Gentle Giant Great Dane Decides to 'Foster Pair of Orphaned Kittens' After Falling in Love

Pets can teach us so many valuable life lessons, from the pleasure of slowing down to the importance of stretching. Every now and again, though, an animal reminds us why love can be the greatest gift in life. Look no further than Winnie the Great Dane and her two foster kittens!

Although it's technically Winnie's human mom who's fostering the baby cats, the 4-year-old pup fell in love with the little ones faster than anyone imagined. Now, the gentle giant is acting as mama to the orphaned kittens! Their size difference may be a bit startling, but they're meant for each other just the same. Just try not to melt from the cuteness!

This may just be the sweetest thing on the Internet right now! Neither Winnie nor her kittens seem to mind their huge size difference, but it somehow makes their relationship even cuter than it already is. It's just like @warriormami6792 wrote: "Giant dogs in love with tiny kittens will never get old to me." You speak for more than just yourself with that comment!

Related: Great Dane Becomes the Sweetest Adoptive Mother to Pair of Rescue Kittens

For me, this mother-child relationship is especially unique because the dog adopted kittens. It's not the first time this has happened by any means, but it's a lot more rare than a mama dog adopting orphaned pups that aren't her own. Many female dogs will take it as far as nursing the kittens too, but Winnie's mom may already have these week-old kittens on soft food. Even so, the Great Dane is still Mom to these rescue babies thanks to her comfort, care, and love.

Why Do Dogs Adopt Babies?

There are many situations in which a female (or even a male) dog would adopt babies that aren't her own. This most often occurs as a result of a false pregnancy, when a dog experiences all the symptoms of pregnancy (and believes herself to be pregnant) without actually having any puppies. This can be the result of a pregnancy loss, a period, or other hormonal changes, but it can also happen seemingly randomly.

This is because many female dogs have strong maternal instincts! You may see this in simple actions when a dog grooms or guards a puppy, but it can also take the form of adoption. Some have even seen their dogs nurse puppies who aren't biologically hers, but this happens a lot more rarely.

These tiny black cats are in excellent paws with Mama Winnie around, but only time will tell if they'll stay with her forever or remain foster kittens. Viewers are hoping it's the latter choice, and secretly, so am I!

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