Stray 2-Day-Old Kitten Gets A New Cat Mom Who Helps Her Thrive

There's nothing quite like a mother's love. In a sweet video shared by The Dodo that's been viewed more than 532,000 times, emergency vet Dr. Anna took in a two-day-old kitten but was unable to find the kitten's mother. She and her daughter syringe-fed the kitten, now named Baby Cat. Dr. Anna and her volunteers then decided to introduce Baby Cat to a nursing mother cat who happened to look very similar to the kitten.

"We weren't sure if this was going to work and if she would accept Baby Cat as her own," Dr. Anna said in the video. "So, we really tried to make mama cat believe that the kitten is hers." They intermingled the scents of the cat and kitten and were delighted when the mama cat then accepted Baby Cat as her own, nursing and caring for the tiny kitten. "And this was the best case scenario for this little one," Dr. Anna shared. Baby Cat has now grown to be strong and healthy and was adopted by a loving family.

Many viewers were moved to tears by this story of love and acceptance. "Somebody is chopping onions here," joked one, and another exclaimed, "It's so sweet and precious to see mom cats adopting orphaned or abandoned kittens!" One netizen pointed out, "Despite our best efforts sometimes what a cat needs the most is another cat."

Taking care of a newborn kitten without a mother is a big task, since kittens require feeding every two hours, help with urinating and defecating, and a constant source of warmth. It's definitely an advantage if a mother cat who just gave birth can step in as a surrogate mom. Swapping scents ahead of time — such as by exchanging bedding or even rubbing the mom's other kittens on the orphaned kitten — helps to give the best chance of success. It may take a few tries before the mother and baby become comfortable together, or it may happen immediately.

Several viewers of the video pointed out that alloparenting (communal mothering) happens naturally in feline colonies. "Females in feral cat colonies will often share mothering duties and take care of kittens that aren't theirs," one netizen wrote. "Not only that, but in settings like this cats have often accepted babies of different species," another person explained, listing off puppies and baby ferrets as examples, and concluded, "Motherhood is one of the strongest, most primal urges in many species."

Want to read more heartwarming stories about motherly love? Check out this grandma ragdoll cat who has a habit of "stealing" her grand-kittens, and this owl who has been a "natural mother" to 500 rescued babies.