A cat befriended a family dog who then decided to help babysit her demanding kittens.
A pregnant tabby cat came to her foster home through Animal Welfare League of Arlington in Virginia. At around two years old, she was extremely friendly towards people, confident and immediately felt at home.
She befriended the resident cat and dogs and especially grew fond of Kona, a cat-adoring canine whose favorite thing in the world is being a nanny for kittens. The tabby, named Freckles, sauntered up to Kona and wiped her face all over her.
A few weeks later, Freckles brought six beautiful, healthy kittens into the world. She dove into mommy duties and dedicated every second to caring for her babies, day in and day out.
Whenever her foster mom, Asa, came into the room, she gifted her the sweetest purrs and head bumps. “Six hungry babies is a lot but she has been doing amazing with taking care of them all,” Asa told us.
Kona the kitten-nanny-extraordinaire overheard the babies coming from the foster room. Her eyes lit up and tail went into happy mode, knowing there were new babies awaiting her affection.
Just like Freckles, Kona was rescued as a mother who raised her puppies until they were big enough for adoption. She found her forever home with Asa, her foster mom then, and has been mothering other animals in need ever since.
The sweet canine anxiously waited to see the kittens from the moment she heard their cries.
“She ‘accidentally’ met one of them quite early on. Freckles used to move the babies around a lot between the nests and my bathroom. One time, she had left one alone in the bathroom for more than a few minutes,” Asa shared with us.
“Kona was mindlessly following me in that direction. When she saw the baby, she started wagging her tail. She kept looking back and forth between the kitten and me as if to say, ‘Mom, look! I found a baby!'”
Freckles noticed the “uninvited” guest and immediately gestured at Kona to “come back another time, maybe.”
With other resident animals, the kittens were completely off limits by the mama, but somehow Kona had earned a pass a few times into the kitty cave to hang out with Freckles and her demanding babies.
“Freckles, being the good mom that she is, has been so protective of her kittens,” Asa shared with us.
“All my furballs are terrified of going anywhere near the babies because Freckles will come hissing and swatting. Lucky for Kona, Freckles trusted her enough to let her into the baby pen.”
Kona wanted to be with the kittens so badly that she would do anything to be near them. She was intimidated by the momma cat, but overwhelmed with excitement to have kittens climb all over her.
“Now that they’re six weeks old, I’m focusing on socializing them with Kona more,” Asa told us. “I’m hoping to have them become dog-friendly kittens by the time they’re ready for adoption!”
The kittens have set paw in a new phase of rambunctiousness and curiosity. Mama Freckles is starting to take a back seat and spend more time with her humans.
Kona, on the other hand, is thrilled to babysit the kittens, and she takes her job very seriously.
The sweet canine has all the patience in the world with these feisty little ones. She is teaching them social skills while showering them with licks and snuggles.
