Dogs and cats don't always have to fight like cats and dogs; there can even be puppy love or kitten love!
Call it a case of puppy love — or maybe kitten love is more appropriate.
Sprinkle, a 1-year-old white Chihuahua owned by Westminster resident Teresa Coale, considers the newest addition to the household her new puppy.
Her new “puppy” is actually a 2-week-old black kitten.
Sprinkle regularly grooms the kitten, licking its face and body. She protects the kitten from people reaching in to pick her up. Even though she’s not producing milk, the dog tries to nurse the kitten. The unlikely pair also sleep together, curled up with the kitten’s head resting on Sprinkle’s body.
Coale took in the kitten — the family calls her Bindi — from a family friend last week. When Coale got her, the kitten was weak. Now Bindi is thriving, partly due to hand feeding she gets every two hours and partly because of the constant care and attention from Sprinkle, Coale said.
The kitten will cry unless Sprinkle is around to comfort her. Coale’s other Chihuahua, Shuggy, enjoys the company of Bindi as well, but isn’t nearly as interested in her welfare as Sprinkle. After a feeding, Sprinkle will patiently watch and then groom Bindi when she is out of Coale’s hands.
Sprinkle might just be a natural mother. Shuggy gave birth recently via Caesarean section, therefore eliminating the chance for bonding that mothers have with their puppies by natural birth, Coale said. Shuggy wasn’t the most attentive mother, but Sprinkle stepped up by helping to take care of the puppies. Now it seems she has a puppy all her own.
The pair has such a bond that when Coale went to the beach this past weekend, she brought the kitten, as she needed to feed her every few hours. She also brought along Sprinkle because she’s the only one who can keep the kitten quiet.
Link & Image: Carroll County Times
Tags: Puppy | Kitten | Love
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