A Shih Tzu named Laynee and her owner are being credited for saving the lives of two kittens who are believed to have been abandoned by their mother.
The BC SPCA Kelowna branch recently took in the two three-week-old kittens who were discovered in some bushes in Peachland.
A regular morning bathroom break for Laynee turned into a rescue mission on July 11, said a news release from the SPCA.
Laynee’s owner, Brady, said she refused to come back indoors and locked onto something hidden beneath a bush. Further investigation revealed there were two small kittens hunkered in under the bushes.
Brady said it took a while to coax them out of their hiding spot but Laynee didn’t give up.
“Both kittens nestled into my arms right away,” he said in the news release. “You could tell they were longing to be helped, they didn’t hesitate at all.”
Brady didn't recall seeing any pregnant cats in his neighbourhood but he had a feeling they had been abandoned and brought them inside.
Once the duo were settled into a blanket lined box, Brady and Laynee settled in for the night with the Shih Tzu watching over the two kittens.
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Brady said that he was surprised his dog took to them the way she did and said she is usually very shy around other animal.
“They didn’t make much noise, but every time they did, Laynee would immediately check on them, she didn’t mind them crawling all over her,” he said.
The next morning, Brady placed the kittens near the bush in the hopes the mother would return.
After a couple hours, he knew she wasn’t coming back and decided to bring them into the SPCA.
Shannon Paille, manager of the BC SPCA Kelowna, said an initial exam of the two babies found that they were thin but they were bright-eyed and hungry, which is always a good sign.
“They are so young they need to be bottle-fed. One of our amazing BC SPCA fosters is continuing the kittens’ care in their home, which is the best place for them to be,” Paille said.
The kittens also received treatment for parasites, got all their vaccinations and should be ready for adoption when they hit the eight week mark.
Kim Monteith, with the BC SPCA, said Brady did the right thing, especially given how young and small the kittens were.
According to the news release, if people find kittens in a safe place and they don’t appear sick or injured, they should be left alone. Normally, the mom is out hunting and will return.
However, if the kittens look sick or injured or are not in a safe place or the mother does not return, they should be safely loaded up and brought to a local animal shelter, Monteith said.
The BC SPCA is a charity organization and is always welcoming donations.
If you’d like to help these two kittens, and any other animals in the BC SPCA’s care, click here.
