A baby seagull that fell from a family's roof in Arbroath has been adopted by their two Bengal cats, forming an unlikely interspecies friendship. The chick, named George, was found by Andrew Moore, 33, after tumbling from the roof above his home and fish shop, The Fish Hoose, last month.
Rescue and care
Andrew, who lives above the shop with his children Eva, 13, and Nairn, 10, initially hoped the mother seagull would return. "We had seagulls nesting on our roof and one of the young fell off at about a week old," he said. "It was on our balcony, so we just left it because we thought its mum would come back. But she never did, so we decided to feed it."
Since then, George has thrived on a diet of fresh fish from the family's shop. "He's become quite a part of our family," Andrew said. "We're keeping him well fed with little bits of fish from our shop. He's scoffing down everything we give him. My son named him George. He had been staying out on the balcony but somehow made his way into the house. We even got him a wee paddling pool."
Unlikely feline friends
The biggest surprise has been George's relationship with the family's two Bengal cats, Benji and Bow. The cats have taken a protective interest in the gull. "They've really taken to him, which is quite a surprise because they're hunting cats," Andrew said. "They just seem to be intrigued by him. They watch everything he does and keep an eye on him. I think they just think he's part of the family."
The family has relied on online advice to care for the gull, hoping to prepare him for life in the wild. "We've just been Googling how to look after them," Andrew said. "We just want to bring him up and hopefully he'll be okay to go on with his life. They're supposed to fly within about six weeks. He has been spreading his wing and jumping around. I reckon it's nearly time to say our goodbyes."
Future visits expected
Andrew suspects George may not become a complete stranger. "He'll probably be coming back to see us when he knows he gets food," he added. Videos of George's adventures have attracted online attention, with viewers charmed by the unusual friendship. "We've had a lot of folk messaging us joking about how they can get a pet seagull from our videos," Andrew said. "I've even had customers coming in wanting to see him."
