Manx for the Memories, Manx for short, came into the care of Austin Pets Alive! (APA) from a local shelter. That’s where Halle Hamilton, senior manager of the cat program at APA and an avid foster mom, met the friendly orange boy and was immediately struck by how social he was. It was clear to her this special cat needed a buddy — and soon, an unlikely candidate arrived.

A pregnant Chihuahua named Chloe arrived in APA’s care, and Hamilton stepped up to foster her, too. For Manx, it was love at first sight.

“Manx was instantly sold,” Hamilton told The Dodo. “Chloe was a little confused by him — I mean, what a funny-looking dog, right? But as soon as I sat down, Chloe climbed into my lap, and Manx climbed into Chloe’s lap. That was it! Total time to best friends: 27 minutes.”

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Chloe and Manx quickly became inseparable and spent their days cuddling, grooming each other and even sharing treats. When Chloe finally went into labor, Manx was by her side the entire time.

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“He was ECSTATIC,” Hamilton said. “She was clearly very busy and couldn’t get his puppies out fast enough. He was either laying right next to her whelping pen, wide-eyed, or jumping in and out of the pen at the sound of the puppies’ cries to check on her and them.”
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Chloe and her puppies are currently doing great, and Manx keeps a watchful eye on them all day long. He can’t wait for his tiny friends to get bigger so he can play with them just like he does with their mom. He went from one best friend to an entire family of best friends, and the once lonely shelter cat truly couldn’t be happier.

“What’s better than one puppy friend? How about a whole litter?” Hamilton said.
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Right now, both Chloe and Manx are focused on raising their puppies and getting them ready to eventually be adopted. After that, they would love to maybe find a home together, although it’s not a requirement. Wherever Manx ends up, though, he’d love to have some friends to play and cuddle the days away with.

Manx went from being an unwanted shelter cat to the best foster buddy a pregnant Chihuahua could ask for, and everyone is beyond thrilled for him.