In the following photo gallery, we meet Ichimi, an adorable kitten who was somehow abandoned by her mother.
Fortunately, a loving family took the feline in and introduced him to Ponzu, a Golden Retriever who quickly took over parenting duties.
"After losing his previous foster kitten to a new forever home, he was heartbroken," Ponzu's owners say. "Then he found Ichimi, who was desperate to be loved. The two instantly bonded and now Ponzu is very protective of his little kitten and refuses to let her out of his sight."
Prepare to be AWWW-inspired by this connection and click around images of the pals now: