Golden Retriever’s Heartwarming Reaction to Meeting Rescue Kitten: ‘Gentle’

A pet owner has shared heartwarming footage of the moment her golden retriever met their new kitten for the first time.

Lincoln the dog has been best friends with Charlie the cat ever since owner Kate Sherwood introduced them to one another last year.

“They’re like brothers,” Sherwood told Newsweek. “Charlie grew up with Lincoln so he kind of acts like him, thinks he’s a dog. I’ve never seen a dog and cat so close. It’s really sweet!”

The idea that cats and dogs always struggle to get along is something of a myth. A 2020 study published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE went some way to dispelling that notion.

The research saw 1,270 pet owners with both cats and dogs quizzed on their pets’ behavior. Tellingly, the study found 64 percent of pet owners said their dogs and cats played together at least sometimes.

More interestingly still, 58 percent noted that their cats and dogs often slept next to each other while 11 percent said they always slept alongside one another.

While there will always be examples of households where cats and dogs do clash, there is certainly anecdotal evidence to suggest introducing pets from an early age can help foster a bond.

Sherwood has had Lincoln since he was an 8-week-old puppy. He turned 4 in April. Charlie became part of the family a little later though, after the sad death of a previous pet.

“We had another cat who we found out in September 2021 had stomach cancer at only 7 years old,” Sherwood said. “He passed away a month later. I was heartbroken.”

The loss of a pet, especially one so young, was devastating. But eventually, Sherwood decided it was time to try and find another friend for Lincoln to live alongside. That was when she found Charlie on the animal adoption website Petfinder.

“I came across Charlie’s cute face and immediately put in an application,” she said. Eager to include Lincoln in proceedings and let him get a feel for his new cat companion, Sherwood decided to bring the golden retriever along when they went to pick up Charlie.

“We drove out to meet him and brought Lincoln with us,” Sherwood said. “Lincoln was so curious and gentle with him from the beginning and after a couple days of proving to Charlie that he was safe, they started to play and cuddle together.”

Those first magical few days together were documented in heartwarming detail as part of a video Sherwood shared to TikTok under the handle lincolnandcharlie. It’s been watched nearly 1 million times.

Lincoln and Charlie have been inseparable ever since, with Sherwood painting a happy picture of life alongside her two pet best friends.

“They run downstairs with me every morning for a treat and then sometimes if Charlie’s lucky, I’ll put him in his harness and he gets to come outside and watch the squirrels with Lincoln,” she said. “Then we go upstairs to their toy room and I’ll play with both of them for a while.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.