A Golden Retriever named Ponzu and his owner were both getting over the death of their cat Wasabi in 2013 when they took in a tiny kitten that had been rejected by its mother.
Ponzu’s dad often takes in rescue kittens, and the sweet dog helps care for them like a big brother.
In fact, it seems that Ponzu has never met a rescue cat he didn’t like.
Doesn’t this just melt your heart?
But when tiny Ichimi entered the scene in 2013, it was really something special.
The moment the dog laid eyes on the kitten in its little box, it was clear that they were going to have a unique bond.
Perhaps Ponzu even realized just how helpless the kitten was and knew that a furry caretaker was the best chance she had at survival.
The two immediately became inseparable, with Ponzu providing cleaning, care, and body heat to tiny Ichimi.
Since Ichimi had never had anyone take care of her before, a dog parent would do just fine.
The kitten was so tiny at the time that she still needed to be bottle-fed and it was unclear if she would even make it at first.
There were other kittens in the house at the time too, and Ponzu took responsibility for them all.
In fact, he even watched over them while they played together! What a great babysitter!
Clearly, Ponzu knows that no matter how much he bonds with the cats, they still have to learn to be with their own kind.
And since the kittens need to learn to play, he was very patient in letting Ichimi practice on him — even when it involved a bit of nipping.
It’s clear Ponzu is a very special dog.
And for her part, Ichimi is a very adaptable cat! Not only is she game for living with all sorts of creatures, but she doesn’t even mind the occasional dress-up.
Even as Ichimi continued to grow, she preferred Ponzu’s company to anyone else’s — these two are thick as thieves and their bond is positively heartwarming.
By the summer of 2014, Ichimi had grown up, and while she was still best friends with Ponzu, she had taken on a caring role in the home as well as more new kittens came in.
Those are some seriously lucky kittens that end up in this house!
While years have gone by, it appears that both Ichimi and Ponzu remain in the same home and welcome more kittens each month.
The duo’s human dad is Takeshi Saitou, a singer in the band Snare, hailing from Sapporo, Japan.
It’s pretty amazing to be able to find time for any job or hobby while taking such sweet care of all of these animals!
And we can’t help but feel happy to know that both Ponzu and Ichimi are still enjoying each other’s company all these years later.
It just goes to show that love is love and that you can show it to anything and anyone, even without having much in common.
If only we could all be more like Ichimi and Ponzu!
Be sure to scroll down below to see some more heartwarming photos of the two in the first months they lived together.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
