Cat nurses orphaned puppies at Utah shelter

MURRAY, Utah, April 24 (UPI) -- The Humane Society of Utah said four abandoned newborn puppies are thriving thanks to being nursed by a mother cat.

Spokeswoman Deann Shepherd said a woman told rescuers the four Chihuahua puppies were in a box someone left on her car Tuesday in West Valley City and a note on the box said the canines were born Friday and their mother had died.

Shepherd said officials decided to try putting the puppies with Kit, a brown tabby cat surrendered to the Murray shelter earlier the same day. Kit had recently nursed a litter of kittens and was still lactating.

"The puppies would not have survived into the night without food, so we're lucky that the woman found them on her car when she did," Shepherd said.

Shepherd said the puppies are now being bottle fed at a foster home and are doing well.

She told website The Dodo that Kit has become the Humane Society's "resident wet nurse" and is currently nursing a litter of orphaned kittens brought to the shelter Thursday.