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Dog nurses feral kitten back to health
A 4-year-old Pekingese mothers an abandoned kitten and proves that sometimes cats and dogs really can get along.
Fri, Oct 05 2012 at 2:00 PM
Snapshot from video
A tiny kitten on the verge of death in Jordan, Minn., has been suckled back to life by a Pekingese who hasn’t given birth in two years.
Eric Novotny and his grandmother found the gray kitten in a barn and brought it inside, and then Mittens, a 4-year-old Pekingese, just did what came naturally to her.
"I put the baby down on the floor, and my dog Mittens came over and started sniffing," Pat Weber, Novotny’s grandmother, told CBS News. "The kitten was meowing. Mittens starting licking it and licking it and nudging it, and then she laid down right by it."
The kitten started to suckle, and within three days Mittens began producing milk even though she hasn’t been pregnant in years.
"I couldn't believe it at first," Weber told the Star Tribune. "Later I took some pictures and took them to church and told people I had a miracle to share. The miracle was that after three days, my dog had milk to feed the kitten with, and I didn't have to get up every two hours to feed her formula out of a bottle."
Today, the kitten, which Weber named Bootsie, is doing well, and Mittens continues to care for him.
"I don't know if she thinks it's a cat or if it's a different type of dog," said Novotny. "I don't think she really cares. I think she's just happy to be a mom again."
Watch an adorable video of Mittens and Bootsie below, and don't miss these other unlikely animal friendships.
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Great2 hear this esp. in these "stormy" times!
Very happy to know this kitten survived! God Bless!
God works in mysterious ways! There is no substitute for "mother's milk"! Awesome & heartwarming story!
This just warmed my heart!!!
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a wonderful story. So glad the kitten was taken in and cared for and not abandoned or worse. Never heard of a dog producing milk like that. Such a great story.
Dis just warms mai heart!!! How precious...and indeed, a miracle for both babies!!!
Awesome story! I recently rescued a cat and didn't know what to expect from my 2 puggles; of course they adore her...so now I have a cat who thinks she's a dog!
So beautiful. A house of love indeed.
This just shows the love and compassion between animals of different species. THANK YOU!!!!
>Mod's Edit: Please avoid typing in all caps when you can, thank you!<
What a wonderful story! Thank you for taking in the kitten.
What a great, sweet story!
Thank you so much for rescuing the kitty!
Should we all take a lesson from God's little creatures!
That is just AWESOME! A miracle for sure! :)
My Shetland Sheepdog did exactly the same thing fifteen years years ago in Cokato MN, took in a barn kitten that was orphaned and produced milk for him after three days. She washed him, cuddled him, kept him warm and nursed him for many weeks-she even knew when to wean him. Oddly, she had never had a litter of puppies before or after him.
God is at work again. How sweet!
God Bless all of you. A wonderful story with lots of love.
That is truly a house filled with love. Blessings to all of them!
i want that pretty kitty soooooooooo cute
God bless you Mittens and Bootsie! Soooo glad you've got each other. God is DEFINITELY at work bringing you two together. My prayers that you have a long, healthy and happy friendship. You're REALLY valued members of this wonderful family - I'm so THRILLED for you both. xo xo xo xo xo xo