Laura Gorecki witnessed the forming of a very special bond between an orphaned kitten and the mother dog that accepted her as her own. Read her story below and tune in to hear from the family that adopted Onyx and Gilligan on this week’s “For the Love of Dogs.”

This story was a $500 winner in our “America’s Best Tails” contest, with the proceeds benefitting Operation Kindness. 

My name is Laura Gorecki and I am an avid supporter, donor, volunteer, and foster for Operation Kindness. I wanted to share my story of a little orphaned kitten that was temporarily adopted by a Mother Pomeranian and her puppies. I had the privilege of being a foster parent for this amazing group.

When you get to know as many animals as we do at Operation Kindness, you witness a lot of amazing and inspiring stories. This summer, we watched an incredible story unfold in the unlikely bond between a dog and kitten. When Onyx the kitten was just four days old, she was found motherless and alone in an abandoned warehouse. She was taken to Dallas Animal Services and they immediately called Operation Kindness to see if we could help. Operation Kindness immediately responded and brought Onyx to the shelter. Unfortunately, there was not a nursing cat in the shelter and without a cat to nurse the helpless kitten, we didn’t think she would make it.

That same day, Faline, a beautiful Pomeranian Mix and brand new mother, was brought to the shelter with her four puppies. As we watched the new mother nurse her puppies, we had an idea.

We took a chance that Faline would accept Onyx as her own and let her nurse with the puppies. It worked like a charm. As caring as she was for her puppies, Faline was especially protective of her little kitten. Faline, Onyx, and the puppies were all brought to my house so I could care for them. I had a great time watching Faline as she cared for Onyx as well as her growing puppies, and was very thrilled to witness the special bond that formed between her and the smallest of her puppy siblings, Gilligan.

As a foster parent it is always hard to see them go, but I knew that all of them would find great homes through Operation Kindness. The experience with this very special family has made a tremendous impact on me. I am happy to report that Faline, Onyx, and the puppies have all been adopted. In fact, Onyx the kitten was adopted into a loving, forever home with her favorite puppy sibling, Gilligan!