When a pregnant stray pup was brought to Sunshine Dog Rescue in Phoenix, Arizona, they knew something was wrong right away.

The poor mama was starving and went into premature labor the moment she got into the car on the way to the vet. After having an emergency C-section and recovering from anesthesia, Georgia began searching for her little ones, but sadly, none of them survived.

Anita Osa, the founder of Sunshine Dog Rescue, she had never seen a dog lose her entire litter before meeting Georgia, so she was unsure how to help. She just knew she had to do something because Georgia was obviously miserable.

“The best way I could describe it was she was frantic,” Anita said. “It was so sad, she was looking for those babies. She tore up the toddler mattress we had her on, trying to find her babies.”

Desperate for a solution, Anita put out a call on Facebook. Since Georgia’s milk had come in, Anita asked if there were any parentless litters who might need a surrogate mother.

No one came forward with any puppies who needed love… but there was a litter of four kittens!

“I was certainly unsure,”Anita said. “But I had seen other species nurse another species before, so I thought, ‘Worst-case scenario, she doesn’t take to them, and I have some kittens I need to tend to myself.’”

While one of the tiny cats didn’t make it through the night, the other three began to thrive the moment they met their new mother! Anita introduced them slowly, allowing Georgia to smell them before they were placed gently in the bed beside her.

Within a few hours, the kittens started to nurse, and the change in all of their moods was instantaneous!

“It’s amazing to see how she instantly calmed down,” Anita said. “I think for the kittens, they have no idea that Georgia is a dog.” She added, “The bond is strong. It’s really something to see: She protects those kittens just as if they were her babies.”

As if that wasn’t wonderful enough, Sunshine Dog Rescue has already lined up loving forever homes for Georgia and all three kittens!

What a sweet solution to a tragic situation! Mamas need their babies, and babies certainly can’t survive without a parent’s love. It’s amazing how animals always seem to know what’s right and do it without hesitating.