A mother’s love knows no bounds, and this Doberman pinscher mama proves that applies no matter the species.
Just a week after birthing a litter of six puppies last month, Ruby accepted and nursed an abandoned newborn kitten as though she was her own. It’s a story as heartwarming as it is adorable.
Brittany Callan of Geneseo is the proud owner of six Dobermans including Ruby, who is four-and-a-half and has been nursing a litter of six puppies born just a couple of weeks ago.
That litter has since become seven, however, after Brittany made a shocking discovery while cleaning her aunt’s gutters.
Brittany found a newborn kitten, apparently abandoned by its mother. Brittany and her cousin, Nicole Gibbs, watched to see if the kitten’s mother might return for her, but later they took the kitty inside when they heard coyotes. Nicole decided to name the kitten Ramblin’ Rose after her recently deceased father’s favorite song.
Ramblin’ Rose was incredibly small and still had part of a dried umbilical cord attached to her, leading Brittany to conclude she was just a few days old at most.
Newborns need milk to survive, and right next door, Ruby was still nursing her own week-old puppies who hadn’t even opened their eyes yet. Brittany decided to introduce the two.
First, Brittany cupped the kitten in her hands and held it up for Ruby to smell. That went fine. Then, “She started cleaning it like a mother does,” Brittany said. “Then I put it down and hooked it up to her nipple to nurse and the kitten started suckling and Ruby laid her head back down like nothing ever happened. Now Ruby is obsessed with the kitten and carries her around the house and tends to her more than her own pups.”
Ruby may continue nursing the kitten for another three to four weeks. But just to be sure she’s getting enough nutrition, Brittany has been supplementing the natural feedings with servings of kitten formula bought at a Tractor Supply store.
Brittany doesn’t plan to keep Ramblin’ Rose. Not all her Dobermans are as fond of felines as Ruby is, and a seventh dog, a husky-shepherd mix, doesn’t like cats at all. So, Ramblin’ Rose will be adopted by a relative.
Once the kitten leaves, Ruby likely will still have her paws full with her own high-energy offspring — three males and three females — but she might be able to carve out time to prey on the one animal she truly despises.
