Posted on 05/23/2009 9:24:16 AM PDT by smokingfrog
Four kittens tumble and fumble for a place at their mother's belly.
It's a common springtime sight -- except one thing.
These kittens are probably the only ones in Snohomish County with an Australian shepherd for a mama.
Colleen and Robert Nesseth's dog, Lakota, took charge of an orphaned litter of kittens two weeks ago.
A car hit and killed the mother cat in early May. When the family found her kittens in their barn and brought them inside, mewing in a box, something unexpected happened.
Lakota trotted over and began grooming the kittens, two white and two black. Soon, she had taken over full mothering duties for the litter. The kittens even suckle.
"She corrals them and tells them if they shouldn't be doing something," Robert Nesseth said. "She just loves each of them."
The kittens clearly adore their new mama, too.
On a recent morning, the kittens, still little more than puffs with tails and eyes, let Lakota roll them on their backs so she could groom their bellies with a rough, pink tongue. She nudged them with her long nose when they got out of line.
She wrapped her body protectively around the kittens when they lined up at her belly, mouths busy sucking, tails like bristled pipe cleaners poked in the air.
Lakota has always been a warm and protective family dog, the Nesseths said. They've been watching her for their daughter, who moved recently to South Dakota.
Lakota had her own litter of pups about four years ago. She's also mothered another kitten.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldnet.com ...
KEWL! !
Perhaps the kittens will learn to herd from their foster mother. Cats herding cats - whodda thunk it?
That’s just previous. Needed a lift this morning.
Thanks for sharing.
Aussies are my favorite breed. Energetic, loyal and full of life, they are the perfect dog.
AWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Ping.
ping
Oops..sorry. That should have been ‘precious’.
Ahhhhh. Wouldn’t that be something if you saw them out herding sheep. LOL
Joya Cute Fix Ping
I had a momma dog that would go steal the kittens from momma cat, so she could mother them. My little girl had a momma rabbit that wouldn’t take care of her brood, and that momma dog nursed them along with her new born pups. She loved babies.
What kind of cat is that?
He’s a cutie.
He is a mamma’s boy for sure. They are so clever. He makes up games for himself and actually tattles on hubby and daughter.
Strangely, (I drive that Amishman a lot) I had picked him up the summer before when he was trying to have a heat stroke. I poured water on him and wet down some paper towels and had him put them under his arms.
I wonder if I saved his life, and then he saved the little kitty and gave it to me.
Thanks. Quoting from article:
‘”She’s probably got some ingrained knowledge to be that caretaker,” he said.
‘It would be far more unusual if Lakota is producing milk for the kittens. The Nesseths aren’t sure if Lakota is actually providing milk to the kittens or just comfort. Just in case, the couple supplements the kittens’ diet by bottle feeding.
‘Still, Wilson said Lakota is providing a number of other important functions, including keeping the kittens clean and out of trouble.’
= = =
I wonder about the milk production, if the kitties suckling would be enough to jumpstart it, and/or the mothering instinct revving up the hormones.
On Easter Sunday, there was a lady visiting our church with a baby. The lady’s sister was holding him, and he started to fuss. I was surprised at myself when I thought, “Wow, he fusses like a breastfed child.” I think it was the way he was squirming, snuggling up to his aunt. Sure enough, the mother took Baby, adjusted her shirt, and started nursing him. Sweet. Made me giggle.
As Quix says, “Hook it up to the mama before you give it a bottle.” As in: FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS.
Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Thanks for the nice thread, smokingfrog.
Or not... :-)
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