An experienced foster mom thought she already saw everything after offering temporary homes to more than a hundred cats and dogs. Stacee Jones helps out at Jelly’s Place, a non-profit and no-kill shelter in San Pablo, CA. Her latest foster animals, however, left her shocked and overwhelmed, but in a good way.
Stacee had just brought home an abandoned rat terrier mix dog. The pup looked like she had given birth to a litter of puppies not too long ago before she was found. However, she has been alone when she was discovered behind a communal dumpster.
Coincidentally, another batch of rescue animals has been brought in to the shelter. This time, three tiny newborn kittens need a temporary home after losing their mother. The shelter asked Stacee if she could also accommodate the three kitties as well as bottle-feed them.
As soon as Stacee agreed, the shelter asked her if she could also try experimenting. It sounded like an incredible idea, but it would require extreme caution and delicate handling. They asked Stacee to gauge the momma dog’s reaction to the three kittens and introduce them to each other carefully with the hope that the pup would become a wet-nurse to the orphaned kittens.
Stacee first sat down beside the momma dog while cuddling one of the kittens. Holding her breath, she carefully showed the tiny feline while focusing on the pup’s reaction. She was ready to take away the little kitty if the dog would show even a small hint of aggressiveness.
Much to her amazement, the momma dog immediately licked the kitten. When Stacee was sure that the pup was okay having the kitten around her, she brought in the two other kitties. She could not stop her tears when the dog laid down and let the babies suckle her. The dog who was later named Keeper went on to nurse and care for the baby felines for more than a month like they were her own, after which she was adopted.
Stacee had only heard about the possibility of such a miracle, but witnessing it firsthand has been very heartwarming. The kittens who are now called Cookie, Marshmallow, and Oreo are being weaned and are almost ready for their own forever homes. Their story reminds us that unconditional love exists, and Stacee was lucky to be a part of that even for just a while.
Mother dog nurses abandoned kittens
WatchdogMary Is that a mama dog… nursing kittens?!It is! Read my story in The Dodo for the amazing scoop:https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/dog-mom-raises-newborn-kittens
Posted by WatchdogMary on Thursday, June 11, 2020
Credits to WatchdogMary