When we welcome a baby animal into the home, it’s nice if they have an older pal to show them the ropes. Some older animals don’t appreciate younger pets coming around, but others take it as an opportunity to “mother” the younger pets.
That was the case with a former feral cat who was adopted into a family. When the family adopted a little rambunctious kitten, the older cat stepped up to “mother” the kitten and show him the ropes.
The two brothers grew up together, and their relationship is really something special to witness.
Reddit user u/westcoastcdn19 shared a video of the cats in the subreddit r/AnimalsBeingBros.
“When your former feral male cat takes on the mothering role for the insane kitten,” they wrote in the video.
As the video progresses, you can see the tiny kitten slowly grow into a young adult. All the while, the older black cat is by his side. They play together, sleep together, and do everything together!
Sometimes the older cat seems annoyed, but he’s a good sport about it.
“Props to this cat for being the father we all needed but never had,” one person joked. “Feral cat just means he doesn’t know how to Human – he knows how to raise a cat just fine!” someone else chimed in.
You can watch the video for yourself below:
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
