Despite being as popular as dogs, it’s no secret that cats are known to be mysterious, aloof, and sometimes just unfriendly. A random encounter with a cat might confirm this stereotype—but cats come with all kinds of personalities, just like dogs. 

Ah, cats and dogs—enemies as old as time, or at least that’s true according to conventional wisdom. These two should never be left alone in a room together, so they say, or else there’ll be a mighty mess to clean up if the house is even still standing.

This conventional wisdom that cats and dogs don’t get along has a lot of truth to it. Generally, experts and vets recommend that pet owners choose between one or another to avoid stressing either animal out. After all, while most dogs get along with each other, cats tend to fight even amongst themselves.

Any dog and cat owner readers might be shaking their heads, knowing full well that there’s a secret to getting cats and dogs to play nice—but that’d be telling. Here’s a story about two animals that developed the most unexpected relationship.

Meet Miss Kitty. She’s no mangy street cat. This feline’s fur is chic and soft, as white as a fresh coat of snow. She prides herself on her hygiene and good grooming. But being well-kempt doesn’t mean being too good for a good head stroke once in a while. 

Everybody knew this cat, and everybody loved her. She would often stray outside her owner’s yard in search of offerings from her neighbors—and oh boy, would she get them! She was never pushy or mean, but she got her way by putting smiles on people’s faces.

One day, Miss Kitty went from being a well-kempt but carefree soul to an oddly anxious bundle of fur. It happened out of the blue. Being that Miss Kitty often visited the neighbors or could be seen prowling the neighborhood, everyone began to feel the difference.

The first worry that everyone had was that she was somehow sick. Although the neighborhood hadn’t seen her for a while, she didn’t look sick. She just seemed on edge and skittish. Soon some of the folks with a little more time on their hands started to watch her as she moved from house to house.

Could it be that Miss Kitty had been pregnant and she had been escorting her new litter from place to place? Well, not quite. Although she was anxious and taking quick steps, one of the neighbors managed to catch a glimpse of what was dangling in her mouth.

Naturally, the neighbor that caught Miss Kitty with the puppy bundles went to speak to her owner at the earliest chance. He explained that at first, it looked like she was carrying kittens, but now she was fairly certain Miss Kitty was carrying puppies.

As well as finding out where they were, another important question was: who owned these puppies? Or rather, where had they come from? The neighbor began casually asking around the neighborhood to find out. 

Meanwhile, a few houses away, a car pulled up on the drive, and a beautiful family spilled out. The kids couldn’t wait to get inside to see their new puppies again after a long day at school. Their dog had just given birth to a litter, and they were just over the moon. 

Who wouldn’t be excited about seeing puppies? The problem was there were only a few in the shelter. Where had the others gotten to? The puppies were young—so young that they could barely open their eyes. There was no way they’d even be able to get so far away from their mother on their own. 

The family was devastated. But fortunately, it didn’t take long for the news about Miss Kitty’s odd behavior to reach them. They didn’t know the cat by her name, but like most people in the area, they had seen her and knew her by her beautiful white coat and friendly nature. 

Miss Kitty’s owner was just as baffled as the family. Even though he had no answers to offer, and even though kidnapping babies wasn’t in Miss Kitty’s nature,  he offered his apologies and promised to get to the bottom of the mystery—or at least to help in any way possible. 

It goes without saying that Miss Kitty was out on one of her patrols. Otherwise, her owner would have been able to lead the family to the puppies. So while they searched for any possible hiding places, Miss Kitty’s owner talked with the family and tried to come up with an explanation. 

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. There was a reason that Miss Kitty had disappeared from the neighborhood a few weeks back. Some time ago, a male cat had strolled into the area. Miss Kitty became pregnant a little while after. He had done everything possible to take care of her while she was expecting.

Miss Kitty’s owner kept her pregnancy quiet from the rest of the community, although he knew that at least one of his neighbors would love to take on and adopt a cute little kitten. He knew he would have to give away the kittens eventually—but after Miss Kitty had a chance to nurture them and raise them to an appropriate age. 

Her owner knew to look out for specific signs that pointed to her being ready to give birth. But when she started slowing down while eating, it was clear that something was wrong. Over time, her appetite dropped. Soon, she didn’t even accept any of her favorite treats.

The veterinarian told Miss Kitty’s owner that while her drop in appetite and temperature was worrying, they would just have to wait and see. He tried to make her as comfortable as possible, giving her the best care he could afford. Despite all these measures, it wasn’t enough.

