Mom Dog Who Lost Her Babies Adopts 3 Tiny Kittens Who Need Her

One was a nursing mother dog who had lost her puppies and had been abandoned behind a dumpster. 

Jones had just taken in the sweet rat terrier mix mama dog when the rescue called and asked if she would also foster and bottle-feed three newborn kittens who had lost their mother.

“Then they said, ‘We have an idea,'” Jones told The Dodo. 

It was a long shot, and Jones would have to proceed with caution, but maybe, just maybe, the mother dog would nurse the kittens. When they arrived, Jones decided to go for it.  

“I was very careful,” she said. “I sat down next to the mama dog and sat down with one kitten. I slowly showed her the kitten to see how she’d react. I was afraid maybe she’d growl or would not take [it] very well.”  

Jones held her breath, ready to retreat at the slightest sign this was not a match. Instead, a miracle unfolded.

“She took to the first kitten right away. She licked him,” Jones said.  

After making sure the dog seemed comfortable, Jones introduced the other two kittens.

“She laid right down and nuzzled them toward her,” Jones said. “She let them nurse. It was very motherly. She knew what to do right away.”

As Jones watched the dog continue to nurse the kittens, she was shocked.  

“It really worked,” she said. 

Then, she started crying.

“I was like, ‘This is so beautiful,'” she said. “I’ve never personally seen anything like this. It all came together so quickly, like it was meant to be.” 

The new family moved into a large crate together, and the dog, now named Keeper, nursed the kittens for five weeks. 

“She took to them on day one and loved them like her own,” Jones said. “It’s so heartwarming. They both needed each other, and they’re healthy kittens because of that.” 

Jones is now starting to wean the kittens and introduce them to wet food. She wonders if Keeper even realizes the kittens aren’t exactly her real babies. 

“They’re different species, and they came together,” Jones said. “It’s so special. Dogs and cats don’t care. They just want and give unconditional love.” 

Keeper has already been adopted, and the kittens, Marshmallow, Oreo and Cookie, will be ready for adoption soon. Jones said they are very socialized and have a lot of dog-like tendencies.

Of all the animals Jones has fostered, Keeper and her kittens have warmed her heart the most.

“I don’t know how to put it into words yet,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful thing. I had a lot of hope this would happen, but I also thought, ‘This is crazy, this isn’t going to work.’ But Keeper didn’t care where they came from, she just knew they needed a mom and took to them.”