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Mittens, a 4-year-old Pekingese, nurses Bootsie, a stray kitten, on Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, in Jordan, Minn. Mittens owner, Pat Weber, says the kitten was just days old when her grandson found it in their pole barn and brought it into their house. Mittens hadn t had a litter for two years, but allowed the kitten to suckle and began producing milk three days later, and has nursed Bootsie since. The family s veterinarian says it s unusual but not unheard of for a dog to nurse a cat.
Pat Weber says the kitten was days old when her grandson found it in the family's barn in early September in Jordan, about 40 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
She says the 2-inch-long kitten was "ice cold." But she felt it move, so she wrapped the kitten in a warm towel. Then it began meowing—and her 4-year-old Pekingese perked up.
The tawny pooch named Mittens began licking the kitten, who nuzzled in and began suckling. Mittens hadn't had puppies in two years, yet she eventually began producing milk. She's been nursing the kitten ever since.
Weber calls it a miracle.
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