Dog raising orphaned cats surprises Turkish vet

AMASYA, Turkey

A dog in northern Turkey has adopted two orphaned cats and is nurturing them as her own.

Pamuk, a mongrel in the village of Gumushacikoy, Amasya province, began nursing the kittens after seven of her own puppies died, owner Bunyamin Sahin told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

"It is a rare incident," Sahin, who works as a vet, said. "When we first saw the dog feeding the cats, we were very surprised."

He added: “I know due to my profession that dogs do not accept other animals, especially cats, but I see a different situation here as Pamuk is very docile."

Interspecies parenting is rare but has been reported in a number of animals and Chinese zoos have used dogs as surrogate mothers for new-born tiger and bear cubs.