Big mama!

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Rottweillers often get a bad rap as an aggressive breed of dog, but this one definitely has a soft side.

Ten-month-old Jazzy, who has never had a litter of her own, recently adopted three infant kittens and has begun nursing them. Jazzy's owner, Ashley Hood of Bramber, was shocked. “I would never have thought that was possible,” she said.

Hood found the abandoned kittens last Friday, July 3 in the bottom of an old barrel. Although she waited for hours in hopes the mother cat would emerge, the kittens’ howls were hard to ignore. “They were just screaming. It was really sad,” she said, “so I picked them up and took them home.”

For the first night, Hood fed the kittens milk from a syringe while the other family dog Cassie, an English bulldog, provided some TLC. “I really thought it was her that would end up mothering them; she was really gentle and protective.”

However, the next morning Hood awoke to find Jazzy standing guard over the kittens and later letting them suckle. “That was it. She was mom,” she said.

She didn't think much more of it until a few days later when the kittens began to refuse the syringe feedings. “At first I was worried that perhaps they were sick.”

But one bold move confirmed a most peculiar act of nature. “When no one was looking I reached down and squeezed one of Jazzy's teats and milk came shooting out. I felt really silly doing that, but sure enough she was making milk for the kittens.”

Hood estimates it took about two days for Jazzy's milk to come in and says the kittens’ constant suckling did the trick. “It's really, really cool. I just can't believe it.”

The kittens are healthy and continue to grow thanks to their adoptive canine mom. Hood has found a good home for the two female kittens and plans to keep the male.