Dog Nurses Kitten Found in SUV's Hood

[knny187]

Dog Nurses Kitten Found in SUV's Hood
AP
Posted: 2007-07-10 08:45:24

VICTORIA, Texas (July 9) - By all accounts, Tahoe is a typical kitten: cute, sleepy and hungry. But his eating habits are far from typical, as the stray's been nursing from a 3-year-old dog named Lillie.

Ever since the kitten was found under the hood of Eunice Collins' running Chevrolet Tahoe a few weeks ago, he's been feeding from the unusually cooperative longhaired dachshund. Tahoe feeds in the morning, at night and after naps, purring and pawing at the dog's belly.

"That's not going to happen very often," said veterinarian John Beck, who added that the "kitten got lucky, basically" that he found a dog with those maternal instincts.

Collins said she was confused by the sound of a kitten meowing as she drove her Tahoe.

"I thought I was going crazy," Collins said. "I came to a light and heard it again. So I pulled into a gas station."

Collins took the kitten in and kept him in a bedroom. Four days later, she saw Lillie feeding him.

"I couldn't believe it," she said. "She has just taken Tahoe on as her baby and has been nurturing and taking care of him. They're just very close."

Beck said having Tahoe in the house "induced a false pregnancy, a nursing response."

"It made the hormones needed to produce milk," Beck said. "Now, I'm sure the cat obviously had it in mind the dog was (his) mother."

[Max_Rep]

Cute story!

[Vet]

That kitten looks pretty old..... 

[~flower~]

That kitten looks pretty old..... 

I was thinking the same thing.      It does say they took it in a few weeks ago, but still. 


  And could the dog produce milk that quickly?   The kitten would have to have been eating solid food or it would of died waiting? 

[Vet]

I was thinking the same thing.      It does say they took it in a few weeks ago, but still. 


  And could the dog produce milk that quickly?   The kitten would have to have been eating solid food or it would of died waiting? 

It really depends on if the dog was spayed or not and where she was in her estrus cycle.  She could definately lactate secondary to suckling.  It would be dilute, watery milk, but she could do it. 


Call me a spoilsport, but that kitten looks 16-20 weeks old.  It should have been weaned by 10 weeks of age at the latest.   My guess is it was weaned, but its one of those "wool sucker" kittens that continues to have a strong suckle behavior---typically you see this with bottle fed kittens.   If the mom cat was around, she'd beat the crap out of the kitten to get it to quit this unusual behavior.  Without her there, it is perpetuating.  The kitten in that picture almost has to be on solid food.  i've never seen one look that old who was still on just milk. 

[Birdman]

Regardless of how old the cat is, it is still a damn cute story and pretty sweet.

[~flower~]

that is true Birdman  


Are you "Birdman" because you have birds?      If so pics? Stories? 

[knny187]

My cat is 9 years old....

She's still my kitty