It turns out a prairie dog is the adorable pet you never knew you wanted.
That’s if these videos from Mattie Sanders are anything to go by.
Mattie and her husband, who live in Gretna, Louisiana, have so many pets they’ve started describing them as the Sanders Zoo – and unusually, they include two prairie dogs.
“I have always loved animals and when I came across prairie dogs as pets I knew I wanted them to be a part of our family,” Mattie said. “My husband and I drove to Texas to get them from a pet store.
“They aren’t too difficult to take care of but they do need to be supervised when they are out or they will chew on things.”
In total they have three dogs, two cats, two prairie dogs, a ferret and a turtle.
But it’s the friendship between one of their prairie dogs, Otis, and Katrin the kitten which takes the cute factor to a whole new level.
The pair can often be seen playing together and snuggling up in videos posted to the Sanders Zoo Instagram and YouTube pages.
As for any expansions to the zoo, they don’t seem too likely any time soon.
“I would love a white prairie dog but they are quite expensive and my husband doesn’t want any more animals,” Mattie said. “Except possibly chickens.”
For the moment they’ll have to make do with three dogs, two cats, two prairie dogs, a turtle – and of course Watson the ferret.
