Oh, the reputation that our fluffy friends have acquired doesn't even begin to capture how adorable, appreciative, and loving they are.
Cats aren't depicted as the cuddle buddies they are most of the time. They are portrayed as being distant, subdued, and even hostile toward anyone who doesn't respect them.
On the one hand, cats are criticized for having boundaries, refusing to cuddle up to you without your permission, and generally avoiding PDA.
On the other hand, puppies are praised for being affectionate, cuddly, and the kind of friend who will stick by you no matter what (even though they are like that with just about anyone who makes high-pitched noises and praises them).
To what end are we working? Puppies are wonderful; we love puppies! But we're here to try and change everyone's perception of cats by sharing uplifting, enlightening tales of cats who are slowly but surely changing the world.
We want you to get to know Musya, a Russian cat who adopted eight hedgehogs and prevented their unavoidable demise.
Everyone assumed the young, porcupine-like mammals wouldn't make it after their mother died in a lawn-mowing mishap.
The eight of them were too young to not only navigate the world without a mother, but also to drink anything other than their mother's milk.
They weren't anyone's pets, and they weren't accustomed to being around people, so they were completely alone. An unexpected turn occurred at this point.
When it became apparent that the weak, defenseless hedgehogs wouldn't survive, a few nearby residents came together, gathered them, and transported them to the Sadgorod Zoo in the hopes that the zoo would have a "spare" hedgehog mother who could nurse the babies back to health.
The zoo agreed to take the hedgehogs and make an effort to bring them back to health, but the zookeepers lacked any mature hedgehogs.
On the one hand, the zookeepers did pretty much everything they could to feed the young hoglets, keep them warm, and take care of them, even though they weren't sure if they would want to fight to survive.
On the other hand, the infants resisted milk for two days from a syringe, a bottle, and a saucer. The infants were given a heating pad at night to help with digestion. That didn't help them much, though, as they continued to go without food, sleep, and other essentials for survival.
At that point, Musya volunteered to take on the role of surrogate mother for these peculiar, peculiarly acting kittens. Musya had just finished nursing a whole litter of foster kittens, so she was already an experienced surrogate mother.
Because she couldn't bear to see anyone's babies abandoned, undernourished, and unappreciated, Musya became known as the zoo's surrogate. In order to help the hungry orphans, Musya turned to them and gave them her milk along with warmth and affection.
Orphans were drawn to Musya by her warmth and the aroma of milk she emitted, and they grew close to her almost immediately.
For the next few days, Musya kept taking care of them at night, feeding and comforting them. Musya made sure the hedgehogs had everything they required to develop happily and healthily, and she kept an eye on them even after they began to feed themselves.
And to everyone's delight, it didn't take long for the ravenous hoglets to begin looking for food other than Musya's milk.
In actuality, the hoglets grew stronger and stronger over the course of the days and quickly mastered the ability to begin eating from bowls and basins that the keepers would leave out for them.
One of our feline companions, Musya, illustrates how loving, appreciative, and kind cats can be (when they want to, of course).
Musya continued contentedly nursing orphaned kittens and other orphaned animals, according to the zoo keepers, because there had been an increase in hedgehogs in the area of eastern Russia over the course of the year.
She wasn't the only Russian fluffer offering to care for orphaned hedgehogs, either. The Sagorod Zoo claims that a cat by the name of Sonya cared for four hoglets in addition to her own kittens.
What occurs to these hoglets after they have been restored to health? Hedgehogs are frequently returned to the wild, where they belong, once they are strong enough to care for themselves.
The hedgehogs frequently return to check on the surrogate mother and the zookeepers (which causes a universal "Aww!" because it's the cutest, most appreciative moment ever)!
We are grateful that Musya cared for these hedgehogs and gave them another chance at life, regardless of whether they return to greet her and see how she is doing.
great
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