When Norland, a 1-day-old pit bull puppy, was brought to Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL), his future didn’t look very bright. Rejected at birth by his mother, the puppy was in a very bad condition. He required urgent intervention or he likely would not make it.
The shelter had to act quick before all hope was lost. That’s when they thought of Lolaine, the cat. She could very well save the tiny puppy’s life.
Lolaine had just had a litter of kittens and was fully embracing her new motherly role.
“Our incredible team at the APL put their heads together and decided to give something a try,” a worker said.
Perhaps Lolaine could help out? And if Lolaine was capable and willing, what would Norland think? Would he allow a strange animal to help him— let alone a cat?!
“We held the puppy up to her,” an employee recalled. “[Lolaine] came up, and she started sniffing, and immediately nuzzling, and licking, and just accepted the puppy as one of her own.”
With Lolaine instantly accepting the pit bull puppy as her own— and the hungry puppy happily accepting the warm embrace of a mother’s love— neither of them realized they were completely different species!
“It’s like he doesn’t know she’s a cat, and I don’t think she knows he’s a dog”
Of course, a growing pit bull needs quite a bit more sustenance than a kitten, so Norland got fed a bit extra by workers at the shelter. His round-the-clock care was still a big responsibility, although Lolaine definitely made the load a little lighter. What a stroke of luck! None of the staff had imagined their plan would actually work!
Lolaine is quite attached to Norland. She even watches the humans as they supplement him, anxious to get her little “kitten” back!
“We desperately need foster volunteers who are willing to take these animals into their homes temporarily and give them this second chance because as you can imagine, this is not a common thing, to be able to find a mother cat to take on another species”
Thanks to some lucky timing, a generous kitty, and animal-loving humans willing to give anything a try— a puppy’s life was saved. And little Norland made it despite his rough start. Good job to Lolaine, a loving mother willing to help a baby in need— even if they couldn’t be more different!
Hear their story below!
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