As time passed, Miss Kitty began acting more like herself. But her owner noticed that she was never quite the same. People wondered what had happened with her pregnancy. Why had her pregnancy not been a success? What had happened to her?

It may not have been obvious to everyone in the neighborhood, but it was obvious to her owner: she was grieving. Animals may do it differently, just like how they show affection differently, but they still process heavy emotions. They still feel and think, and process experiences just like us.

While she was still grieving, the world carried on. Some of the neighbors were talking about a house at the end of the street. Apparently, that family’s dog, Smoochie, a black Cocker spaniel, was about to give birth to a litter of puppies. Naturally, the family was very excited about it.

Fortunately, though, this complication would only occur after she delivered her puppies. Like Miss Kitty, she was a young mother. It was her first litter. She had the support of the veterinarian, and when the time came, all of her puppies came out healthy and strong—at least for tiny baby dogs.

Once again, the family had done everything perfectly, but there was a problem that no amount of preparation or care could have fixed. Smoochie was much too young. She was barely out of her puppy stage herself. Now that she had a litter of puppies, she had no idea what to do with them.

Although the family was overjoyed with their new bundle, Smoochie seemed indifferent. She wanted to rest, eat, and only occasionally play. It took them time to notice that their dog had left her children to fend for themselves. Soon the family became very concerned for their safety. 

But caring for baby dogs without the help of the mother can lead to unforeseen complications. It would be better if they could coax Smoochie into taking up her responsibilities. At first, they assumed they could just train her to do it, but after several attempts failed, they gave up.

Like people, puppies need nutrition, warmth, and safety as babies—but crucially, they also need the love and touch of another. If animals sense that a caring figure is absent, they will not survive. It can be terminal, or it can affect the animal’s health later in life.

Still, nothing worked. It might be hard for anyone to believe that a mother would neglect her children like this, but Smoochie wasn’t mature enough to accept her responsibilities. Finally, the family told all of this to Miss Kitty’s owner. After they finished their story, he understood what had happened.

Everyone knows how powerful a cat’s hearing is, but not everyone knows how powerful their sense of maternal protection is after they suffer a deep loss. At some point in the early hours of a school day, Miss Kitty overheard cries from inside one of the houses in the neighborhood. 

Following her recent tragedy, Miss Kitty was moved into action. She prowled around Smoochie’s home, looking for a good spot to find out more about what she was hearing. She saw poor defenseless babies without the love and care of a good mother. 

While Miss Kitty was plotting her infiltration, the family was losing hope that Smoochie would ever face what she was doing—or not doing—for her puppies. Each time they left the house, they worried if the babies were going to be alright. Each time they returned hopeful that her instincts would have kicked in.

Noticing this change in the puppies, Miss Kitty became quite alarmed. She sprang into action while the family was out. Presumably, she dodged the attention of Smoochie and made her way to the corner where the puppies were crying. 

Miss Kitty had airlifted five puppies in total. She wasn’t sure what the plan was next, but she was going to try and make sure that they were safe and that they felt loved. She did it all in secret, away from everyone, including her owner. 

Miss Kitty’s owner and Smoochie’s owner went out looking for the cat and the five puppies. They searched high and low in the garden, in the neighborhood, and in the fields and parks where kids played. They didn’t have a single bit of luck.

Some of the family’s neighbors joined to look for Miss Kitty, trying to put their heads together. There was one more place they hadn’t looked: an abandoned trailer stood on the edge of the community. It had been empty for over a year. Everyone took a careful look inside.

While everyone was ready to greet a grizzly sight, instead, they saw the affection of a mother for five sweet abandoned babies. Miss Kitty was showing all the love that Smoochie had failed to give in that long, hard week. The neighbors stepped outside and felt their hearts swell.

While Miss Kitty resisted at first, she let the puppies go and gave them into the family’s care. Everyone met up later at the family’s house, and Miss Kitty was even allowed to come along. Everyone watched as she took care of the puppies and watched over them—at a distance from Smoochie, of course.

In all that sadness, it’s beautiful that everything turned out for the best in the end. This story should remind us that life can be rough at times, but one way to get through it all is by leaning ever so slightly on each other and that, more importantly, sometimes differences aren’t what matters—it’s about how much love we can give.

Miss Kitty still prowls that small-town neighborhood in South Carolina. Since her escapade with the puppies, she’s a bit more of a celebrity now. Her story might be small, but the lesson of the story is a big one: we could all stand to love one another a little more.