A New Yorker shared heartwarming photos and videos on social media showing the thriving relationship between her beloved dog and a stray kitten she found and abandoned by her mother.
Brittany Callan from Geneseo is the proud owner of six Dobermans, including Ruby, who is four and a half years old and breastfed a litter of six pups a few weeks ago.
That litter has now turned seven after Brittany made a shocking discovery while cleaning her aunt’s gutters.
Callan told Newsweek that she heard “really loud meows” behind her sister Nicole’s garage (Nicole lives next to her mother), so she decided to investigate.
There she found an adorable newborn tortoiseshell kitten.
Assuming the cat’s mother must be around, she left the animal alone. However, when she went to check again later that evening, the kitten was still there and it got cold.
Callan brings the cat in and says she got an idea.
“I thought I would try to see if Ruby, my Doberman mother, would accept the kitten since she just had a litter of puppies in August.”
Callan grew up on a farm and has always owned and looked after lots of animals.
It’s something that has obviously rubbed off on Ruby, which Callan says, “has always been so great with a lot of other baby animals.”
“We had ducks, chicks, rabbits and guinea pigs, and Ruby likes them like she is her mother cleaning them,” she explains.
“She used to carry baby bunnies around the house in her mouth.
To Callan’s delight, Ruby took them on “immediately” and the pair have been inseparable ever since the kitten that was christened Ramblin ‘Rose is firmly anchored in the litter – as the heartwarming photos below show.
Their relationship has stretched beyond cuddling too, to the point where Ramblin ‘Rose is part of the litter.
“I hung the kitten on Ruby’s nipple to breastfeed and she started sucking and Ruby put her head back down like nothing had ever happened,” says Callan.
“Now Ruby is obsessed with the kitten and carries her around the house taking care of her more than her own pups.”
Her burgeoning adoptive mother and daughter relationship has also proven to be a success on Facebook. Callan likes to share videos and photos that document their many cuddles and sleepy cuddles together.
It’s not just mom who made Ramblin ‘Rose shine. Callan shares several snapshots of Ruby’s other puppies cuddling with her.
One video shows Ramblin ‘Rose sleeping on Ruby’s arm, with the young kitten’s purring throughout the life-affirming footage.
While Callan has no plans to keep the super cute kitten, she will nurse the cat back to health and is already well on her way to doing just that, as Ramblin ‘Rose looks significantly healthier and happier than she was when she used to first time found.
From there, a relative is slated to take in Ramblin ‘Rose, which means she’ll stay around and be available for more cuddling and cuddling with Momma Ruby at a later date.
Update 9/4/2021 5 PM ET: This article has been updated with new pictures.
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Ruby and her litter of puppies complete the kitten with Ramblin ‘Rose. Owner Brittany Callan nursed the kitten back to health with a little help from her Doberman Pinscher.
Courtesy of Brittany Callan