Junior the kitten saw Amira the dog and thought she should be her mother — and the cat wasn’t going to accept “no” for an answer.
Amira is a street dog who lives close to Il Gattaro d’Aleppo, a well-known cat sanctuary in war-torn Syria. Mohammad Alaa Jaleel (known as Alaa), the sanctuary’s creator, has been trying his best to care for Amira, however he cannot allow her to live among the 80 cats that call Il Gattaro d’Aleppo home for safety concerns.
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
When Alaa found out Amira was pregnant, he let her sleep in his room until it was time for her to give birth, trying to provide some comfort.
When Amira went into labor, however, tragedy struck: none of the puppies survived.
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
“We were sad and shocked for her, and we gave her a cuddly teddy bear to cuddle since she was really unhappy,” Alaa’s friend Alessandra Abidin, who maintains the Il Gattaro d’Aleppo Facebook page from her home in Italy, told The Dodo.
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
Junior the kitten, like Amira, had lost her family and was living on the streets until Alaa discovered her and took her to live at Il Gattaro d’Aleppo.
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
Junior immediately settled in at the sanctuary, getting to meet the various resident cats. She also saw Amira, who typically hangs out near the sanctuary’s entrance, and one of Amira’s teddy bears.
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
“She observed the dog’s teddy bear and gradually approached her to play,” Abidin explained.
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
“We discovered them together,” Abidin explained. “And the kitty was riding her [Amira], and she’s fine.” She even appeared to be smiling.”
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
Amira goes to Il Gattaro d’Aleppo several times a week, and Junior is always there to meet her. Junior may be smaller and of a different species, but Amira has learned to like her — and the affection is certainly reciprocal. They play together, eat together, and sleep together.
CREDIT: IL GATTARO D’ALEPPO
“We named her Amira, which means princess, since she is a princess in our eyes because of her wonderful character,” Abidin explaine
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