Meet Boots, a 12-year-old Chow/Golden Retriever mix and the Arizona Humane Society’s first official kitten nanny. He’s also a Hurricane Katrina survivor. The AZ Humane Society says:

“A key factor that can increase a cat’s chance of adoption is its ability to live in homes with other pets. By socializing kittens with dogs like Boots early in life, we are able to open up an entirely new world of potential home environments to that kitten. The simple process involves one day of positive playtime and socialization with a kitten nanny like Boots each week. When started with kittens between two and seven weeks old, they are much more much more likely to live happily along with other animals.”

 

Studies have shown that cats have a small window of time in kittenhood during which exposure to new things will directly impact their acclimation to changes as they get older. By increasing kittens’ comfort level with dogs, the AZ Humane Society increases their adoptability while decreasing the chances that the kittens/cats will be surrendered later in life due to problems between the cats and other pets.

Below you will find photos of Boots doing his thing. You rock Boots!

[via Arizona Humane Society]