After all of her puppies got adopted and went to loving families, Ginger realized her mothering skills might still come in handy when she met some tiny foster kittens in need of a mom.
Susan Hicks, who rescued Ginger about four years ago, has been fostering sets of kittens since 2018. Whenever new kittens come to the house, Ginger is thrilled, sniffing all around their box. The kittens love to jump on Ginger and play with her — sometimes they even attempt to nurse from her.
These kittens arrive at Hicks’ home at a stage in life when they’re particularly fragile and vulnerable. They’re small, weak and still trying to figure out how to operate in the world. They crave comfort, and that’s where Ginger comes in.
When fostering kittens, it’s common for caretakers to give them a big stuffed animal to serve as a source of solace. But thanks to Ginger, Hicks has never needed a stuffed toy.
“Ginger is like a living, breathing, snoring body pillow for these kittens,” Hicks told The Dodo.
Another positive thing to come out of socializing the kittens with Ginger is that they soon become very comfortable around dogs — a huge plus for potential adopters who already have a pup at home.
“People will reach out to me saying, ‘I want one of your kittens because I know that they’re good with dogs,’” Hicks said.
When the kittens eventually grow up and have to leave, Hicks can sense that Ginger is sad. But Ginger knows that every time she watches one set of kittens go away, it means there’s another bunch right around the corner — kittens who will need her love and comfort even more.
