Shih Tzu Information Center
Your Subtitle text
New Shih Tzu Information - Each Month, a New Topic!
8-25-2010How a Tzu Became a Mother to a Kitten
You are about to read an absolutely amazing and heart touching Shih Tzu (real life) story! Have you ever heard of a Shih Tzu “adopting” a baby kitten? Well, how about a Tzu who has such a strong, loving mothering instinct that her body actually went through the hormonal change as if she just gave birth to her own puppy?
This remarkable Tzu began to produce milk in order for a tiny kitten to nurse from her…thus saving the kitten’s life and a mother to her beautiful kitten baby!
Normally, milk production starts in pregnant dogs 2-3 days before delivery and with some it can start 7-10 days before giving birth. In rare cases, milk is produced just before delivery. Kathy and Tom Sisemore of LaFayette Georgia are the proud owners of a Tzu named Bitzy, who is the star of this story! Read on to learn all about this remarkable story, with fantastic photos) to learn of what happened!
You are about to read an absolutely amazing and heart touching Shih Tzu (real life) story! Have you ever heard of a Shih Tzu “adopting” a baby kitten? Well, how about a Tzu who has such a strong, loving mothering instinct that her body actually went through the hormonal change as if she just gave birth to her own puppy?
This remarkable Tzu began to produce milk in order for a tiny kitten to nurse from her…thus saving the kitten’s life and a mother to her beautiful kitten baby!
Normally, milk production starts in pregnant dogs 2-3 days before delivery and with some it can start 7-10 days before giving birth. In rare cases, milk is produced just before delivery. Kathy and Tom Sisemore of LaFayette Georgia are the proud owners of a Tzu named Bitzy, who is the star of this story! Read on to learn all about this remarkable story, with fantastic photos) to learn of what happened!
Yummy, Healthy Home Cooking for the Shih Tzu
Is this right for you? How will this affect your Tzu? Is there really a big difference between manufactured dog food and homemade food? Read more
The Following is this Incredible Story Kathy’s Own Words:
The Kitten and the Tzu
In my neck of the woods there are quite a few feral cats. They come and they go but many come and stay. My husband tells me if I wouldn't feed them they wouldn't stay. But when those precious little faces are pressed against my back door I can't help but feed them.
I've tried to be a good steward with these ferals. To date I have brought two females into my home to live with my Siamese cat, Neeka, and female Shih Tzu, Bitsy.
Neeka, Madison and Midnight have all been spayed. I've also had three other ferals spayed or neutered. But there are still females that more often than not grace us with kittens.
This past Easter I noticed one young female cat produced her first litter of kittens, three of them, on our back porch under the grill. My granddaughter, Ashton, was thrilled to have them so close so she could watch them grow.
Sadly at two weeks of age one kitten died. Then even sadder, at three weeks, the mama cat stopped nursing her kittens. My granddaughter found the two little things stumbling around on the porch crying their little hearts out. Ashton scooped the kittens up and with tears in her eyes brought them to me, begging me to please help them before they died! I knew this was going to be a big job but on the bright side in a few weeks they would be old enough to give away.
I immediately went to the store for kitten milk, food and bottles. The little things were so weak they couldn't nurse the bottle, so I used a medicine syringe to give them their milk.
One kitten was easy to feed, calmly taking the milk I offered. This little one was so black even his eyes were black so I called him Tar Baby. The other kitten was a different story.
At each feeding she would grab the syringe, hiss, howl and scratch until she drained every drop from it. As Ashton was watching her behavior one day she said, "Grandmother, she's pitching a hissy fit!" I told her "Hissy Fit" would be a good name for her.
My other helper with the kittens was our precious Shih Tzu, Bitsy. She was very curious about the kittens so I would hold her and the kittens on my lap so Bitsy could get use to them. After a few days of just sniffing them Bitsy began to give them baths.
Sometimes the baths lasted so long I thought she would lick their fur off. She also began to handle their bathroom duty. Kittens have to be stimulated by their mother to urinate and produce feces. It is a natural process for the mother to also eat what is produced. Bitsy began taking care of this as if she were the kitten’s actual mother! Because she did this she had to have her face washed numerous times a day to get rid of her " kitty butt" smell!
