She tries to herd the cats 😂
Published on Dec 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Over 350 formerly feral cats call Minnesota’s Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary home. So when visitors go to visit the sanctuary, naturally, they expect to see lots of kitties.
But what sometimes catches visitors by surprise is that in the sanctuary’s catorium, you’ll often find a dog. The pup blends in so well with the kitties that she’s sometimes a bit difficult to spot.
Janis, one of the sanctuary’s directors, adopted a dog named Bella seven years ago. She started bringing Bella to work with her, but assumed the catorium would be off-limits for any dog. But to Janis’ surprise, Bella begged to hang out with the cats.
“Bella cries to come into the sanctuary,” Janis, who preferred to have her last name omitted, told The Dodo.
At first, Janis was a bit hesitant about letting Bella into the sanctuary. She introduced Bella to the cats as gradually as possible, and to her surprise, the vast majority of them felt comfortable with the dog. Before long, Bella was curling up with the kitties on a daily basis.
“She loves to snuggle with cats, she loves to play with cats,” Janis said.
Janis and the rest of the Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary staff now consider Bella to be a bonus volunteer, a title the pup takes very seriously. Every day, she attempts to literally herd the cats.
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“She protects [them],” Janis said.
Of course, even though Bella has never once been aggressive toward any of the kitties, not every feline loves dogs, so the staff members make sure to keep those cats away from her. But even knowing which cats are less inclined to cuddle up with Bella is good information to have.
“The good thing about having Bella is if and when our cats become adoptable, we know … if they can be with dogs,” Janis said.
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Since Bella spends so much time with felines, she’s picked up some cat-like habits. She’ll occasionally try to sneak a bite of the kitties’ food, even though she knows she’s not supposed to. And, of course, she’s learned from the experts about the joys of a cat nap.
“She loves the heated floors, just like the cats,” Janis said.
Not every dog’s idea of a great day involves hanging out with hundreds of cats. It’s clear that Bella is unique — and Janis wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Sometimes we think she thinks she’s just one great big cat,” Janis said.
If you’d like to support Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary, you can make a donation here.
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