'Boss' Cat Hitches a Ride on Mini Horse and Donkey's Backs

Teton the cat rides on his animal friends' backs at Snowfall Ranch in Colorado.

ByABC News
April 20, 2016, 3:36 PM

— -- Of all the animals on Snowfall Ranch, Teton the cat is the “boss.”

He loves riding on the backs of his fellow farm friends, especially the mini horses and the donkey, like he’s the king of the land.

“The only way to explain this is that this cat is a boss. He was from the jump,” Teton’s owner, Joanna Shaw, told ABC News of her fierce feline. “He would go into the stall of our largest horse, Montana, with no qualms. Montana is a draft horse. He is huge.”

Teton’s technique for climbing onto the other animals’ backs? Crawling up their tails. He’ll either get to the top and hitch a ride with his four-legged friends, or simply curl up for a cat nap.

Joanna said she and her husband Scott "cracked up" the first time they saw Teton resting on Timber, the couple's mini horse.

“Our vet was here because Timber was very lethargic,” Joanna said. “When the vet walked in, she saw the cat on Timber’s back and was dying. They took pictures to post on the vet’s website.”

The only animals on the ranch that don’t like Teton are the pigs.

“The pigs do not like the cat at all,” said Joanna. “They specifically do not like getting smacked in the face because he does that daily.”

The Shaws started Snowfall Ranch in Colorado as a way to help children with special needs.

“They are all so sweet and make people so happy,” she said of her animals. “We all need something to smile about. Life is hard and cute animals lift people’s spirits.”

Safe to say Teton and his daily back rides are doing a purr-fect job at that.