PUPPY LOVE: Chihuahua cross Shyla takes over mothering duties for seven abandoned kittens at the workplace of her owner, veterinarian Angela McFall, in Christchurch.

A cat-loving chihuahua cross has become a surrogate mother, suckling seven abandoned kittens.

Two-year-old Shyla had never had puppies, but her Christchurch owner, veterinarian Angela McFall, said the dog had always been a cat fancier.

"She gets a bit bossy with dogs, whereas she loves cats," McFall said.

Two weeks ago, when another veterinary clinic found a litter of stray kittens, Shyla was brought in as a foster mother.

A chihuahua-fox terrier cross, she nursed a ginger kitten brought home by McFall last year.

McFall said dogs that had had a season on heat sometimes experienced a false pregnancy.

"They start producing milk and they get quite hormonal. Shyla started nursing [the ginger kitten], which was quite sweet but unusual."

Shyla has now taken on the same role for the three-week-old orphans.

"Shyla cleans their bottoms and lays with them all the time," McFall said. "They are growing really strong and healthy."

Shyla is not the only canine surrogate in the country. A three-year-old Dunedin chihuahua, Anna, is nursing three two-week-old Persian kittens.