Adorable footage of a maternal cat lovingly licking her canine adopted daughter has warmed the hearts of animal lovers.

Caring cat Alfredo took a dog named Pic under her paw when she was just eight weeks old – seemingly raising her as if she were her own offspring in a surprising tale of surrogate parenting.

The owner of the two animals says they even have a night time routine where Alfredo affectionately licks the dog before they retire to bed.

Uploading footage of the touching moment online, the pet owner explained the history between the cat and dog.

Alfredo (cat) raised Pic (dog) from she she was just 8 weeks.

They wrote: “Alfredo (cat) raised Pic (dog) from she was just 8 weeks old. They do this every night before bed.”

The video showed Pic the pup lying blissfully on her back while Alfredo delicately licked her neck and ears and the two animals looking comfortable with each other.

The adorable moment was met with appreciation from online users.

This isn’t the first time we see cats and dogs living as one family, remember the one where the cat was raised by dogs and now believes he is a dog

One commented: “I can’t stop watching this over and over again. A cat raising a dog. My favorite kind of story!”

Many comments envisaged what Alfredo would be thinking as she groomed her adopted offspring.

One suggested her thinking: “I may not have given birth to her but she’s still my child.”

And another wrote: “You’re a weird-looking cat, but I’ll clean you up anyway. It’s time for bed. Let’s get comfy and I’ll see you in the morning. I love you, weird cat.

While a further fan of the story humorously asked if Pic had become convinced she is a cat, writing: “Does the dog meow”

The pet owner, Joey, has shared other moments of his two animals via his Reddit feed.

He explains that Pic – short for Picasso – is a half-husky, half-labrador dog which he has owned for over three years.