Nothing warms the heart quite like two victims of circumstances beyond their control, finding solace in the companionship of one another.

At 10-months-old Scarlette Tipton lost her left arm to cancer. Her parents desperately wanted little Scarlette, now two-years-old, to have the chance to grow up with a little kitten just like her; and they couldn’t have found a better match. Meet Doc: a rescue kitten who had her right paw amputated following a car accident.

On Christmas Eve the two were united at a shelter in California. That very Wednesday, Doc had already been welcomed aboard as the new member of the family.

Scarlett’s mother, Simone Tipton, told Love Meow that Scarlette “did notice that Doc had staples on her side and said ‘owies’. I let her know that she had owies just like her, and she placed her hand on her side and just nodded. She recognizes that the cat has similar struggles as she does.”