Kristy Toussaint and her niece Taylah and nephew Korban enjoy cuddles with Pumba the dog and Jasper the cat. 68610Picture: Donna Oates
By Emma Sun
PUMBA the staffy dog and Jasper the ragdoll cat are two members of Kristy Toussaint’s family who are never still.
They may be the best of friends most of the time, but that doesn’t stop them from messing around with each other and doing strange things when they think nobody is looking.
“They hardly ever fight, but if they do fight, the cat generally beats Pumba up,” Kristy said.
“They play chasey around the house, and chase each other as well – it’s so funny.”
Kristy admitted that the two adorable pets are quite pampered and she is always spoiling them.
“They’ve sort of been our babies,” she said.
“They both sleep on our bed every night. Pumba has her own bed, and if we tell her to stay away, she stays on her own bed, but generally sneaks back up and she comes in for cuddles every morning.”
While Pumba, who got her name from the warthog in The Lion King due to her chubby stature as a puppy, enjoys going out to the park for walks and trips to the beach.
Jasper’s idea of fun is somewhat different.
“Whenever we do the groceries, I throw the plastic bags on the ground and Jasper jumps on all of them and sits in all of them,” Kristy explained.
“We currently live with our niece and nephew, who are quite young, and they have heaps of little toys like Nerf guns and Jasper gets those bullets and plays with them.”
“He also loves shoes – when you take them off, he’ll try to hide inside your shoes and he’s not a small cat.
“He puts both his front paws inside the shoes and tries to put his head in, but he can’t fit in there, it’s quite entertaining to watch.”
He also doesn’t like to drink out of his water bowl. He likes to go straight to the source for his daily water supply.
“Jasper only ever drinks out of the taps in the basin, so when you brush your teeth and wash your hands, he goes straight up there and waits,” Kristy said.
“When you go to the toilet, he runs up to the bathroom and sits on the basin and waits for you to turn it on, and if you don’t, he’ll sit there and tap it with his paw until you do.”
Despite having their toys chewed on by Jasper, Kristy’s niece, six-year-old Taylah, and nephew, four-year-old Korban, loves him and Pumba to bits.
“They love Jasper like their own pet – Taylah carries him around like a little doll and they take Pumba out on walks,” Kristy said.
“They love the animals.”
Kristy said they will definitely consider getting another pet in the near future.
“My partner and I are building another house soon, so I think as soon as we get it there’ll be another dog,” she said.
“We’d get another staffy because they’re so loyal and while they’re big, they’re small enough to have inside and they’re great with kids.”
