Rescue Dog Mom Starts Nursing Abandoned Kitten Brought into Shelter After Pleading to Meet the Cat
"He is dependent on her; she alone is providing all his food/nourishment through nursing," the Jackson County Animal Shelter says about the kitten's bond with Kela the dog
An abandoned kitten has a mother again, thanks to a doting dog.
In March, a "very pregnant" Kela moved to the Jackson Country Animal Shelter from another shelter in Michigan because Jackson Country Animal Shelter was more equipped to care for the dog mom and her puppies, the shelter's animal services director, Lydia Sattler, tells PEOPLE.
Initially, the Jackson Country Animal Shelter planned to place Kela in a foster home to give birth. But the pregnant dog was "very scared and would not let anyone get close to her" when she first arrived at the shelter," says Sattler.
"We moved her into our office spaces to try and make her more comfortable and let her get to know us. She became very happy hanging out with us all day," the director says.
On March 31, Kela gave birth to ten healthy puppies at the Jackson Country Animal Shelter. Several days later, a Good Samaritan brought in an abandoned male kitten they found outside. After the kitten arrived, shelter workers brought the tiny cat back to the offices for a bottle and a vet exam.
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It didn't take Kela long to realize someone new was in the offices.
"While he was waiting for his bottle to be warmed up, the kitten was crying in his box. Kela heard the kitten and was scratching at the door to get in that room," Sattler explains.
At first, shelter workers couldn't figure out what Kela wanted until they opened the door to the room holding the abandoned kitten.
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"I opened the door to ask her what was wrong, and she immediately ran past me to the kitten. She stuck her head right in the box. I went and picked up the kitten, not knowing what Kela was doing. She tried to take him out of my hand and would not take her eyes off him. She also would not leave the kitten to go back to her puppies," Sattler says.
The animal services director decided to place the kitten with Kela's puppies to help the dog calm down.
"As soon as the kitten was added to the puppy pile, she instantly laid down and started cleaning him," Sattler says of Kela.
"Kela was finally content to stay with her puppies again once the kitten was in there with them. We tried to take him out to give him a bottle, and Kela again would not leave his side," she adds.
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Since joining Kela's litter on April 3, the currently unnamed kitten has been doing well.
"He is so content to be cleaned, warm, and snuggled. We haven't heard him cry since!" Sattler says of the kitten's time with Kela.
Along with cleaning the kitten, Kela has started nursing the baby cat and made him a part of her pack. Kela's puppies don't seem to mind the plus one.
"They don't have their eyes open yet, so they will be surprised to see he looks a little different. I wonder if they will notice! They all snuggle together and nurse side by side! I think it is fair to say the whole litter will be great with cats when they are ready for adoption," Sattler says.
The kitten — around ten days old when he arrived at the shelter — will stay with Kela until he is weaned.
"He is dependent on her; she alone is providing all his food/nourishment through nursing as well as cleaning up after him," the Jackson Country Animal Shelter director adds.
Once the kitten and Kela's puppies are weaned, all of the animals will be available for adoption at the Jackson County Animal Shelter.
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