A cracker of a Christmas pet quiz

Sit back, put your feet up and test your pet knowledge with our fun quiz all about our furry family members.

Whatever your favourite category – animals in books, films and on TV, pets of famous people, different pet breeds or amazing animal facts, see how much you know by pitting your wits against our festive pet-themed quiz – and why not challenge your family and friends to play along too? You’ll find the answers at the end of this blog – but no peeking!

ROUND ONE: Animals in books, film and on TV

Question 1 Over the years, there have been 24 pets who’ve appeared on iconic BBC children’s show Blue Peter, including Henry, a Beagle-Bassett cross rescue dog, who joined the team in April 2019. But do you know who was the first ever Blue Peter pet?

Question 2 Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books have also been turned into a TV series featuring the adventures of a group of mystery-loving children – Julian, Dick, Anne, Georgina (who prefers to be called George) – and a large brown dog with a long waggy tail. But what is his name?

Question 3 Flushed Away is a 2006 animated adventure comedy film about a pampered pet mouse named Roddy St. James (voiced by Hugh Jackman) who is flushed down the toilet by a comfort-loving sewer rat, (voiced by Shane Richie) – can you remember his name?

Question 4 The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, is a family favourite at Christmas. But can you remember why Dorothy ran away with her little Cairn Terrier Toto, which saw them transported to the magical land of Oz?

Question 5 The main character in the 2016 Disney film Zootopia, set in a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive, is a rabbit called Judy Hopps, who wants to follow her dream – but what is it?

ROUND TWO: Pets with famous owners

Question 6 Iconic film star Audrey Hepburn adored dogs – she was apparently so attached to her canine companion Mr Famous that he appeared on set with her in a scene for the movie Funny Face in 1957. Constantly at her side, Mr Famous inspired a craze for this small, intelligent, silky-coated little terrier in Hollywood at the time. But what breed was it?

Question 7 Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, adopted two female Jack Russell Terriers from Battersea, but do you know their names?

Question 8 Sir Isaac Newton may be best known for his ground-breaking discoveries about the laws of gravity – but he’s also thought to have invented something else for his cats. Do you know what it is?

Question 9 Crime author Agatha Christie was passionate about dogs and was usually accompanied by a terrier of some sort. Her favourite – a short-haired terrier called Peter – even starred in one of her stories – do you know which one? Here’s a clue – An elderly spinster has been poisoned in her country home. Everyone blames Emily's accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier, but Hercule Poirot is on the case...

Question 10 “Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. I'm a 14-year-old tabby, in position longer than the leader of any UK political party." What’s the name of this famous feline who resides at Number 10 Downing Street and has 438,000 twitter followers?

ROUND THREE: Different breeds and types

Question 11 Cockerpoos are Cocker Spaniels crossed with Poodles but what are: Cavapoos, Schnoodles, Poochons and Maltipoos crosses of?

Question 12 Is a Finnish Spitz a cat, a rabbit or a dog?

Question 13 What’s distinctive about Dark-eyed White (Dew)/Black-eyed White (Bew) ferrets?

Question 14 There are five main types of hamster that are kept as pets in the UK, each with their own distinct personality. But what’s the smallest type of hamster pet?

Question 15 British Shorthair Cats are the UK’s most popular breed, but what blue-eyed, silky-coated feline comes in at number two, according to the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF)?

ROUND FOUR: Animal groups – five quick-fire questions

Question 16 What is a group of cats called?

Question 17 What is a group of ferrets called?

Question 18 What is a group of mice called?

Question 19 What is a group of hamsters called?

Question 20 What is a group of dogs called?

ROUND FIVE: Amazing animal facts

Question 21 What small fluffy herbivore, that’s originally from mountainous regions, likes to sleep upside down and can leap six feet into the air from a standing start?

Question 22 Family is everything to this small rodent that loves digging and tunnelling, has a long, furry tail and hails from the desert environments of Africa, India and Asia. In the wild, the young spend a lot of time with their parents, learning key life skills to enable them to survive and live healthily in the wild. Can you name this rodent?

Question 23 These popular pets have lots of ways of communicating including chin rubbing, nose nudging, teeth clicking and grinding, licking, thumping, circling and chucking stuff about. They can also perform an acrobatic jump accompanied by a body twist and a leg kick, known as a ‘binky’. Can you name this animal?

Question 24 In the wild, these supremely social animals live in groups of up to 100, where they dig complex burrows to hide from predators, complete with nests and food stores. Unlike many small furries, these little rodents are diurnal, which means they are active during the day. What are they?

Question 25 What While these adorable small rodents enjoy human affection, they need to be with others of their own kind. They communicate using several noises, including a ‘wheek-wheek’ call – a sign of excitement or to find a friend – and a low ‘purring’ sound, which they make when they are feeling content and chilled out. They also emit a series of short ‘putt-putt’ noises when they are exploring. What are these popular pets?

THE ANSWERS

ROUND ONE: Animals in books, film and on TV

Q1 Answer Petra the dog appeared on Blue Peter between 1962 and 1977 and was the first ever television pet. In fact, she became a pet for all the children who were unable to have their own and they eagerly followed Petra’s training and antics on the programme. She’s also immortalised as a statue in the Blue Peter garden.

