Stylish Pets: Kelly Thompson's Cat and Dog Billie and Butter

Viva
Billie and Butter, with illustrator Kelly Thompson. Picture / Supplied


Like most modern pets, Billie the beagle and Butter the cat make frequent appearances on owner Kelly Thompson's social media accounts. The Melbourne-based pair, who live with the New Zealand-born illustrator and her husband Christian McCabe (co-owner of restaurant The Town Mouse), let us in on a few of their favourite things...

My favourite food is...
Billie: That little bit of marrow that I can't quite reach inside the bone, I licked it once, changed my life.
Butter: Anything taken from the rubbish bin while Kelly sleeps, I'm pro forage.

I like to annoy my owners by…
Billie: Sneezing in their faces to wake them up so I can force my way under the blanket.
Butter: Singing like a cat possessed whenever someone enters the kitchen.

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is…
Billie: Go back to sleep.
Butter: Watch everyone have a shower, I like to watch.

When visitors come over I…
Billie: I can't even talk about it it's too exciting, I pulled a muscle mid full body tail wag last time.
Butter: Copy the dog.

My favourite place to sleep is…
Billie: I like to be a pillow, I don't care where I am as long as someone has their head on me.
Butter: On Kelly's face.

I hate it when my owners…
Billie: Pretend they have a treat in their pocket when they've actually run out.
Butter: Squirt me with the water bottle when I'm on the bench.

When I'm feeling naughty I…
Billie: Pee on the bath mat.
Butter: Steal the dog treats from the top of the fridge, eat some then give the rest to the dog, she knows who's boss.

My favourite item of clothing is…
Billie: I have a collection of items from Best in Park from a shoot I did once, bow ties are not just for boys.
Butter: Anything Kelly wears that's fluffy.

The secret to my shiny coat is…
Billie: Like our owners we keep food fresh and as natural as possible. Our diet is all about raw meats and fermented grains, I like to pretend I ate it straight out of an animal I hunted.
Butter: I'm strawberry blonde and naturally radiant.

My favourite sounds are…
Billie: The rustling of an empty poo bag by the front door, eeeeeee walk time!!!!!
Butter: I'm pretending to be deaf so can't comment.

My best friend is…
Billie: Kelly.
Butter: Billie.

This week at Viva we’re celebrating animals - the influential, the kind that keep you company, and the ones in need. To raise money for the SPCA we’ve launched The Pet Project, asking local designers and artists to donate and create special items to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. We’ll donate all of the proceeds to the SPCA, so get bidding!

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