Golden Retrievers are known to be loyal, playful, and just terrific companions all around. Their love is not just restricted to humans and other dogs, however.

This is the story of a Golden Retriever who found a stray kitten struggling to survive and decided to adopt it.

When the Golden Retriever in this story stumbled upon a stray kitten, they decided to pick him up and carry them all the way home. We are all left to wonder just what was going through the Golden Retriever’s mind at this time.

Perhaps it saw the struggling kitten and just knew that the love they get at home from their human owners would be enough to help the little stray survive.

The Golden Retriever’s human counterpart checked the area to see if the cat’s family was anywhere nearby. They were looking for a mom or some siblings but didn’t find any in sight.

Unfortunately, it appears this kitten didn’t have any family.

Without a mother to help him, his chances of surviving all alone were slim.

The dog’s owner then bottle-fed the kitten to make sure it had the strength to survive. The poor little thing needed around the clock care. The Golden Retriever never left the kitten’s side the entire time. What an amazing dog!

The Golden Retriever appears to have adopted the little kitten and is acting as his mother.

It certainly appears that they have formed a strong and adorable bond.

They eat out of the same bowl, they snuggle each other, and they even go on walks together. The two really seem to love spending time with one another. This kitten may never truly know the good fortune that fell upon him.

He could have been left alone with little chance for survival. Instead, a caring Golden Retriever gave him the gift of a wonderful life.

This is a story of animal altruism, which is an interesting field of study.

Animals who engage in altruistic behaviors do things that help other animals without regard for how it impacts them. This can include animals acting on behalf of others of their own species, humans, or entirely different types of animals.

In this case, the dog wanted to help the kitten even though there was no immediate benefit to her.

An animal that demonstrates an altruistic behavior has shown an ability to think outside of themselves and act out of the best interest of others. There is a large percentage of human beings out there that aren’t able to do this.

Perhaps some of you reading this have adopted a rescue dog or cat. Do you remember what it felt like when you did so? Here is this tiny animal that needs love, care, and attention and you are the person to give it to them.

It’s a good feeling. It’s likely the same feeling that the Golden Retriever in this story had when she picked up that stray kitten and carried him all the way home.

Learn more about this wonderful story in the video below.

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Source: ViralPaws/ILoveMyDogSoMuch