It's a mog's life: Puppy is adopted by Siamese cat after being rejected by natural mother
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A rejected puppy has found a new mother after being adopted - by a Siamese cat.
Hope, a three-week-old Shih Tzu, was rejected by her natural mother, Diamond, after being born alongside a stillborn sibling.
But the puppy has found a new mum in feline Coco - who gave birth to a litter of three kittens on the same day as Hope was born.
Loving Coco treats Hope like one of her own - and even feeds her.
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Puppy love: Hope with her adopted mother - a Siamese cat called Coco
Born alongside a stillborn sibling, Hope was rejected by her natural mother
Welcome to the family: Hope enjoys play time with her new friends
Coco's owner Paula Ball, of Liverpool, persuaded partner David Cohen, who owns Diamond, to introduce the pair.
'I suggested it because there was no other option - the puppy wouldn't have survived otherwise,' she said.
'I rubbed a bit of the cat and kitten scent on Hope before putting her straight in with the rest of the litter.
Proud owner: Paula Ball with her four newly born pets and their mother, Coco
'Hope then went to feed on Coco, and Coco let her.
'Since then, their bond has only grown stronger. Coco is so attached to Hope. If she's not around, she is looking around for her.
'We're going to sell the kittens but I'm going to keep Hope. She's part of the family now!
'I'm so proud of Coco and how she's taken on Hope. It's such a heartwarming story.'
Mum-of-three Paula, a 49-year-old care worker, said that although Diamond doesn't usually get on with other dogs, she was expected to be okay with her own puppies.
'But once they were born, one of the puppies was stillborn and Diamond actually went to bite Hope,' she said.
'We knew we couldn't leave Hope with her and there was no other option but to try and introduce Hope into the litter of kittens that Coco had given birth to at my house.'
The day after Hope was born, the couple took her from David's home in Wales to Paula's and introduced Coco and her three kittens.
Paula said: 'I named the puppy Hope a few days after she'd come to live with me because she was doing well.
'She'd managed to survive in the birth channel for five hours and despite being rejected she is thriving under Coco's care.
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Hope snuggles between her new siblings as she feeds from Coco
'She is the same size as the kittens at the moment and gets fed and washed just like them.
'Coco and the other kittens have got no idea that she's different to them.
'Of course there are a few differences - kittens develop a lot quicker than dogs so in a couple of weeks the kittens will be jumping all over the place and Hope will be a little bit behind.
'But she's also a lot more playful - dogs use their mouths a lot more so Hope's a bit different when they're playing. It's just one big happy family.'
Coco tries to get some rest as the kids compete for her attention
Lizzie Goldstraw from White Cross Vets in West Derby, Liverpool, treats both Diamond and Coco.
She said: 'We are delighted that Hope has been adopted in this way and she will no doubt feel warm and safe with her new family.
'It's quite unusual for a cat to take a puppy on as its own but it helped that they were born on the same say and that Paula acted so quickly to introduce the puppy.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2385900/Abandoned-Shih-Tzu-puppy-adopted-Siamese-cat-rejected-natural-mother.html#ixzz2bJuyHbry
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