Pet pot-bellied pig develops instant bond with foster kittens

HALIFAX -

What do you get when you cross a pot-bellied pig and some kittens? You get a story that proves love has no boundaries.

Ally Smith's miniature pot-bellied pig Gertie is two years old. She's about 55 or 60 pounds, and she'll be another probably 10 pounds heavier than that when full grown, but she's all sweetheart.

"Gertie loves my foster kittens," Smith says. "She pretends like she's their mom. I don't know where she got that from. She just did it from the very first day that we got her, she lays down she pretends to nurse them. She's so gentle with them, she just loves them like they're her own."

Gertie has never had piglets, but as soon as Smith put the new foster kittens down in front of her, she instantly stood above them to protect them and walked carefully around them so as to not step on them.

"She loved them right away," Smith said. "There hasn't been a single kitten that's come through this house that hasn't loved her as well. They crawl all over her, they want to try and nurse on her, they jump on her and Gertie walks around with them on her back."

As the kittens have gotten older, they're exploring more and getting more brave, but Gertie keeps a close eye on them.

Gertie comes from a therapy farm called Dragon Fly Haven Therapeutic Farm.

"She was born on the farm, so from the time she was born, probably a couple days old, she had people visiting and petting her and snuggling her, so she took on the same personality as her parents who are very calm," Smith said. "She was socialized at such a young age that she just is the most calm, sweetest creature ever. I've always loved animals, so I've always wanted a potbellied pig. I just didn't know that Gertie would love the animals as much as I love the animals, so it worked out perfectly for both of us."