Last updated at 09:49 19 November 2007

When veterinary nurse Melanie Humble took home a litter of kittens, she expected her cat Ellie to show some interest.

Instead it was her rabbit Summer who quickly developed a bond with the baby felines. Although only five-months-old, Summer has shown remarkable patience with the frisky five-week-old kittens, and lets them snuggle close to her.

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"I brought Summer inside on bonfire night because I was worried about her being scared by fireworks," Melanie said.

"I did wonder how she would get on with the kittens tearing around the house, but she has been really great.

"I think they think she's their mum. She's a big, fat rabbit and she just sits there quite happily and lets them climb all over her. It is lovely to see them all together."

The kittens had been abandoned by their mother and were brought into the veterinary branch in Aberdeen where Melanie works. Melanie agreed to foster them until they reached eight-weeks-old. They were too small to feed themself so Melanie have been giving them a special formula through a syringe every two to three hours.

"It's a bit of a full-time job," said Melanie.

"Wherever I go, the kittens have to go, too, but they're lots of fun."