MUM ON JOB: Three-year-old chihuahua-foxy cross Shyla with the litter of five kittens she is mothering as if they were her own.

For the past three years chihuahua-foxy-cross Shyla has been a foster mum – to litters of kittens.

Owner Angela McFall, a vet, said Shyla had her first "false pregnancy" three years ago. Shyla has never been pregnant, but once a year at about the same time she produces milk.

The first time it happened Miss McFall, of Brydone, had rescued a kitten and Shyla took it upon herself to clean and feed it, and treated it like her own offspring.

The next year Shyla had another "false pregnancy", and mothered a litter of seven abandoned kittens that Miss McFall rescued while living in Christchurch.

"We drove to Ashburton as I had heard there were some kittens that were going to be put down. We stuck our feelers out because we knew she was producing milk," she said.

Volunteering for the Southland SPCA, Miss McFall and two other vets de-sex SPCA animals for free.

When a litter of five, 2-week-old kittens came into the SPCA Shyla once again took on the role of mother.

Miss McFall did not think Shyla realised she was feeding offspring from a cat rather than a dog.

"I don't think so. She has never had pups so she doesn't really know any differently," she said.

"She is very maternal."

Shyla gets very protective of the kittens she mothers, and Miss McFall kept all seven of the previous litter.

She would not keep any of the current litter of five, she said, as that would be too many cats.

Instead she would get them fixed, vaccinated and give them away. "I want them to go to good homes and know that they are fixed," she said.

The SPCA was always des-perately looking for people to foster kittens, she said, and it was coming up to its busiest time of the year.

"They [SPCA] are full already and it is only the beginning of the season.

"I hate to think what it will be like at Christmas time."

For Shyla's own health Miss McFall said they would have to get her fixed one day, even though she loved mothering the abandoned kittens.

"She likes it, and it is funny in a cute kind of way.

"It is saving a litter of kittens a year, that would otherwise die," said.