We occasionally hear of animals being cared for by an animal of another species, but this is rather uncommon for cats according to Lizzie Goldstraw, a veterinarian from Liverpool, who commented on the matter during a BBC video interview. The topic of the interview was a Siamese cat, named Coco, who had just given birth to three kittens, but was in for another surprise. It turns out that the very same day the Shih tzu puppy, Hope, had been rejected by her birth mother. So the owner of the pets put Hope with Coco in hopes that she would care for her. Thankfully, acting as if she were her own, the cat quickly and easily accepted the little puppy and let her nurse alongside her three kittens. Dr. Goldstraw, the Vet caring for Coco, her kittens and the puppy, says all are doing well and little Hope is thriving well under the care of Coco. She also stated it was fortunate Hope was a small breed of dog, because if she had been a larger breed, the match may not have been as successful.
Coco is a very calm and loving mother who appears to have taken on Hope as one of her own, (as you’ll see in the video below from Daily Mail) which must have certainly been a relief for everyone involved. One can easily see the mothering affection displayed by Coco as Hope nuzzles her. Unfortunately, due to her size, Hope will need to be weaned at about 6 weeks old. It will be interesting to see if the bond formed between Coco, the kittens and Hope will remain intact after she is weaned.
At this time the kittens and Hope play well together and the kittens don’t seem to notice that Hope is a puppy and not a kitten like themselves. According to the animal’s owner, this may all change when the puppy begins to bark, (which will probably be funny to witness!) but hopefully they will all continue to get along. It is certainly not unusual for cats and dogs to live peacefully in the same household, especially if they were raised together at a young age.
It is an amazing thing to see the strong sense of motherhood this cat possesses, as her maternal instinct leads her to care for an animal of another species. We at the Catington Post are certainly hopefully that the bond they have formed will continue even after Hope is weaned. What a wonderful gift this little mama cat has given to her adoptive baby.
Do you currently share your home with both cats and dogs who peacefully coexist?
