Golden Retriever Adopts Stray Kitten And Carries It Around

Mar 11, 2020 by apost team

A cute video shows a Golden Retriever that has befriended and apparently adopted a stray kitten. The dog carries the kitten everywhere in its mouth as though it were a puppy, gives it baths, and otherwise takes care of it.

The dog and kitten apparently live at a rescue facility or animal shelter. At one point, a human is shown bottle-feeding the kitten, which means it is under two months old. Kittens are usually introduced to solid food when they are a month old and are fully weaned when they are about eight weeks old, according to Pet MD.

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Another shot shows the dog licking the kitten’s nether regions, possibly in order to stimulate them. Very young kittens do need help going to the bathroom, and a mother cat will lick their bottom to get it to do so. The dog then carries the kitten to a litter box so it can do its business. That’s particularly impressive since Golden Retrievers do not use litter boxes – and yet this dog knew that’s where the kitten needed to go.

The video also shows the Golden Retriever sharing food with the kitten and introducing it to the joys of swimming. There is also at least one scene of the two animals sleeping together.

The Golden Retriever’s gentleness toward the kitten will come as a surprise to people who believe the stereotype that dogs and cats always hate each other. That isn’t always the case – particularly if the animals are raised together and are used to each other. If the Golden Retriever does indeed live at a rescue facility, it is very used to cats.

Many dog owners have reported that their pets are exceptionally gentle with their baby or toddler. Similarly, cat owners have observed that their cat will treat a baby with far more patience and tolerance than it would an older human. It’s not exactly a huge leap to imagine that a dog would recognize a kitten as an infant needing care and protection. Dogs of any breed are pack animals and have strong instincts to protect the youngest members of their “pack,” be they puppies, human babies, or even kittens.

Have you ever heard of a dog adopting a kitten before? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along.