Life was good, the kittens were growing, Ashton was happy and Bitsy was helping. All seemed right with the world until at six weeks Tar Baby developed pneumonia and sadly passed away very quickly. It was such a heartbreaking time. Hissy Fit was lonely and missed her playmate and brother.
Then one day as I was straightening up my living room I heard a smacking sound. When I found the source of the smacks I was shocked to see Bitsy and Hissy Fit in my favorite chair. The fact they were in my chair wasn't the shocker. The shocker was...Hissy was nursing on Bitsy!
Now, Bitsy is two years old and has never had puppies. She's never been pregnant, so I knew she couldn't have milk...could she? I rationalized that in Hissy's grief she was using Bitsy for a pacifier.
But when the nursing didn't stop I took Bitsy and Hissy to the vet. The veterinarian thought it was so funny but confirmed that Bitsy did have milk and was nourishing the kitten. She also said mother and baby are doing fine!
Mother and baby? A dog and a cat? I don't know what you call this but I call it a "God sighting". Hissy needed a mother and Bitsy wanted to be one. God did the rest by supplying Bitsy with milk so she could really take care of her "baby".
Hissy will be 4 months old August 4th and Bitsy is still letting her nurse. They will run and play till they can't play anymore then lay down to cuddle. Hissy will then snuggle up for a drink of "mother's milk" before they both fall fast asleep.
This has been the most amazing experience I have ever witnessed. I share this story with everyone I meet. Everyone is totally amazed that a dog would suckle a kitten...especially since the dog had never had pups.
There are also some really funny sides to this story. Since Bitsy the Tzu is raised with cats she prefers cat food over dog food. (Note from AllShihTzu – Cat food is higher in fat than dog food & it appears that Bitsy instinctively knows this & prefers to eat the higher fat diet that is needed to produce quality milk!). In fact she turns her nose up at dog food and refuses to eat it. She also sits on the back of the couch so she can look out the window like a cat would. And what about Hissy? Hissy refuses to use a litter box! She goes on paper just like a dog!! She even "whimpers" when Bitsy is out of her sight instead of meowing!
Raising a dog/cat and a cat/dog has been a blessing in disguise. You can't help but smile when you look at this unusual family. An additional sidebar to this story will happen in about two weeks. We are getting another Shih Tzu. A little chocolate and white male. My granddaughter, Ashton, has already named him, Ollivander Godric Gryffendor...Olli for short. I have questions. Will Bitsy,Hissy and the other inside cats like Olli? Will Bitsy nurse Olli? Will Hissy be jealous?
This will be an ongoing story. I know it's an adventure I will never forget.
~ Kathy Sisemore – LaFayette, Georgia
We want to thank Kathy and her family for sharing this incredible story with all of us. Obviously, they raised their Shih Tzu Bitsy with so much love and caring, that Bitsy passed on that love & caring to her adopted kitten. Kathy, Tom, Ashton, Bitsy and Hissy Fit…You are all marvelous!
The Kitten and the TzuIn my neck of the woods there are quite a few feral cats. They come and they go but many come and stay. My husband tells me if I wouldn't feed them they wouldn't stay. But when those precious little faces are pressed against my back door I can't help but feed them.
I've tried to be a good steward with these ferals. To date I have brought two females into my home to live with my Siamese cat, Neeka, and female Shih Tzu, Bitsy.
Neeka, Madison and Midnight have all been spayed. I've also had three other ferals spayed or neutered. But there are still females that more often than not grace us with kittens.
This past Easter I noticed one young female cat produced her first litter of kittens, three of them, on our back porch under the grill. My granddaughter, Ashton, was thrilled to have them so close so she could watch them grow.
Sadly at two weeks of age one kitten died. Then even sadder, at three weeks, the mama cat stopped nursing her kittens. My granddaughter found the two little things stumbling around on the porch crying their little hearts out. Ashton scooped the kittens up and with tears in her eyes brought them to me, begging me to please help them before they died! I knew this was going to be a big job but on the bright side in a few weeks they would be old enough to give away.
I immediately went to the store for kitten milk, food and bottles. The little things were so weak they couldn't nurse the bottle, so I used a medicine syringe to give them their milk.
