These merry mammals pop up out of the water to get close to their new feline buddy.
Cat's amazingly cute encounter with dolphins becomes Internet sensation
Recently-posted video footage showing a cat's incredibly cute encounter with dolphins at a marine park in Islamorada, Fla., is touching the hearts of viewers from around the world. The playful bonding between a cat named Arthur and dolphins named Thunder and Shiloh occurred in the late 1990s at Theater of the Sea, during the facility's swim-with-dolphins program. The footage, showing Arthur rubbing his head against and lovingly pawing the slender snouts of the sleek mammals, has gone viral since being uploaded to the Internet last month.
Sadly, Arthur, Thunder and Shiloh have passed away, and cats at Theater of the Sea are no longer allowed onto the floats because of stricter regulations. Because of this, watching the footage after all these years was a "bittersweet" experience for Osborne. Still, she assured, it bought back fond memories of three very special animals.
Beverly Osborne, then a dolphin trainer and now curator at Theater of the Sea, said Arthur was one of the facility's many house cats and used to look forward to the swim programs and the arrival of dolphins and guests at the shoreline floats. "That was his area and he was there for every program," Osborne recalled. "He'd walk toward the dolphins when they'd arrive but the dolphins would come over to him, too. But he was very friendly with Thunder and Shiloh during that particular session."
Sadly, Arthur, Thunder and Shiloh have passed away, and cats at Theater of the Sea are no longer allowed onto the floats because of stricter regulations. Because of this, watching the footage after all these years was a "bittersweet" experience for Osborne. Still, she assured, it bought back fond memories of three very special animals.
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