A woman has captured hearts on social media after sharing the adventures of her house cow, who she says is like her “son” – with the cow even having been potty trained.
Faith O’Shields Allen, 22, an office worker from Arkansas, has shot to viral fame on TikTok with her unique pet, 16-month-old Ferdinand – who lives inside her home.
She owns a hobby farm and five-acre ranch with her father, where the pair raise miniature cattle as pets, as well as breed them.
“Anyone who owns a pet of any kind knows that there’s a special bond formed between you and your pet,” Faith told Jam Press.
“This feeling is amplified greatly when you’re raising an animal on a bottle.
“Ferdinand truly sees me as his mother and always will be my son.
“He follows me everywhere and always wants to be right with me – usually licking my face.
“When he sees me, he ‘moos’ to get my attention and keeps doing this until I come to see him.”
Ferdinand is the offspring of one of Faith’s other cows, Dutch and has recently become a big star on social media with over 10,500 followers on TikTok.
In a recent clip, which has been viewed 10.3 million times and has 2.3 million likes, Faith gives an insight into the cow’s story.
The adorable Ferdinand can be seen preparing to take on the day, while posing in a blue and white jumper.
Over the video, a text reads: “When you were born on a farm and your mom didn’t want you so a girl in her 20s took you home and now you’re a house cow who wears sweaters, takes baths and sleeps with a heated blanket.”
The cow appears to stand just below the door handle and it’s clear that Ferdinand is no larger than the average dog.
“He’s living that cowdashian dream,” one viewer commented. [sic]
Another person added: “Cows are honestly the most kind hearted, loving animals out there.”
“My ex is a house cow,” someone else wrote.
One person said: “As he should material boy.”
“Just wait it will get too pig to fit through your door,” another viewer commented.
Despite Faith loving having Ferdinand as a pet, there have been a few challenges along the way.
One of the main issues were toilet accidents around the house.
She said: “Ferdinand stayed on a pretty consistent potty schedule and always went shortly after he finished his bottle.
“This allowed us time to get him outside, like potty training a dog.
“I lost some sleep waking up during the night to give him his bottles, but I wouldn’t call that a challenge.
“His sweet face and seeing how happy he was, made it more than worth it.
“Although, we were not prepared [for this] as we assumed his mother would care for him.
“After a difficult delivery, this wasn’t the case as she wanted nothing to do with him and we had to bottle feed him so he would survive.
“He was like a perfect baby – after the first week or so, he slept through the night.”
Faith also owns six miniature zebu cattle, four miniature horses, two pigs and three Nigerian dwarf goats.
Also living on the farm are eight rabbits, 12 chickens, three dogs and lots of barn cats.
Despite the wide range of animals, they all get along very well.
Some people even called it the ‘funny farm’ because of the strange connections and friendships their animals have.
Faith said: “Ferdinand’s best friends are his sister, Magnolia, who was born just three months after him, and Sunny and Stormy the goats.
“While Magnolia was living in the house, Ferdinand was four months old and he snuck back in fairly often for play dates and to read our favourite book, Ferdinand the Bull.
“It’s not unusual to see a goat acting like a dog or a cow cuddling with a pig.”
Most of Faith’s TikTok fans believe that she lives in the city and spontaneously adopted a calf without knowing what she was doing.
However, she did extensive research before taking in Ferdinand and encourages others to do the same.
Faith added: “Before getting one, you need to make plans and prepare to care for them for their entire life.
“Keep in mind that they don’t stay small forever and soon, they will be a full grown adult.
“Even the miniature cattle we raise can reach up to 600lbs and they are fairly expensive to care for.
“Ferdinand only lived in the house for the first month of his life and after that, he went out to the barn/pasture in my backyard.
“I encourage people to practice good ethics and not take calves away from their mothers – he was only raised by me because of the circumstances.
“The love, support and interest shown has truly meant the world to me.
“I can’t explain how happy it makes me that so many people from all around the world love Ferdinand and see how special he is.”
