This Cat Is a Shepherd

Bodacious is a cat living on a sheep farm in Ireland. He’s not exactly big enough to actually round up sheep, but he performs invaluable duties on the farm, according to his owner Suzanna Crampton.

MF: How does Mr. B get along with the sheep?

SC: The ones he knows, he’ll go up and headbutt them, have a conversation. Tell you one thing though — he’ll take no truck from no one. If anyone is getting too bolshy, he’ll reach out and give ‘em a right smack.

MF: Sorry, what’s bolshy?

SC: (laughs) Oh you know, being bold, acting up, stomping their feet and all that. He’s got a great relationship with the young lambs, kind of looks out for them. And when they’re full-grown and wise, the sheep have nice calm conversations with him. It’s just that in-between age, their teenage years, when the sheep get bolshy and out of line.

MF: Okay, here’s a tough question for you. Is Bodacious really a good shepherd? I mean, he’s a cat.

SC: (long pause) That’s a hard one to answer. I certainly couldn’t do this without him. When it’s 3 a.m. and I’m out there alone in the dark, waiting for a ewe to lamb and he’s sitting there in my lap purring, that’s what keeps me going. Psychologically he is very helpful.

As for the actual roundups, Crampton has a border collie for that. But Bodacious has his own Twitter account. Read the rest of the interview and see more pictures of Bodacious at Modern Farmer.