Paralyzed cat has her very own guard dog thanks to dachshund who refuses to leave her side after pair were dumped in road



A paralyzed cat and a dog have become unlikely friends after being found abandoned at the bottom of a Florida driveway.



Ruth the cat may not be able to move very easily but has nothing to fear thanks to her faithful companion Idgie.



The two-year-old dachshund is so protective of the young cat that when rescue staff found them three months ago, Idgie barked and growled whenever anyone tried to approach.



Scroll down for video



Bond: Ruth the cat and Idgie the dachshund curl up together in their new home

The pair have been named Idgie and Ruth after the main characters of the film Fried Green Tomatoes who also shared a close bond.

Apart from Ruth the cat being able to move only by pulling herself along on her front paws, the animals appeared to have been well cared for.



'We actually don't know what's wrong with her. We think it may have been something she was born with,' Diane Gagliano, of Seminole County Animal Services, said.

' It was really a strange situation - both of them were found in fairly good shape, not filthy or malnourished, so it seems as though they probably had a home at some point,' she told the Orlando Sentinel.



Realizing that they would need a special home together, Seminole Services contacted Jacqueline Borum who runs the Project Paws pet charity.



Abandoned: Ruth the cat has paralyzed legs. She was found dumped at the end of a drive with the dog

Close: Ruth snuggles up with Idgie as the two of them enjoy a nap

But Ms Borum was so moved by their plight that she offered to house the cat and dog herself, at her Hollywood Houndz pet store.

Idgie now keeps a close watch on Ruth from their large play pen in the store. Anytime she gets a new toy she brings it over to show the cat, and she curls up around her feline companion.

'We've seen friendships between dogs and cats before, but never anything like this,' Ms Borum said, adding that if another dog strays too close to Ruth then Idgie will start to growl and bark.























