The Dog Journal

DOG SAVES KITTEN FROM RAVINE AND NURSES HER - “Anderson’s Animal Control found a dog and kitten duo, and they believe the dog saved the kitten from a ravine. Now, she’s treating the baby cat like her own pup…”

A dog in Anderson, South Carolina, is believed to have saved an abandoned kitten from a ravine. Animal control officers discovered the dog nursing the kitten. They have been taken in by Anderson County PAWS and authorities are searching for the owner of the dog. Read more from foxcarolina.com:

She said the neighbor had been hearing a dog’s bark since Saturday morning. To find the animal, Smith needed to follow the bark and climb down an embankment to reach her.

She wasn’t expecting to find the dog with another furry friend.

“I think it would’ve been OK for the dog to walk down the hill. I got down there, so it should be pretty easy for the dog, but I’m thinking it just couldn’t get back up with the kitten, and I don’t think it was willing to leave the kitten,” Smith said.

PAWS animal rescue in Anderson is keeping the duo. They said the dog is at least 5 years old, in good health, freshly groomed and has a collar. The dog has been treating the weeks-old kitten as her own, cleaning, tending and nursing her. PAWS Director Jessica Cwynar said the dog is likely going through a pseudo-pregnancy to produce milk. She said it’s not enough to provide for the kitten, so they are also bottle feeding the cat.

Smith said in 17 years working with animals, she doesn’t usually see different types of animals become friends like this and has never seen a dog nurse a kitten.

Hopefully this dog and kitten are adopted together, if possible. Another example of dog heroism. Click here for the full story and here for more about Anderson County PAWS. (Additional info and pictures from WGCL Atlanta)

DOG HELPS RAISE NEWBORN KITTENS - “Normally, we just have people hand feeding them and we give them a stuffed animal to snuggle with. That does not compare to the love and attention and affection that Zelda gives them.”

A five-year-old Chinese Crested named Zelda has been raising two newborn kittens who were rescued by the Burlington Humane Society in Canada. The kittens were abandoned by their mother but Zelda stepped in to help nurture them. Here’s more from insidehalton.com:

Heather Ashcroft-Hill, an adoption counsellor who is trained as a veterinary technician, took two of the kittens home to care for until they are ready for adoption.

It was love at first sight for Ashcroft-Hill’s dog Zelda, according to Adrienne Gosse, shelter manager at the Burlington Humane Society.

“Her dog is very maternal, she has had puppies herself, so when she brought them home, she was very curious about them,” said Gosse. “She introduced the babies to the dog and she took right to them. She was licking them, cleaning them, snuggling them, kissing them, and they bonded. You even see the babies try to suckle on the dog – she’s not producing any milk, but she’s trying.”

These kittens are lucky to have a great “mother” like Zelda. Click here for the full story and here to learn more about the Burlington Humane Society. (Photo by Nikki Wesley and from BHS Facebook page)

DOGS WITH THEIR FRIENDS - It seems like every week there’s a story about a dog befriending an animal of another species. A pig named Piglet at a farm in England started following around a terrier named Alfie and eating from the same dog bowl.  They are now best friends. Meanwhile, at the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, also in England, a puppy named Buttons and a cat named Kitty are inseparable after being raised together. Read more about these friendly animals at the News & Star and BBC News.