A week ago, while Tang, a Golden Retriever and Cream and Cavalier King Charles were out walking with Zach, the two dogs came across a female kitten, who must have been between 3 to 4 weeks old.
She was lying in the middle of a street, dirty, skin on bones and visibly frightened. It was the kitten's repeated and distant meows that alerted the two dogs.
Best friends in the world
At first, Zach was worried because he thought his dogs would chase the frightened kitten. But it’s the opposite that happened. In the absence of the kitten's mum, Zach was pleasantly surprised to find that his two dogs were comforting the kitten. "Tang started whimpering and lay down next to her. Cream started licking her and cleaning her up," Zach tells The Dodo.
The two canines soon took the frightened little cat under their paws. Unable to leave her alone, Zach decided to take the kitten home. Together with his partner, they made a warm, comfortable place for the new arrival after giving her her first bath and a well-deserved meal.
The kitten, whom his two new owners named Tou jiang ("which means 'jackpot' in Chinese," explains Zach), finally had a safe home. Slowly but surely, Tou Jiang was getting stronger. “At first she didn't have much energy and slept a lot," says Zach. But after being fed regularly and having a warm place to sleep, she brightened up.
Canine mums
From then on, Zach's two dogs became attached to the little ball of fur that had joined the family. Keeping an eye on their offspring, cuddling her, grooming her or playing with Tou Jiang.
Zach says that each of his dogs has her own way of dealing with the kitten: "Tang is more of a laid-back, relaxed mum. The cat climbs on her and plays with her tail, and Tang just lies there. She will intervene if the kitten is about to do something”. As for Cream, "she is totally different. She's always next to her, playing with her and licking her like her real mother would. They're pretty good at taking turns, but they're always watching her unless she gets into bed to sleep.”
There is no doubt that Tou Jiang was quickly adopted by the whole family. "Tou jiang plays with the dogs all day and we have a camera at home to watch them at work," says Zach.
Today, the three are inseparable.
