Retriever foster mother mixes and matches with six abandoned kittens

May 14 2008

A PEDIGREE labrador has amazed vets after she started playing mother to six kittens as well as her own litter of six puppies.

Golden labrador Echo is proving to be the ideal mother by fostering the litter of kittens which had been abandoned by their own mother.

The 4½-year-old retriever gave birth to her own litter of six pups and they were already proving a handful for her owner Sara Rodway.

And when office worker Sara, 44, discovered the stray kittens she decided to put Echo’s maternal instinct to the test.

The six stray kittens were found on Saturday afternoon among bales of hay, abandoned by their mother and certain to die without round the clock feeding.

Quick-thinking Sara fed the kittens with a pipette before placing them next to Echo whose maternal instincts kicked-in with amazing results.

Property project manager Sara said: "Echo has amazed everyone with her maternal instincts. I’ve scoured the internet and I can’t find a similar story anywhere. The vet said it was unheard of.

"I'm very proud of Echo, she’s an extremely special animal. Very maternal.

"This is her second litter but with the kittens it makes her third!"

Animal lover Sara already owns four dogs, three cats and breeds horses on her farm in Cheshire.

Veterinary surgeon Janet Brenton said: "I’ve never seen cross-fostering occur between two different species.

"Certainly between breeds but not between a cat and a dog.

"Echo has done an absolutely cracking job."