A kind pet dog is taking care of kittens after their mother cat was eaten by a snake.

The female Shih Tzu pooch named Cherry ‘adopted’ the moggies when they were only three days old after their mother wandered outside the house and was attacked by a snake in Ratchaburi province.

Seven-year-old Cherry, with her motherly instincts, lets the kittens sleep on her stomach or suckle on her teat even though she cannot produce milk yet.

Now, the four moggies treat the cat like she’s their own mother and would sleep together inside the house like a family.

Proud pet owner Chanadda Thongprasert said: ‘Cherry had always been gentle to cats. The kittens’ real mother named Chao Dam was her best friend.’

Chanadda added that she bought Cherry from her friend when she was only two-years-old while Chao Dam was adopted as a kitten.

She said: ‘I bought Cherry from my friend and when I adopted Chao Dam they immediately became close like sisters. They were really sweet.’

As the kittens still needed nursing when their mother died, they would be fed with goat milk everyday and regularly visited the veterinarians to ensure their health.