Dog Nurses, Cuddles Abandoned Kittens; Expert Explains Cross-Species Adoption in Surprising Canine-Feline Relationship

(Photo: Pexels/Nadia Vasil'eva)
Dog Nurses, Cuddles Abandoned Kittens; Expert Explains Cross-Species Adoption in Surprising Canine-Feline Relationship

Dogs and cats have a complicated relationship, with some encounters ending in antagonistic interactions. However, not all dogs are alike because some are willing to nurse kittens.

Dog From Newmarket Nurses a Litter of Kittens

Sue Stubley, who lives in the Suffolk town on Newmarket, saw a litter of kittens and took them home. She planned to take the six abandoned kittens to a local cat rescue the following morning. However, her 2-year-old Jack Russell pet named Teasel had other plans for the little felines.

According to Stubley, Teasel began lactating, and the hungry kittens latched on to feed. Teasel didn't stop from nourishing the kittens; she also reportedly made them feel warm by cuddling the kittens.

Teasel's maternal instincts were reportedly on full display. When she notices someone she doesn't know and the kittens have gone astray, Teasel will reportedly pick them up and put them back into bed.

However, the case may not be exclusive to the canine-feline relationship. According to an expert, animals tend to adopt each other's young.

For instance, in 2016, a cat in Ukraine became a mom to two rescued baby squirrels. She welcomed the pair as an addition to her litter of kittens. In 2017, a kind cat, Muska, adopted eight orphaned hedgehogs who lost their mom in a lawn mowing accident.

In another rare incident, a pair of bald Eagles in British Columbia took a baby red-tailed hawk in their nest and looked after it. The two species are typically nemesis. However, the eagles raised the hawk along with their chicks.

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Cross-Species Adoption

Biologist Dr. Rachel Grant at London South Bank University spoke about the incidents. According to her, such interspecies "adoptions" are likely the result of "fixed action patterns" in which the adopting animal is responding to a "certain trigger" from the adoptee.

This type of encounter reportedly triggers a series of events in the brain that result in a behavioral pattern. For example, young birds peek at the red spot on their mother's beak when they notice it. The mother responds to the crimson region of the baby bird's open lips in return.

However, this signal is easy to manipulate. For example, cuckoos make use of these "fixed action patterns" by enticing other birds to care for their offspring. The largest red mouths in the brood indicate that the baby cuckoos are receiving good care.

However, cross-species adoption is likely for species closer to one another. Thus, it's highly improbable to see a crocodile nursing a puppy.

The experts stressed that mammals share certain features, and both cats and dogs are mammals, and they have similar driving maternal behavior, so they have similar reactions to certain cues. Grant notes that the animals may not know what they are doing. The kittens are also just instinctively "rooting," just like puppies or human babies, looking for a nipple to feed on.

Cross-species nursing defies our knowledge of evolution, even though it may be incredibly charming and highly shareable on social media, Grant added.