A Doberman pinscher named Ruby has been raising a tiny kitten named Ramblin’ Rose in Geneseo, NY. It’s so cute that it captured national news as the gentle momma cares for the tiny grey kitten.
Since she was a puppy, Ruby, who is 4-years-old, has been around all kinds of animals on the farm, from ducklings to bunnies. On August 18, Ruby had her last litter of six puppies, bring the total number of Dobermans at Brittany Callans farm to 14 in all.
“[Ruby] grew up with small animals [and learned] to be nice and just lick them and be friendly with everything,” Callan says. “She’s just an extremely, extremely compassionate dog,” Callan told Yahoo!.
On the farm, Ruby meets all sorts of tiny creatures and shows a maternal instinct toward them.
“We’ve had baby bunnies, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks,” Callan said. Ruby “licks them like she’s cleaning them like she’s their mother,” she said.
Now, Ruby’s lifetime living around other animals would make her the perfect adoptive mom for a tiny kitten.
A Tiny Kitten Appears
While cleaning gutters at her aunt’s house, Callan heard the kitten “screaming its head off” and discovered the tortoiseshell kitten near the garage. Possibly, the baby was only two or three days old.
As an animal lover, she knew the kitten needed its mom. So, she and her cousin, Nicole Gibbs, waited to see if the cat would return.
Soon, it was late, dark out, and getting cold. Then, the two heard coyotes and knew the kitten wouldn’t be safe alone. So, Callan decided to bring the kitten inside, and Gibbs named her Ramblin’ Rose after her late father’s favorite song by Nat King Cole.
Ruby the Doberman Adopts Ramblin’ Rose
Knowing how gentle Ruby is with animals, Callan decided to see if she would accept Ramblin’ Rose. So, she held the kitten for Ruby to smell, and the gentle momma dog licked her.
Soon, to everyone’s delight, the kind dog adopted the kitten. Before long, Ruby even seemed to prefer the kitten, gently carrying her by her scruff to nurse away from the larger puppies.
“She’s tending to it more than her own babies,” Callan said.
Indeed, when the Doberman puts the kitten down, she puts her near her paws where she can keep a close eye on her.
“Ruby caries [Ramblin’ Rose] back and forth from the whelping pen to the futon to lay with her and pay a little extra attention to HER adopted kitten. By far the sweetest [Doberman pinscher] ever!” wrote Callan on Facebook.
Below, see the puppies and kittens in an adorable video via Facebook:
Feeding the Tiny Kitten
Not only is Ramblin’ Rose being fed by Ruby, but Callan is also feeding the “tiny fur-ball” with kitten formula. In a week, the kitten began rapidly gaining weight.
“I’m pretty much a zombie as I get up in the middle of the night to bottle feed RR to make sure she is getting the milk she needs to grow,” Callan wrote.
Along with their mom, the puppies also accepted Ramblin’ Rose as one of their own. In the precious photos, you can see the kitten snuggled up among all the puppies.
Ramblin’ Rose Gets a Forever Home Near Ruby
Wonderfully, Gibbs, who gave Ramblin’ Rose her name, will be adopting the kitten when she’s ready. Since she lives nearby, Ramblin’ Rose will be able to visit Ruby on the farm frequently.
“I can take Ruby over to see her any time,” Callan said.
Now, the cute kitten will have a forever home and be able to hang out with Ruby on the farm.
Below, enjoy more photos and a video of the adorable kitten with her adopted siblings and momma.
We all love seeing this loving Doberman caring so tenderly for the wee kitten!