Grieving the loss of a beloved pet is one of the most difficult things to get through, so when Ponzu the Golden Retriever and his owner were struggling to get over the passing of their cat, Wasabi, they welcomed any distractions in their lives.
As luck would have it, Ponzu’s dad came across a tiny kitten that had been rejected by its mother, and they gladly took it in.
Ponzu is no stranger to hanging around with kittens, as his dad regularly rescues stray or abandoned cats. Ponzu is a big softie and a natural nurturer, and he always ends up being great friends with his new foster brothers and sisters.
In all the time that his dad has been rescuing cats, Ponzu has never come across one that he didn’t get on with.
Isn’t that just the sweetest thing?
When the kitten, who Ponzu’s dad named Ichimi, was first brought home, Ponzu immediately went into caregiver mode. He was gentle and attentive with the kitten from the minute he laid eyes on her, and the kitten seemed to like him a lot.
It was the beginning of a very special friendship.
Ponzu was sure to provide the tiny kitten with lots of motherly care, and he was often seen licking her coat or snuggling up next to her to keep her warm.
Ichimi had never experienced the feeling of being cared for before, and she quickly grew attached to her new foster parent.
At first, it was touch and go whether the tiny kitten would make it through the week. She was very small and weak and had to be bottle-fed regularly.
She wasn’t the only kitten in the house, and Ponzu made sure he cared for them all. But he had a special soft spot for Ichimi.
Ponzu’s caregiving duties even included watching over the kittens as they played together – surely something which is every mom’s worst nightmare!
He even let the kittens play fight with him. Sometimes they dug their claws in a little too sharply, but he never complained.
As Ichimi grew, so did her bond with Ponzu. Her dad documented many adorable photos of her alongside her best buddy, which were shared onto their Instagram account – which has over 157k followers.
Looking at the pictures, it’s clear to see that this pair prefers each other’s company to anyone else. They never leave each other’s side!
By the summer of 2014, Ichimi was no longer a kitten. It was now her job to assist Ponzu in caring for all of the new kittens that arrived!
She really did learn from the best.
The caring man who adopts all the kittens is named Takeshi Saitou, from Sapporo, Japan. He’s in a band, but still finds plenty of time to look after his kittens- with the help from Ichimi and Ponzu, of course!
Does anyone else really want to live in this house?
We think that he’s doing an incredible job!
These pictures just go to show that no matter who you are or what you look like, there’s nothing stopping you from loving one another. We humans should take a lesson out of Ichimi and Ponzu’s book!
Click the link below to visit the pair’s Instagram account, where you can find more adorable photos of them hanging out together.
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