Dogs and cats are widely considered to be natural enemies. So when these two beloved pets actually come together, their friendship is among the cutest in the animal kingdom.
Morticia and Gomez are a small black kitten and a Chihuahua mix, respectively. A passerby discovered the pair huddled together in a park in Hampton, Virginia, earlier this week. It quickly became clear that the duo was extremely close — and that Gomez was willing to protect his kitten friend at all costs.
"Totally bonded," the passerby wrote in a social media post. "Dog is growling if we get too close so we have notified animal control and are waiting for them."
Thanks to the passerby's kind efforts, Morticia and Gomez found their way to a local animal shelter. But no owner stepped forward to claim them.
And although Morticia and Gomez are obviously the best of friends, the shelter had to keep the two in separate areas due to safety regulations, and they couldn't guarantee that the pair would remain together after adoption.
That's when Saver of Souls Pet Rescue stepped up. The rescue made room for the pair at its facility, where they get to play and hang out together all day long. If all goes as planned, Morticia and Gomez will go to a forever home together, as they deserve to be.
Morticia and Gomez's story begins in a soccer park in Hampton, Virginia. A passerby noticed the pair huddled together for safety between two portable toilets.
And though they were both clearly scared, Gomez was bravely protecting his kitten friend.
He growled at passersby when they got too close to her.
After a post on social media with a photo and description, several other Good Samaritans rushed to the scene and kept an eye on the animal duo until animal control came to pick them up.
Morticia, a 10-month-old kitten, and Gomez, a 2-year-old Chihuahua, ended up at the local animal shelter, where staff waited for their owners to come forward.
But nobody did.
Soon after, Turkan Ertugrul, the director of Saver of Souls Pet Rescue, noticed a photo of Gomez and Morticia on Facebook.
"They looked so scared in the picture it made us take notice," Turkan told the Dodo. "We tend to favor the scared ones because they just don't understand when you are trying to help."
Turkan also knew that the pair was likely being kept separately at the shelter.
"At most shelters, it's against policy to put dogs and cats together for safety's sake, and we knew they would be separated. Their plight was keeping us up at night worrying about how they were doing apart from each other."
To make things worse, there was no guarantee that the two would end up in the same forever home.
"Most shelters can't enforce that bonded pairs get adopted together. They are there to save lives, and holding on to a pair that may take a long time to get adopted together would endanger others' lives."
So Turkan decided to make room for the pair at Saver of Souls Pet Rescue. Shelter workers organized playdates for the two in the meeting room.
And now, the pair live happily in a foster home while they wait for their forever home — together.
Morticia and Gomez's heartwarming story has inspired a lot of hearts.
Indeed, this ridiculously adorable duo now has thousands of new fans.
People from all over the country are wishing that they could take Gomez and Morticia home.
At this rate, they'll find their new humans in no time.
Not to mention they have the best names ever, especially for an October pet rescue!
Gomez and Morticia really bring out the best in each other, Turkan says.
"Gomez is shy around people when he first meets them, but warms up quickly," she told the Dodo. "He really opens up when Morticia is around. They are both happier and more outgoing when together than when they meet people individually."
Gomez and Morticia need to be spayed and neutered, then they'll be ready for their search for a loving home.
If you're as in love with these two as we are and are lucky enough to live in the Hampton, Virginia, area, contact Saver of Souls Pet Rescue.
