Rejected puppy welcomed into feline family

Pennsylvania cat nurses runt pug along with three kittens

Mark Hofmann / Daily Courier

Kelly Kent watches as her cat Zoey nurses a pug puppy April 19 in Connellsville, Pa. Kent said Zoey has been nursing the puppy since he was rejected by his mother in late March. Zoey doesn't usually like dogs but seems to have made an exception, Kent said.

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updated 7:37 p.m. ET June 5, 2006

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. - A pug puppy rejected by his mother has found a new, more welcoming family — a cat and her three kittens.

Kelly Kent, of Connellsville, said her 2-year-old cat, Zoey, has been nursing a black pug puppy since he was rejected by his mother in late March. Zoey doesn't usually like dogs but seems to have made an exception, Kent said.

The puppy, who belongs to Kent's neighbor, is about the same size as Zoey's kittens and regularly lines up for milk with his adopted feline siblings.

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It is not unusual for mothers to adopt in nature, even if the baby is of another species, said William Shepherd, a Uniontown veterinarian. Shepherd said a puppy can drink a cat's milk, but warned that Zoey might not be able to produce enough as the young pug gets older and bigger.

The pug puppy, the runt of his litter, doesn't yet have a name.