Loving Rescue Labrador Raises Seven Motherless Kittens As If They Were His Own

Jul 31, 2021 by apost team

In a heartwarming July 2021 story out of the U.K., a rescue Labrador retriever named Bertie took a group of abandoned kittens under his wing at the Battersea animal shelter. According to a press release apost.com received, a member of the public found the 2-week-old kittens on the side of the road, hopelessly left alone without a mother or owner. Given the kittens’ fragile state, they were sent immediately to Battersea, an animal shelter and charity that has been around since 1860.

Once the litter of kittens arrived at the shelter, the team at Battersea checked to make sure the adorable creatures were healthy. Shortly thereafter, the shelter’s head nurse, Rachel, took the kittens home with her, where she lives with her 1-year-old black Labrador retriever.

While it may be surprising — since dogs and cats are thought of as rivals — Bertie the black Lab welcomed the abandoned kittens into his home, treating them as if they were his own children. As photos of Bertie and his furry friends show, the kittens seem completely unafraid of their relatively massive surrogate dad. Their story is just more proof that meaningful interspecies relationships are possible. What makes their pairing even sweeter is that Bertie himself was a rescue animal, and so it was as if he was paying it forward when it took care of his feline friends.

Rachel and Bertie made sure to look after the kittens until they could eat and use the litter box without help. And luckily, once they had recovered from their abandonment and grown up a bit, the kittens were adopted at Battersea.

“As a former Battersea resident himself, there’s something particularly touching about seeing a rescue pet now helping to rescue other animals in need,” Rachel said in the press release. “I’m incredibly proud of Bertie for the way he has cared for the kittens over the last few weeks. At less than two years old, he’s barely an adult himself, but you wouldn’t think it when you see how incredibly patient and nurturing he has been.”

“These kittens have certainly been a handful, from the early days when they needed bottle feeding round the clock, to when they first discovered the joys of climbing,” she continued. “Not only has Bertie helped the kittens become confident, sociable little cats, he’s also kept me entertained.”

Battersea, formerly called Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, is one of England’s most well-known animal rescue charities, especially given its long history. First established in Holloway, London back in 1860, the charity moved to Battersea, London in 1871. Today, the organization, which has three rescue centers, looks after around 240 dogs and 145 cats on average at any given time.

“Hand rearing kittens is such a wonderfully rewarding experience, you get to help them grow from tiny defenceless babies into unique characters ready for a loving home,” Rachel said of working at the organization in the press release. “I was sad to see them go, but I can take comfort in knowing that Bertie and I helped give them the best start in life. I suspect Bertie may also have been enjoying the peace and quiet once his young charges had gone, he’d certainly earned it!”

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What do you think of Bertie’s behavior? Is it surprising that a dog would take in a litter of kittens? Let us know — and be sure to pass this story on.