Shih Tzu credited with saving the lives of 2 tiny kittens

Two rescued kittens are seen in this image handed out by the B.C. SPCA.

The B.C. SPCA is crediting a Shih Tzu named Laynee with saving the lives of two tiny kittens in the Okanagan last week.

Laynee was out for a bathroom break in the early morning hours of July 11, when she refused to come back into the house, her owner Brady Verhaeghe told the charity. Instead, the dog was focused on something hidden underneath a bush.

Verhaeghe walked over to investigate when he heard a meow. Under the bush was a little black kitten, nose-to-nose with his dog.

“I picked up the kitten and was walking away when I heard another faint ‘meow.’ Laynee went straight back to the bush, and we spent a half an hour trying to get the other kitten to come out,” he said in a Friday media release from the B.C. SPCA.

The second kitten eventually emerged and Verhaeghe brought them inside, as it was dark out and they were shivering.

“Both kittens nestled into my arms right away,” he said. “You could tell they were longing to be helped – they didn’t hesitate at all.”

Verhaeghe put the kittens in a box by his bed, and Laynee kept a close eye on the new arrivals. He told the B.C. SPCA his Shih Tzu is usually shy around other animals, so he was surprised by her reaction to the kittens.

“They didn’t make much noise, but every time they did, Laynee would immediately check on them, she didn’t mind them crawling all over her,” he said.

The next day, Verhaeghe put the kittens back under the bush in case their mother returned, but when no cat appeared for a few hours, he brought them to the B.C. SPCA shelter in Kelowna.

“When we examined the kittens, they were really thin and their gums were pale, but they were bright-eyed and hungry which was a good sign,” said Shannon Paille, manager of the animal centre, in the release. “They are so young they need to be bottle-fed. One of our amazing B.C. SPCA fosters is continuing the kittens’ care in their home, which is the best place for them to be.”

The B.C. SPCA says the finder did the right thing. The organization advises people who find young kittens to leave them be if they don’t look sick or injured – their mother is likely out hunting and will return. But if the animals appear hurt or ill, are in an unsafe spot, or the cat doesn’t return, they should be taken to a rescue.

As for the kittens Laynee found, the B.C. SPCA says they will be up for adoption once they reach eight weeks old.