A Brave Chihuahua Won’t Leave His Feline Friend Alone; He Wants Them To Be Adopted Together
The ties between animals are difficult to understand. To be honest, we can’t comprehend them because of the stereotypes we, as humans, have created.
"Dogs and cats hate each other" is definitely one of them. But nature has funny ways of showing us that we don’t know everything.
A man walking through the Hampton Soccer Park in Hampton, Virginia, came across an unlikely pair: a small Chihuahua and a black kitten snuggling together between two portable toilets.
It wasn’t clear how they got there or whether they were lost or abandoned, but it was evident that they needed help. He shared this pair on a local social network called Nextdoor, hoping to find the owner and that the animals had escaped or gotten lost. The post ultimately found its way onto the Facebook pet group, Lost & Found Pets of Hampton Roads, VA.
When Angela Davis Ward spotted the post, she and her daughter hurried to the location to help.
The poor animals were scared and confused by the attention they were receiving and by the three people who were blocking their escape routes to prevent them from getting into more danger.
The dog protected the kitten, barking and growling if anyone came near it.
While the humanitarians were trying to calm the frightened animals, Animal Control was on its way to assist them.
By the time Animal Control arrived, the pup understood they were not in danger, and the officers approached the dog without any issues.
The kitten had some skin problems, and they were both taken to the vet for a checkup. After addressing the urgent issues, some long-term problem-solving needed to be done. The thing is – they couldn’t be together in Animal Control because they were a mixed pair. Additionally, the chances of them being adopted into the same home were quite slim.
The animals were not claimed by an owner and were not microchipped. The 2-year-old Chihuahua and 10-month-old kitten appeared to have been strays or abandoned for some time.
The local rescue group, Saver of Souls Pet Rescue, decided to help. After their director, Turkan Ertugrul, saw the post and realized they were still unclaimed, he brought them into the rescue's foster care. This way, they could remain together, and they would ensure they were adopted into the same home.
Feeling a bit in the Halloween spirit, they named the Chihuahua Gomez and the female black cat Morticia.
Ertugrul posted a happy update.
“Gomez ran up to the foster’s black cats initially, thinking one was Morticia, and you could see his disappointment when he realized it wasn’t her.”
“Gomez is shy around people when he first meets them but warms up quickly. He really opens up when Morticia is around,” Ertugrul added. “They are both happier and more outgoing together than when they meet people individually.”
Keeping them together in a new home is not just because they are so cute together.
Separating them could cause severe behavioral and psychological consequences.
The Kentucky Humane Society explains why organizations always try to get them adopted in pairs.
“This is always a difficult decision because paired animals tend to have a significantly longer length of stay in a shelter setting. However, separating a strongly bonded pair can lead to serious problems.”
“Bonded animals who are separated may demonstrate anxiety by pacing, whining, destructive behavior, loss of appetite, and generally shutting down, becoming non-interactive with people and other animals. They grieve the loss of their friend and sometimes cannot escape that grief cycle.”
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