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(CBS)
When most people hear "Odd Couple" they usually
think of mismatched
roommates Felix and Oscar.
But The Early Show resident veterinarian,
Dr. Debbye Turner, says animals have their
share
of unusual pairings as well.
Generally, she observes, birds of a feather flock
together in the wild kingdom. But
Turner found a few
cases of animal odd couples that prove love can
indeed be blind.
Such is the case with an
ape and cat in
Panama City, Fla.
When 45 year old Tondalayo, a Sumatran orangutan,
lost her partner, she was
listless and depressed,
Turner says. She needed company but, because of
her age, introducing another orang was out of
the
question.
Then zoo worker Stephanie Willard got an idea for
the perfect mate for Tonda.
"'TK' came
to us and we found out very quickly that
his personality was one that was very demanding,
very loving, very understanding,
and ... he was a big,
rag-doll kitty," Willard said of a 1-year-old tabby who
turned out to be the cat's meow for Tonda.
"He's a
very sweet cat. He's absolutely a perfect cat. He
doesn't seem to grow out of his kitten stage. He still
licks
and rubs and purrs and loves all over her.
I think it made her (Tonda) 20 years younger.
"I
think it's more of a maternal thing with Tonda. It's
kind of like the most overprotective, overbearing
mother there
is."
"I'm very proud," says Willard, like a proud parent.
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