Abandoned Chihuahua Saves Orphaned Kitten From Freezing Temperatures

A little chihuahua and her adopted "child" -- a kitten -- are redefining what it means to be a mother and a son, and proving once again that dogs and cats don't really hate each other. The pair was found abandoned outside an empty house in Barstow, California, on an unseasonably cold winter night when temperatures dipped well below freezing. A neighbor heard noises that sounded like a dog tending to her puppy, and in a way they were -- except for the fact that the puppy isn't a canine, but a cat.

The pair was taken to the Helen Woodward Animal Center, where both have been vaccinated, dewormed, spayed/neutered and charmingly named. Beignet and Gumbo, as the chihuahua and kitten will now be known respectively, were officially put up for adoption today as part of the center's Fat Cat Tuesday Doggie Gras celebration. Hopefully, the search for a family to adopt for the animals won't take too long -- representatives at the center are, after all, adamant that they are only looking for one home for this loving duo.

"This incredible little family really demonstrates the pure hearts of the orphan animals we meet each day," said the center's inventory manager, LaBeth Thompson. "They love each other. That's all there is to it."