polled on their pets’ behavior.
The findings showed that 64 percent of pet owners noted their dogs and cats played together at least sometimes. More interestingly, 58 percent said they often slept next to each other while 11 percent said their cats and dogs always slept side by the side.
Ben told Newsweek that while Nash and Nala often have “a love/hate relationship” they tend to kiss and make up with a cuddle or two.
“They don’t really fight,” he said. “They are more just content with each other. They cuddled and laid together more often when they were younger but now it’s less common.”
Though the cuddles might not be as frequent, he said there’s still a pattern to these get-togethers.
“Most of the time it’s later at night or when we go to bed they both tend to lay next to each other in bed with us,” he said.
Judging from the videos posted online, it would appear Nash’s high energy approach to life is slightly at odds with Nala’s more laid back style.
“He’s full of energy and always wants to play or go outside,” Ben admits.
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@nashypaws Nash and Nala ❤️ #catsoftiktok #goldenretriever ♬ Make Your Own Kind Of Music – Mama Cass