What do you do when you meet a new animal for the first time?

That’s a hard question to answer because every animal is different. Some, like puppies and kittens, are usually friendly with humans. Wild animals tend to be much more wary of people. I would only approach a wild animal if it needed help — if it was injured or trapped, for example. Even then, I would be really careful to avoid its teeth and claws! If I didn’t know the animal, and it didn’t need urgent attention, I would just watch it from a distance to see how it acted. If it seemed calm, I would speak softly to it and try to be friendly. You can usually tell by an animal’s reaction whether it wants to be near humans: if it growled, bared its teeth, or moved away, I would keep my distance!

What’s it like living on a farm?

It’s great! There are always animals to care for and spend time with. My favorite time of year is spring, because that’s when the lambs are born. There are always a few that need extra feeding from a bottle, or even need to be hand-reared. Lambs are so cute, and if you hand-rear a lamb, it bonds with you forever. The ones I fed years ago still remember me and run to greet me when I come into their field. The other thing that’s great about living on a farm is that there’s so much space. My best friend, Tom, and I love making tree houses and dens in the fields and woods, and it’s always easy to discover a new place to build.

How did you meet Toffee and Marmite?

I first saw Toffee and Marmite at a local animal shelter. Their owner had moved and couldn’t take them with her, so they needed a new home. When I walked toward their cage, they ran to greet me. They stood on their back legs with their paws up against the wire, gazing at me with pleading looks. I knew they wanted me to take them home. I had to persuade my mom to let me have two cats, but Toffee and Marmite are siblings and had always lived together. It wouldn’t have been right to separate them. And it’s really nice that there are two of them, because they’re best friends. They always sleep cuddled together with their front paws touching, like they’re holding hands!

How many animals do you have now?

I have Toffee and Marmite, and my newest pet, Truffle the pig! She was tiny when I rescued her, but she’s grown really fast. By the time she’s finished growing, she’ll be enormous! Luckily, we have plenty of space on the farm. She loves living in the orchard and sharing a kennel with my dad’s spaniel, Bramble. They became friends when Truffle was a baby, and now they’re best friends for life. It’s so cute to see them running around in the orchard together.