Litter Of Newborn Puppies Left Behind Gets Taken In By Nursing Cat

Mar 17, 2021 by apost team

Dogs and cats are commonly portrayed as enemies. TV shows and cartoons generally continue to show this type of relationship as well, leading most of us to believe this is the only truth. "Fighting like cats and dogs" has become the best saying to describe people who bicker and argue constantly. 

Fortunately for us, under the right circumstances, cats and dogs can get along like, well, cats and dogs! Many of us may also have both pets at home and have been witness to the incredible bond that can grow when safety and a nurturing environment allow for both animals to let their guards down and take care of each other. 

Some of the best examples of cats and dogs becoming the best of friends can be seen through videos on social media. These emotional videos can melt even the coldest of hearts, and thanks to the far-reaching power of social media, we have new examples from across the world every day that show how beautiful this relationship can truly be. However, it isn't every day that you hear a story about a cat nursing puppies after the little ones are abandoned by their mother! 

This story from way back in 1993 is about Miss Kitty from South Carolina, who unfortunately lost her litter soon after they were born. Miss Kitty's owners also had a litter of puppies who were abandoned by their mama. It looked like things would end in tragedy but the events turned into an amazing story of survival against all odds. Miss Kitty showed that love always triumphs over differences.

Every newborn, whether it's a newborn baby or newborn animal, needs a lot of care and attention to thrive. Without someone to provide for basic needs like food, warmth, and shelter, a newborn simply can't make it in life. For Miss Kitty, the heartbreak of losing her newborns was difficult. Her owner, Missy Grant, told the PAX program "It's A Miracle" that Miss Kitty had her kittens across the yard, under her neighbor's trailer. Her husband, Ryan Grant, added that the kittens "didn't look healthy at all" since the day they found them, and unfortunately they did not make it. 

At the same time, their Grants' dog named Miss Smoochie had also given birth but for whatever reason failed to bond with her newborn pups. Though immediately caring for puppies is usually part of a mother dog's natural instincts, Smoochie somehow lacked this desire to care for her newborn litter, and instead, she ignored them altogether. Even when they yelped and whined due to hunger, she turned her back on them and refused to provide for their desperate need. The situation was looking pretty grim for the little ones who looked pretty much abandoned by their mother.

It isn't clear how Miss Kitty came to know that the little ones needed a mother, but Missy believes it is because she heard the whining and wanted to do something about it. After coming home one day, the Grants saw that five puppies from the kennel were missing and wondered how this happened. Their neighbor, Linda Blackwell, told Missy that she saw Miss Kitty stealing the little ones. 

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Blackwell told the program that she kept hearing the puppies constantly screaming, and when she went to check on them, she saw Miss Kitty carrying the puppies one by one and taking them to a makeshift safe space under the trailer in her yard to nurse the babies. This seemed unusual to Missy, who said, "I didn't believe it, but I looked up under the trailer and I hear them whining and they were up under there... And then I had to cut them out."

It seems like Miss Kitty's natural mothering instinct was in play when she encountered Smoochie's abandoned litter of pups and she couldn't stand hearing them pitifully whimper for food. She became the pups' surrogate mother in this way, so Missy moved her and her new babies to a safer location where they would be dry and warm. She was taken aback by how loving and caring Miss Kitty was, so she phoned the local television news reporter, Theresa Dickey.

Dickey was also surprised by how beautifully Miss Kitty had taken the puppies under her paw and decided to do a story about it. While airing the story, Missy told Dickey to include a note at the end asking if anyone had stray or abandoned kittens that Miss Kitty could mother instead. They were not sure if Miss Kitty would be producing enough milk to be able to take care of five puppies, so taking care of kittens instead might give her a better segway to become the momma she wanted to be. 

Soon enough, a call came in about two abandoned kittens that needed a nursing mother, so they were brought to Miss Kitty and introduced to her. While she happily accepted the new additions to her fold, she was unwilling to let the puppies go! Ryan said about Miss Kitty's love for the puppies, "I've never seen anything like it before in my life, and I've been around animals all my life." Her behavior was atypical for any cat, as there have only been a few cases of animals nursing babies across species. In the video, Missy can be heard saying, "She honestly thinks the puppies are hers."

What a wonderful mama, and it just goes to show that a mother will always be a mother, no matter who she accepts as her children. However, the concern remained that she just did not have enough milk to feed all the puppies as well as the kittens. They approached a veterinarian, who said that even though Miss Kitty could potentially nurse the puppies as well as the kittens, it was recommended that the Grants force Miss Smoochie to lie down so that the puppies would be fed. It looks like once Miss Smoochie did end up letting the puppies get milk from her. 

Missy expresses everyone's sentiment quite clearly when she says, "Miss Kitty is a perfect mother." We can't help but agree with her! It is a beautiful thing to see a momma so in love with her babies, even though they weren't biologically hers. It goes to show that not all cats and dogs have a bad relationship, and can sometimes even form bonds that seem miraculous. 

What are your thoughts about this unusual adoption story? Do you agree that Miss Kitty is a hero for stepping in to save this litter of abandoned puppies? Have you ever heard of any other occasion where an animal has stepped in to care for abandoned newborns of another species? Let us know your stories, and feel free to pass this inspiring story along to all of the animal lovers in your life!