George the seagull has become part of the family – and even welcomed by two Bengal cats.
An abandoned baby seagull has become an unlikely member of a family – and their Bengal cats have become adoptive parents.
Andrew Moore, 33, from Arbroath, has been raising the gull, named George, after the week-old chick tumbled from the roof above the family’s home and fish shop last month.
The dad who lives above The Fish Hoose with his children, Eva, 13, and Nairn, 10, said the family initially hoped George’s mother would return.
“We had seagulls nesting on our roof and one of the young fell off at about a week old,” he said.
“It was on our balcony, so we just left it because we thought its mum would come back. But she never did, so we decided to feed it.”
Since then, George has gone from strength to strength, thanks to a steady diet of fresh fish from the family’s shop.
“He’s become quite a part of our family,” Andrew said. “We’re keeping him well fed with little bits of fish from our shop. He’s scoffing down everything we give him.
“My son named him George. He had been staying out on the balcony but somehow made his way into the house.
“We even got him a wee paddling pool.”
The biggest surprise has been George’s relationship with the family’s two Bengal cats, Benji and Bow, who have been keeping a watchful eye on the chick.
“They’ve really taken to him, which is quite a surprise because they’re hunting cats,” Andrew said. “They just seem to be intrigued by him.
“They watch everything he does and keep an eye on him. I think they just think he’s part of the family.”
The family has been learning how to care for the gull as they go, relying on online advice while hoping to prepare him for life in the wild.
“We’ve just been Googling how to look after them,” Andrew said. “We just want to bring him up and hopefully he’ll be okay to go on with his life.
“They’re supposed to fly within about six weeks. He has been spreading his wing and jumping around.
“I reckon it’s nearly time to say our goodbyes.”
While Andrew hopes George will soon take to the skies, he suspects the young gull may not become a complete stranger.
He added: “He’ll probably be coming back to see us when he knows he gets food.”
Videos of George’s adventures have attracted plenty of attention online, with viewers charmed by the unusual friendship between the gull and the family’s cats.
“We’ve had a lot of folk messaging us joking about how they can get a pet seagull from our videos,” Andrew said. “I’ve even had customers coming in wanting to see him.”
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