**UPDATE January 27, 2016**

Nicolas is growing up so fast! He’s reached a few important milestones (like switching to solid food!) and continues to work his puppy charm on his mom even though he likes to roughhouse with the cats at 3 A.M. and be a generally bouncy, disruptive puppy at all other hours.

It’s okay though, because the cats keep him in check. They’re still GREAT snuggle buddies.

But Nicolas will fall asleep just about anywhere these days…

Remember when he was a wee little thing? No bigger than a crab, some might say.

Well look at him now! (Sebastian for comparison). That’s one big puppy!

Now that he’s mastered the art of eating solid food, Nicolas’s human is saved from bottle-feeding every few hours. She says:

I had to make my life work somehow in 3 hour frames it was unthinkable for him to loose [sic] a meal, I slept very little, I lived with massive headaches for 2 weeks, it was really complicated to make all my activities and fulfill my responsibilities it was hectic and an absolute mess and I would do it all over again!

It’s certainly hard to say no to that face.

As Nicolas grows bigger and bigger by the day, he’ll always have a prime piece of snuggle space to shimmy in beside his favorite cats.

Soon enough, they’ll start using him as the pillow.

Oh, and if you were wondering, this big boy is flourishing in spite of his missing paw. It doesn’t slow him down one bit… expect when he’s feeling particularly lazy. We expect nothing less of this “little” Pibble.

Nicolas’s mom says:

The once tiny pup without a paw and a future is one of the best things I have and he will always own a piece of my heart.

**Original Story**

Nicolas lost three of his siblings to his mother when he was just days old. She had begun to eat him as well, but was only able to remove his paw before someone found and saved him.

Now this little marshmallow lives with his new human, a couple of cats who simply adore him, and five doggie housemates.

The fate of the mother dog and her remaining living puppies are unknown, but Bored Panda community member aleovir has done everything possible to keep this guy alive.

There are a few reasons a dog might try to kill or eat her puppies, and though rare, it is certainly a sad occurrence. Sometimes cannibalism is an inherited behavior, other times the mom may not recognize the puppies as her own.

Extremely stressful situations can also be a trigger; if a puppy is stillborn or otherwise unhealthy, she may reject them to protect the rest of her litter.

Nicolas’ prognosis was not good as he was missing part of his leg. He joined his new family at one week old, and the resident cats immediately took over puppy duty.

He requires daily bandage changes and feedings three times a day, but the cats keep him clean, warm, and loved as they snuggle the days away. This pup is turning into quite the lovable little nugget, and we hope we’ll be lucky enough to watch him grow up.

Without the actions taken by the person who saved Nicolas’ life, and now the human and cats whom he calls family, this puppy would not be alive.

But his future is bright and full of snuggles, and it seems that that’s all right with everyone involved.

Enjoy those kitten cuddles, Nicolas!