Q2 Answer Timmy – George adopted him after finding him abandoned on the moors as a puppy. He is very friendly, clever, affectionate and loyal to the children, often protecting them against all the villainous types they encounter on their adventures.

Q3 Answer Sid. The pair end up in the underground city of Ratropolis, befriend a sewer scavenger named Rita Malone (voiced by Kate Winslet) and have series of adventures in Rita’s boat The Jammy Dodger before finally finding their way home.

Q4 Answer In the film, Toto bites the wealthy and grouchy Miss Almira Gulch on the leg, leading her to obtain a sheriff's order to have him destroyed. Miss Gulch takes Toto away, but he manages to escape and returns to Dorothy, so she decides to run away to save her dog. Following a tornado, Dorothy’s house lands on an evil witch in Munchkinland and so begins her journey to see the Wonderful Wizard by following the Yellow Brick Road all the way to Oz.

Q5 Answer Judy Hopps dreams of becoming the first rabbit to join the police force. Determined to prove her worth, when 14 animals go missing, Judy immediately takes the case. Partnering with a smooth-talking fox named Nick Wilde, she must piece together all the clues as to where the missing animals are and who is behind it all.

ROUND TWO: Pets with famous owners

Q6 Answer Mr Famous was a Yorkshire Terrier.

Q7 Answer Beth and Bluebell. The Duchess of Cornwall is also a patron of Battersea, which has rehomed more than three million animals since being founded in 1860.

Q8 Answer The cat flap – kind of. The story goes that when he studied at Cambridge, he had some holes cut in a door so his cats could come and go as they pleased without him having to get up from his work to let them in.

Q9 Answer It was the story Dumb Witness, where Peter appeared under the name of Bob. The book's dedication reads: "Dear Peter, Most Faithful of Friends and Dearest of Companions, A Dog in a Thousand.”

Q10 Answer Larry – who likes to point out that Prime Ministers come and go – he's now on his third: David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson – but after a decade in Downing Street, he's the undisputed top cat.

ROUND THREE: Different breeds and types

Q11 Answer Cavapoos are Poodles crossed with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Schnoodles are a cross between Schnauzers and Poodles, Poochons are a cross between Toy Poodles and Bichon Frises and Maltipoos are Poodles crossed with a Maltese. Like all cross breeds, each of them are super cute!

Q12 Answer It’s the national dog of Finland, and was originally used for tracking elk and bear. The spitz characteristics are a wedge-shaped head, compact body and a stand-off outer coat with a tightly curled tail over his back. The bright red iridescent coat of the Finnish Spitz is much admired.

Q13 Answer They have a beautiful, light-coloured coat that can range from snow white to light cream, but they are not missing the pigmentation of albino ferrets and so do not have pink or red eyes.

Q14 Answer The Roborovski Hamster, which originates in the deserts of Central Asia and bears the name of explorer Lt Roborovski, who reported on these little animals in 1894. The Roborovski measures just two inches when fully grown, although they have longer legs than most dwarf hamster species. They have sweet little faces with endearing white patches where their eyebrows are.

Q15 Answer Ragdolls – stunning to look at, and known for their wonderful temperaments, they love to be around people and are adored for their unique 'smiley' expression. The more love and attention you give to a Raggie, as they are affectionately known, the more love and attention you get back.

ROUND FOUR: Animal groups – five quick-fire questions

Q16 Answer A clowder of cats.

Q17 Answer A business of ferrets.

Q18 Answer A mischief of mice.

Q19 Answer A horde of hamsters.

Q20 Answer A kennel of dogs.

ROUND FIVE: Amazing animal facts

Q21 Answer Chinchillas. In the wild, chinchillas are hunted by owls, hawks, snakes, foxes and mountain lions and their long hind limbs are designed to help them leap out of harm’s way.

Q22 Answer Gerbil. Wild gerbils hang out in family groups of up to 17 or more individuals, formed by many generations of offspring. These tight knit colonies groom each other, play and work together to find food – highly social behaviour, which is why you should never keep a gerbil as a solo pet.

Q23 Answer Rabbits. Learning to speak rabbit means spending lots of time engaging with and observing your bunnies, but the rewards are wonderful. Not only will you gain a fantastic insight into your rabbits’ world, you’ll also be better equipped to provide them with a more fulfilling life as you begin to understand what makes them happy, stressed or cross.

Q24 Answer Degus. Although they love attention from their human, these small pets need the company of at least one other degu chum (ideally from the same litter) or they will feel vulnerable and depressed, which will have a detrimental effect on their health. Degus like to do things with other degus – whether that’s playing a game of chase, taking a sand bath together, or cuddling up for a cosy nap.

Q25 Answer Guinea pigs – although how they got their name is a bit of a mystery. They don’t come from Guinea – they actually originate from the Andes region of South America – and one theory is that they were first brought to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 1500s via Guinea in Africa, so people thought they came from there. Alternatively, it could be a corruption of ‘Guiana’, an area in South America. They are also not related to pigs at all. Even though male guinea pigs are called boars and females are called sows, they are rodents. Their scientific name is ‘Cavia porcellus’, which is why they are sometimes referred to as ‘cavies’. The word ‘porcellus’ is Latin for ‘little pig’. This name may have come about because of the pig-like squeaking noises they make.

How did you score?

20-25 – Christmas star – you’re top of the tree!

15-19 – Elf on the shelf

14 or less – Frosty the snowman

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