Mittens, Exceptionally Maternal Pekingese, Adopts, Nurses Tiny Orphaned Kitten (VIDEO)

Inspiring Story Of Interspecies Parenting Features Minnesota Dog And Her Adopted Kitten

Abandoned and near death, a tiny kitten rescued from the floor of a Jordan, Minn., barn was suckled back to life by a 4-year-old Pekingese named Mittens, the Star Tribune reports.

Pat Weber, whose grandson was the first to discover the kitten, said that Mittens seemed to sense the kitten needed help. Although the Pekingese hadn't given birth for two years, the maternal dog allowed the newcomer to suckle, and three days later, she began producing milk again.

"I couldn't believe it at first," Weber told the Star Tribune. "Later I took some pictures and took them to church and told people I had a miracle to share. The miracle was that after three days my dog had milk to feed the kitten with, and I didn't have to get up every two hours to feed her formula out of bottle."

Today, the charcoal-gray kitten, christened Bootsie, is happy and healthy.

"It's growing like crazy. She takes care of it, and cleans it and loves it," Weber told CBS News. "I have never seen anything like this before," she said.

Of course, Mittens and Bootsie's story isn't the first interspecies adoption tale to make headlines.

Back in June, the Dothan Eagle in Columbia, Alabama, featured a story about a 2-year-old dog bulldog named Molly who adopted four kittens after their mother was run over and killed. Molly, who had recently given birth, shared her milk with her puppies and her newfound kittens, keeping the two species separated during feedings.

In a similar case, a dog named Ellie adopted an abandoned kitten, NBC 4 News reports. Despite objections from her owners, the pup refused to let the newborn out of her sight and carried the kitten around the house in her mouth.

For more awe-inspiring tales, click through the slideshow below.

Animal Moms

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