Russian Cat Saves a Group of Newborns in a Way Nobody Saw Coming

Whether it’s when they’re living their lives wild or if they’re living at home with you as domesticated pets, animals can surprise you in the most wondrous of ways. But there was quite a special animal in the city of Vladivostok, located in the southeast of Russia, that was about to surprise the whole entire world with her natural instincts. Everyone knew that this particular feline was meant for something more, they just didn’t realize how big that “something more” would be.

A Home for the Animals

It’s amazing how different humans are to animals, and the fact that animals are such an incredibly crucial part of our life here on Earth is why it’s so important and relieving to know that there are people, organizations, and animals that are willing to take in and care for animals when they are in need. One of them in particular is the Sadgorod Zoo located in Vladivostok, Russia. Sadgorod isn’t just a zoo, it’s a home to foster animals, as well. How precious!

Meet Musya

The Sadgorod zoo is home to many animals, but there’s one special fuzzy friend that left everyone speechless and in tears. The beautiful black cat Musya had been a loyal resident of the zoo, and even contributed to the well-being of other little kitties. The zoo keepers and workers there always knew she was an incredible creature, but in 2017 she proved to be so much more than that. And it all started out with Musya becoming the feline wet nurse.

A Cherished Resident

Little Musya quickly became one of the most cherished residents at the zoo. Why? Because she was so incredibly helpful to the other animals around. What made her so special was the fact that even though she was spayed, she was still able to nurse some of the foster kitties that came in. And that’s exactly what she did! As soon as a new liter of kitties was brought in, she acted as their mother and made sure they were warm, fed, and loved. How cute! But her miraculous maternal instincts were about to leave everyone bewildered.

Cats Aren’t Evil

Unfortunately, many people think that cats are evil creatures who don’t care about anybody but themselves. But in fact, they can be very emotionally in tune with others around them, and show compassion and love in the most unexpected ways—and Musya and the litters of kittens was the perfect example of that. But cats weren’t the only type of animals that the zoo took in. The zoo did their best to help out, rescue, and/or foster all sorts of animals.

All Types of Animals

From bears to rabbits and lemurs to piglets, Sadgorod zoo has all sorts of animals that you can learn about and visit. And along with that, they try to do their best in taking care of as many animals as they can. But that very year, the zoo keeping crew stumbled upon quite an odd species that was in need of some serious help. There was a group of eight little newborns that were in need of rescuing, since their mother had sadly passed away. How heartbreaking!

New Born Needs

In 2017, a local resident had brought the animal rescue team at the Sadgorod Zoo a group of some unusual newborn animals that were in dire need of help. They had sadly been orphaned and were in need of someone to tend to their newborn needs and TLC. And what's the most important thing that all newborn animals need? Nourishment, of course. The team got to preparing everything, but there was one big problem up ahead, that would require a solution that nobody saw coming.

Examining the Status of the Newborns

Similar to what happens when people go to the doctor’s office or the hospital when they’re in need of some medical attention, animals receive help and check-ups upon their arrival to rescue shelters, as well. The little newborn siblings all seemed to be in miraculously good shape, considering their situation. The next step was to get the little helpless mammals all properly nourished and warmed up, but that was going to be a whole lot trickier than anybody would’ve expected.

Animals Can Be So Different

It’s absolutely amazing how different humans are to animals. And just the same, when it comes to newborn animals, they all vary in how they grow and develop, and at different speeds, no less. Still though, one of the most important things baby mammals need to grow big and strong is, of course, their mother’s milk. But what are animal rescuers supposed to do with abandoned or orphaned animals that come in for help?

Animals Are Also Similar to Us

Animals are so different to us, but it’s just as amazing just how similar they are to us. One way that many animals are the same as us humans is their need for maternal nourishment when they’re newborns. But feeding a baby with its mother's milk isn’t the only option when it comes to nourishing them. Us humans have developed the concept of bottle-feeding, which is also how many animal rescue programs feed abandoned newborns. But our zoo keepers would soon find out that they would need to think outside of the bottle to feed these little newborns.

What Are They?

Before we get into what happened with the newborns, there was something very special about this species. They weren’t just any type of animal that most people would know how to care for like a dog. That’s exactly why they were sent to the Sadgorod Zoo in the first place—this group of baby animals needed some expert level help. So, what kind of animals were taken to the zoo and not an animal shelter? And whatever species they were, would the team be able to help them?

Eight Spikey Friends

So, what were the animals that the team was so focused on rescuing? The local resident who reached out to the zoo spotted not one, not two, but eight cute little hedgehogs! Who would’ve guessed that they could be so cute? Surprisingly enough, that same year, there were an influx of hedgehogs in the country, so the zoo happily took these little hoglets in. But little did they know, that they truly would need to think outside of the box when it came to saving them.

When You Don’t Have Access to Nature’s Milk

Even though they were lucky enough to be taken in to the zoo, the fact that the newborns were an out of the ordinary species of animal to begin with was going to prove to be a bit challenging. The team tried to feed the baby hedgehogs milk with bottles and even a syringe, but they just weren’t having it. The next best solution would be to have a nursing mother of the same species who would be able to feed them, but alas, they were out of luck there too. So, what was the team to do?