One kitten was easy to feed, calmly taking the milk I offered. This little one was so black even his eyes were black so I called him Tar Baby. The other kitten was a different story.At each feeding she would grab the syringe, hiss, howl and scratch until she drained every drop from it. As Ashton was watching her behavior one day she said, "Grandmother, she's pitching a hissy fit!" I told her "Hissy Fit" would be a good name for her.
My other helper with the kittens was our precious Shih Tzu, Bitsy. She was very curious about the kittens so I would hold her and the kittens on my lap so Bitsy could get use to them. After a few days of just sniffing them Bitsy began to give them baths.
Sometimes the baths lasted so long I thought she would lick their fur off. She also began to handle their bathroom duty. Kittens have to be stimulated by their mother to urinate and produce feces. It is a natural process for the mother to also eat what is produced. Bitsy began taking care of this as if she were the kitten’s actual mother! Because she did this she had to have her face washed numerous times a day to get rid of her " kitty butt" smell!
Life was good, the kittens were growing, Ashton was happy and Bitsy was helping. All seemed right with the world until at six weeks Tar Baby developed pneumonia and sadly passed away very quickly. It was such a heartbreaking time. Hissy Fit was lonely and missed her playmate and brother.
Then one day as I was straightening up my living room I heard a smacking sound. When I found the source of the smacks I was shocked to see Bitsy and Hissy Fit in my favorite chair. The fact they were in my chair wasn't the shocker. The shocker was...Hissy was nursing on Bitsy!Now, Bitsy is two years old and has never had puppies. She's never been pregnant, so I knew she couldn't have milk...could she? I rationalized that in Hissy's grief she was using Bitsy for a pacifier.
But when the nursing didn't stop I took Bitsy and Hissy to the vet. The veterinarian thought it was so funny but confirmed that Bitsy did have milk and was nourishing the kitten. She also said mother and baby are doing fine!
Mother and baby? A dog and a cat? I don't know what you call this but I call it a "God sighting". Hissy needed a mother and Bitsy wanted to be one. God did the rest by supplying Bitsy with milk so she could really take care of her "baby".
Hissy will be 4 months old August 4th and Bitsy is still letting her nurse. They will run and play till they can't play anymore then lay down to cuddle. Hissy will then snuggle up for a drink of "mother's milk" before they both fall fast asleep.
This has been the most amazing experience I have ever witnessed. I share this story with everyone I meet. Everyone is totally amazed that a dog would suckle a kitten...especially since the dog had never had pups.
There are also some really funny sides to this story. Since Bitsy the Tzu is raised with cats she prefers cat food over dog food. (Note from AllShihTzu – Cat food is higher in fat than dog food & it appears that Bitsy instinctively knows this & prefers to eat the higher fat diet that is needed to produce quality milk!). In fact she turns her nose up at dog food and refuses to eat it. She also sits on the back of the couch so she can look out the window like a cat would. And what about Hissy? Hissy refuses to use a litter box! She goes on paper just like a dog!! She even "whimpers" when Bitsy is out of her sight instead of meowing!Raising a dog/cat and a cat/dog has been a blessing in disguise. You can't help but smile when you look at this unusual family. An additional sidebar to this story will happen in about two weeks. We are getting another Shih Tzu. A little chocolate and white male. My granddaughter, Ashton, has already named him, Ollivander Godric Gryffendor...Olli for short. I have questions. Will Bitsy,Hissy and the other inside cats like Olli? Will Bitsy nurse Olli? Will Hissy be jealous?
This will be an ongoing story. I know it's an adventure I will never forget.
~ Kathy Sisemore – LaFayette, Georgia
We want to thank Kathy and her family for sharing this incredible story with all of us. Obviously, they raised their Shih Tzu Bitsy with so much love and caring, that Bitsy passed on that love & caring to her adopted kitten. Kathy, Tom, Ashton, Bitsy and Hissy Fit…You are all marvelous!
Don't forget to become an AllShihTzu Member, so that you may receive reminders when we add a new topic here & also be able to suggest a subject for us to discuss.
Do you have your AllShihTzu e-book yet?
Do you have your AllShihTzu e-book yet?
Created by Dreamz4Duppy Designs, Owned by Alisa Chagnon. All text is protected by copyright laws. Copyright . All Shih Tzu. Privacy Policy.
All rights reserved. Contact@allshihtzu.com
All rights reserved. Contact@allshihtzu.com
