A kind-hearted cat becomes the adoptive mother of 8 baby hedgehogs who have lost their parents!
Last year, eight baby hedgehogs, or hoglets, were found orphaned after a terrible lawn mowing accident claimed the lives of their mother. They were still blind and struggling to survive. While at the Sadgorod Zoo in Vladivostok, Russia, they were reunited with a new foster mother: a very maternal black and white cat named Musya.
For the first two days that the hoglets, and yes, that’s what baby hedgehogs are called, the zoo staff tried in vain to get them to eat. The piglets refused to eat bottles, syringes and saucers. Finally, the staff decided to try a more affectionate and motherly approach.
A cat is not expected to attach to such prickly little animals that she would prefer to chase most of the time. They are also prickly, which could make grooming them a bit risky if she ever went against the grain. Musya had recently welcomed a litter of kittens and still had milk to share with the piglets. The warm body and fresh food did the trick and the little ones started to feast.
Musya didn’t seem to mind that this new batch of “kittens” wasn’t quite right and she wasn’t afraid to give them a hard time if they needed it. This was not a permanent arrangement. Musya fed and cuddled the babies for only a week, until they were ready to be weaned and placed on a normal hedgehog omnivore diet ranging from insects to melons.
When I cuddled my little girl, I often thought about how nice, warm, and protected it would be to feel a kitten snuggling up to her belly. Apparently, piglets feel the same way I do!