A Lack of Sight

The team tried to feed the sweet, innocent hoglets and make sure they would be able to survive this tragic occurrence. Time after time, though, they all continuously refused to drink from bottles and syringes. On top of that, these sweet poor hoglets were still blind since they were so fresh from the birth—which you can imagine would be a bit terrifying to not be able to see what’s going on around you. That’s when one of the team members had an idea that would blow everyone away.

Two Days Later

Many of us know that the best way to receive nourishment as a newborn is the natural way. However, since the hoglets didn’t have their mother, and they didn’t have a wet nurse hedgehog around, they needed to resort to bottle feeding them. But alas, for two days straight, the hoglets refused to drink the milk the team was trying to feed them. So, can you imagine how everyone must’ve felt? But don’t worry, the team wasn’t going to give up just yet.

“I Quickly Grabbed Her”

The animal rescue team members were getting nervous since the hoglets were getting hungry, and the hoglets were clearly not in a good shape since they hadn’t eaten in days. But little did anyone know, there was a secret supermom on her way to save the day. “I saw our cat Musya in the yard. I quickly grabbed her and put her by the baby hedgehogs. Literally, after a couple of seconds they approached the cat,” the zoo’s Deputy Director Alyona Asnovina shared in a video interview.

Intrigued and Interested

Musya helped out a bunch of little kitties develop and grow when she acted as a wet nurse for them. But was it possible for her to nurse a bunch of little hedgehogs? That is definitely some out of the box and resourceful thinking, right there! So how did they react when Musya approached them? “[The hoglets] understood at once what to do, after having felt her warmth and the smell of milk,” the zoo’s Deputy Director Alyona Asnovina explained.

Cuddling Up Together

When the Deputy Director grabbed Musya and placed her near the little hedgehogs, she let them do their thing and tried to see if there was a way Musya could help. Who knows? Maybe, she would be able to give them some mammal love and calm them down. After all, someone closer to their size would be a bit more approachable. Right? But Musya didn’t just make sure they were safe and warm by cuddling with them, she realized that they were in need of food, too.

A Mutual Understanding

Time after time, the baby hedgehogs were refusing to drink from a bottle, and the team was running out of ideas. But that’s when it hit them! After seeing Musya in the yard, Deputy Director Alyona Asnovina decided to give it a try and see if Musya could help out. “Surprisingly, the cat also understood instantly what was expected of her. She lay down and fortunately, the hedgehogs began to nurse,” Asnovina joyously revealed. How incredible!

Miracle After Miracle

Can you imagine what it would be like to be blind and orphaned when you’re just a newborn? So tragic! In fact, the baby hedgehogs were so tiny and young that they hadn’t even developed their spikes yet. But amazingly enough, Musya the cat was able to step in and save the day. Who would’ve thought that this wild idea would be a success? Not only was this a miraculous save since Musya acted as a wet nurse for them, but they aren’t even the same type of animal! The whole situation was absolutely baffling, mind-blowing, and heart-warming all at the same time.

One Week Later…

When the animal rescue team decided to bring over their beautiful and brave black cat to nurse the sweet, innocent hoglets back to health, the plan actually worked! Not only did Musya the cat feed the soon-to-be spikey little babies on their first encounter, but she continued to do so for over a week. The nine of them all bonded and the little hoglets hurtled up around Musya for food and warmth. But this isn’t the end of the story.

Mama Musya

The staff of the Sadgorod Zoo was beyond excited and thrilled to know the little hoglets were going to make it! Not only did the zoo figured out just how to feed the little hoglets, they had all the hope they needed to nurse them all back to health. But providing them nourishment isn’t all that Musya did. The “mama” cat truly took them in as her own—she made sure they were protected, warm, and loved, too. How adorable is that?

Hedgehog Hibernation

So what happened to the little hedgehogs after that first rough week? Well, the zoo decided to continue to take care of them and home them until their hibernation was over. Hedgehogs can hibernate anywhere from October to April, depending on how hot their living environment is. In fact, one could say that they’re actually pretty adaptable creatures since they can be found in all types of habitats around the globe—but in extreme cold or hot temperature, they will go to sleep. How cool!

What’s Next?

You’re probably asking yourself, what was going to happen to the sweet hedgehogs once they awoke from their long winter slumber? Once they were grown and able to survive on their own, the zoo planned to release the ones who didn’t seem comfortable around people back into the wild, and continue to care for the ones who were more friendly with the visitors at the zoo. Even as they grew up to be little spikey hedgehogs, though, they stayed close with Mama Musya.

“The Greatest Cat of the Country”

After Musya’s amazing incident and instant connection with the hedgehogs, she became the talk of the town. Her story went completely viral and gained all sorts of attention from all walks of life around the world via social media. A local Russian television show even flew her out to Moscow for a special “interview”. How exciting! Not just that, but she is now honorably known as “The Greatest Cat of the Country” in Russia.