If You Think The World Is Terrible, These 50 Animal Friendships Might Change Your Mind

AHS' Pet Behavior and Pet Training Manager Dagnino said that pets like dogs and cats are social animals and usually prefer the company of other animals and people. "It is safe to assume that animals who do have social relationships with other species likely had exposure to them during an early stage in their development, or had interactions over a long period of time that were positive for them," she said.

"At the Arizona Humane Society, we have opportunities to pair animals of the same species (dogs with dogs, cats with cats) to provide some more social interaction, and sometimes it can provide a shy animal some comfort," Dagnino explained.

What's more, the AHS team can provide adopters with some tips for pet adopters to help introduce new rescue animals to their new forever homes in a way that's safe and comfortable for all the pets involved. You can find some helpful tips and tricks right here.

Dagnino confirmed to Bored Panda that cats and dogs can get along together and even show affection toward each other. "But their ability or inclination to do this is affected by both animals’ experiences in early development and maintained by positive or negative experiences during their lifetime, even genetics," she warned.

Mutually beneficial friendships between different species can occur naturally (like badgers hunting together with foxes or coyotes), but some close bonds blossomed because of us—human beings.

Humans domesticating animals has created the foundation for some interspecies cooperation and friendships that otherwise would most likely never have come about. So you can see friendships blossoming between animals that live with or near humans. Ever been to a farm or a zoo? You’ll know what we mean, then.

That’s not to say that cats and dogs will suddenly become best amigos, but it does mean they’re more likely to get along (or at least tolerate one another) because they’re constantly around each other.

Animals of different species communicate with each other both verbally and non-verbally. Just like we can try and interpret what a dog is telling us, a dog can try understanding what its duck/cat/cheetah buddy is trying to say. Meanwhile, some species of monkeys have been known to communicate with one another by sounding alarm calls whenever danger is near. However, bonds aren’t always purely utilitarian.

The basis for friendship can be pretty much anything, but one of the most common ways it starts is through having fun. When animals play together, they get closer, and can become friends, eventually. It’s not that different for human beings!