Moment 160lb Guardian Dog’s Instincts Kick In To ‘Protect’ Newborn Kittens

An enormous mastiff is taking his guard duties seriously as he protects a litter of tiny kittens.

At 160 pounds, Missy Montrose’s pet is a Presa Canario, a large dog breed described by the American Kennel Club as “obedient and docile with family members.”

The dog, called Yodin, is a force to be reckoned with—especially considering most dogs of his breed weigh between 80 to 110 pounds—but he can be a gentle giant when it matters.

Montrose, who lives in California, recently welcomed a litter of kittens into the family after her pet cat gave birth, and joked that Yodin had “hit the cat distribution jackpot”.

And while some might worry about the giant mastiff being around the newborn kittens, Yodin took it all in his stride as he happily took them under his wing.

In a video shared to TikTok by Montrose, under the username @Missy__montrose, the hound stands protectively over the four kittens as they cuddle and yawn under his feet, looking totally relaxed.

He even gives them a protective sniff to make sure they’re OK as one ginger kitten tries to move away.

In the clip, Montrose can be heard telling him: “I don’t think these are your kittens, I think these are Sarah’s kittens,” as mama cat Sarah watches on happily.

She captioned the adorable video: “When his innate instincts kick in and think he needs to protect the baby kittens.”

Montrose often refers to Yodin as her “protector dog”, which his breed is perfect for: the AKC describes Canarios as docile, obedient and devoted to their owner, but suspicious of strangers.

And contrary to popular belief, cats and dogs can get on quite well if they’re properly introduced to one another.

Animal welfare charity American Humane urges pet owners to introduce the animals in a quiet place, taking note of each animal’s personalities, and spending time and care to do the introduction properly.

The charity says the animals should be allowed to get used to each other gradually, potentially starting with introducing their scents via clothing or nearby rooms, before introducing them in person.

“Allow both animals to be in the same room at the same time, but keep the dog securely leashed. Securing the cat in a harness with a leash for the introduction is also a good idea if the cat is comfortable wearing a harness,” the organization advises.

“Continue with this type of introduction until the dog is calm and ignores the cat, and the cat is calm, eating and using the litter box normally.”

Montrose’s video has racked up over a quarter of a million likes on TikTok since being posted on April 18, as viewers fell in love with the huge dog stepping up for his adopted babies, with one user joking “he may not be their father, but he’s the father who stepped up”.

Another said it was clear the security dog was doing a good job as “mama is purring,” and one pointed out that when kittens are socialized with a dog, “it increases their chance for adoption”.

Others joked that the mastiff’s black and yellow coloring meant he could very well be the father, as the kittens ranged in color from ginger and tabby to black and white.

And as one user put it: “Huge dogs caring for tiny kittens has got to be my favorite TikTok genre.”

But while the kittens are very clearly under the mastiff’s protection, Montrose wouldn’t recommend any other cats trying to get on his good side.

She told one commenter: “He has a high prey drive for anything outside of his home. We have to be super careful for alley cats when out walking.”

But he clearly turns into a gentle giant while at home, as Montrose has multiple videos of him playing gently with her and her family, relaxing with them out in the sunshine, and lying on her like a tiny lap dog—all 160 pounds of him.

Newsweek reached out to @missy__montrose via TikTok and Instagram for comment.

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