Some people were just born to be something.
And a cat named Kathryn was born to be a mom.
That’s why she was utterly heartbroken when she lost her kittens.
After losing her kittens, Kathryn was taken in by Izelle Marallich of Langebaan Animal Care in South Africa.
Poor Kathryn was inconsolable.
She cried and cried and cried and just wanted to be held and so she could give and receive affection.
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“She cried a lot and she needed affection a lot. She was on top of us, wanting to hold us, she needed to be touching you the whole time while she slept, which was was heartbreaking,” Marallich told The Dodo. “We didnt get much sleep during that time.”
Poor Kathryn just couldn’t settle in and Marallich just didn’t know what was wrong with her.
But all that changed once a litter of abandoned puppies arrived at the rescue.
“They were just unwanted. Only when they were drooped off we realized they were about 3-weeks-old, so they needed some milk still,” Marallich explained.
That’s when Kathryn started taking an immediate interest in the pups.
“She wanted to be with the pups. She just started meowing around them walking, circling them, circling them. And I kind of thought she was playing with them. And then just licking them,” Marallich said.
Marallich said the puppies were confused by this at first until they realized Kathryn’s affections were comforting. Eventually, the puppies started nursing from Kathryn.
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“We never thought of her nursing the puppies, I don’t know, it didn’t cross our mind. That was the first time she stopped crying. It was fascinating,” Marallich said.
Kathryn’s whole demeanor changed when she was able to step back into her role as a mom.
“It was first time she stopped crying and she was just in heaven as soon as she met the puppies,” Marallich said.
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Thanks to the puppies, Kathryn finally settled in.
Marallich said she was relieved by this because she didn’t realize that heartbreak over losing her kittens was the reason Kathryn was so sad.
“She would, day and night, just lie with them. She would just lie in between them, clean them, she would lick every one of them,” Marallich said.
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Kathryn also had a very adorable little mom quirk. She would always hold her babies.
“It was the cutest thing. She had to be affectionate the whole time. It was so cute to see,” Marallich explains. “She’s an extremely affectionate cat and she’s drawn to dogs quite a bit.”
Kathryn is even fond of the older dogs in foster care. Eventually, Kathryn’s puppies found forever homes.
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And they were all adopted into homes that had cats as well. And sometimes her puppies even come back to visit Kathryn.
After her puppies left, “kitten season” arrived at the animal rescue.
This meant that lots of abandoned kittens would be arriving. This helped Kathryn ease back into her motherly role.
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“She’s now got two new little ones she’s mothering and she’s loving it. She’s doing such a good job but she does have a home eventually when she’s finished nurturing them,” Marallich said.
Marallich said Kathryn has been the “star” of her shelter.
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“I think it was just unusual for her to take on a totally different species and just automatically wanting to take care of them. When there are little ones and they need to be taken care of an animal doesn’t care about if its a dog, a cat, or whatever it is. I think the mother instincts just come through which is amazing. “Without us forcing it or asking she just naturally wanted to take care of something like a mom and I think that’s what makes it special she clearly has to be a mom
Watch Kathryn the cat nursing her baby puppies in the video below.
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