PET owners have shared the unlikely bond between their cat and beloved dog which took its final walk on a Llandudno beach.

The animals are typically portrayed as enemies in sound and senses, however rescue cat SoCo and cocker spaniel Ember proved that stereotypes do not always fit.

Indeed, SoCo was not the ordinary cat, often joining owners Lucy and Matt on walks near their home in Gaerwen on Anglesey and, aged 10 months old, he found a companion rather than a rival when eight-week-old Ember was adopted.

“People assume cats and dogs hate each other, but Ember and Soco really were the best of friends,” said Lucy. “We weren’t sure whether they would get along, but from her first few days as a nervous puppy Ember instantly accepted Soco as her new brother.

“They would share a bed and playfight, but they would never hurt each other.

 

 

 

“We’d go on walks and SoCo would just follow us away from the house and we would hear him trailing behind with the bell on his collar.

“If came across any other dogs he would dart into a bush until they went.”

The family moved to Nevada in United States in 2018 when husband Matt, who serves in the RAF, was posted to a base there. The only cat at the complex, SoCo was unphased and continued to join the family and Ember on walks, to the amazement of dog walkers.

“SoCo was the only cat on the squadron, but it would have been a crime to take one and not the other,” Lucy said. “He went from chasing mice to lizards in Nevada.”

Earlier this year, the couple did not shave Ember due to a snowy winter in Nevada, and on a road trip to Yellowstone they found a lump on her back. A precautionary biopsy confirmed Ember was suffering from lymphoma, with two or three months left to live.

 

 

 

The family returned to the UK and wanted to make sure that Ember enjoyed her final weeks, with walks to old spots incluing RSPB Cors Ddyga, Llandudno West Shore and Llanfairfechan.

“Our big aim when knew Embs was unwell and terminal was to take her on some of her old walks around North Wales.

“Ember loved going in the sea and she definitely remember the walks. As soon as we opened the boot she leapt out and knew exactly where the path was, despite it being a good two or three years since we had been there.

The family spread Ember’s ashes near Cors Ddyga “because she knew it so well”.

Lucy said: “We got them both when they were young, and I think that is the way to do it. If you get a cat and dog when they’re young, they are more likely to get along.

“SoCo gets a lot more fuss in the evenings now. We put away Ember’s bed, which was also SoCo’s, but it was hard for us and the children to see every day.

“Every evening sits between me and Matt on the sofa. He never goes far now, so she is a bit more like a dog.”