The work that rescue centers all over the world do on a daily basis is amazing, and without them, hundreds of thousands of animals’ lives would be lost per year.
Not only do shelters take in abandoned, mistreated, or neglected animals and provide them with a safe and loving home, but they often pay huge vets bills to give sick animals the treatment they need, and we couldn’t be more grateful for them.
So when an animal shelter in Germany heard of a mama cat out on the streets who was so sick that she was minutes away from death, they immediately jumped into action to try and save her and her baby. But they weren’t the only ones to offer a helping hand (or, should we say, paw). Luckily, both mama and her baby began to improve, and when they were taken into foster care, they were introduced to a special someone who was more than happy to help! Grab those tissues, because this story will really pull at your heartstrings.
When Luna the tortoiseshell cat arrived at Tierheim Oelzschau, Germany, staff described her as being “closer to death than life.” The weak cat arrived with her baby, a little kitten named Urmel, who was also in a bad way. He had an eye infection that needed urgent treatment, as well as being severely malnourished.
Despite their uncertain future, the mom and her kitten were placed into an amazing foster family who was willing to do whatever it took to help the pair get better.
Luna was too emaciated to feed her kitten for herself, so her Foster family took over feeding duties. They bottle-fed the little kitten and amazingly, he took to the bottle like a little champ.
As time went by, the mama and her baby began to respond to their treatment and grew stronger by the day. But while Urmel flourished, Luna was still too weak to take on parenting duties right now. Who was going to keep her kitten in check and make sure he grew up to be a model cat? Luckily, the mom and baby’s Foster family had the perfect idea!
Despite being a male, rescue dog Whiskey was the perfect surrogate mama for Urmel. When Luna was unable to look after her kitten, Whiskey would keep a watchful eye on the little kitten himself. He was very protective of his adopted baby and barely let him out of his sight!
Being a rescue dog himself, Whiskey had faced his own difficult past, so he knew how scary it could be to open up and trust someone again.
He really was the best for the job. With Whiskey’s continuous support, Urmel grew in confidence and flourished into a happy and curious little kitten.
After such a rough start for the mom and baby, their luck was in their favor when they landed in the perfect foster home for them. We’re so happy that things worked out in the end, and we wish both kitties all the best with their recovery. But no matter what, Whiskey will always be by their side to help out.
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