Having a child is one of the greatest experiences in life. For women, especially, the bond is created long before the baby is even born. From the moment we learn of the baby’s existence and feel those sweet, tummy tingles our hearts are no longer ours. For men, however, the emotional change happens a bit more slowly.
Part of this delayed bonding is due to the fact that women kind of take over. The female gender has been designated as the natural caregiver, and new Dads usually fall into a secondary role. Additionally, as Dr. Anna Machin tells The Telegraph UK, new dads lack the “biochemical head start” of pregnancy and giving birth— factors that enable mothers to forge these initial, early connections.
Interestingly, this parenting bias seems to occur in felines, as well.
For the most part, when it comes to kittens, mothers do most of the work. Sometimes, dads can actually be dangerous to have around the babies. “Some tomcats have attacked and killed their own offspring as a means of getting busy mother cats to focus on them— and then go back into estrus for mating purposes,” explains The Nest.
Now, it’s important to note that cats (like humans) are individuals with their own needs and temperaments. Being born with a different set of genitalia does not automatically dictate that you will be a horrible parent who enjoys killing their children.
In fact, some cat Dads are surprisingly skilled at parenting— and I mean, really really good. Like this adorable new father, for instance.
Earlier this month, Instagram user @ida_dhelima posted a heartwarming video showing her cat’s reaction to becoming a brand-new Dad. The video was discovered by The Dodo and shared to The Dodo Facebook page, where it has garnered over 19 million views— and after watching it for myself, it’s pretty apparent why.
The 30-second clip shows a white-and-ginger cat who looks incredibly pleased to be a brand-new Dad.
As the video begins, you see Dad gently scoop up a look-alike kitten and bring it back to Mom.
After gently dropping the baby at her side, he climbs into the box and gives her a few kitty kisses.
Dad then moves on to the kittens, making sure they’re clean and givingeach of them a little bath.
By the end of the 30 seconds, the furry family is cuddled up together. And when you look a little closer, Dad seems as happy as can be.
As mentioned, this type of male parental involvement is rare to see in the feline world— but it does happen.
The Nest explains, “Tomcats not only sometimes engage in fun-loving play sessions with the little furballs, they also sometimes help to groom them, licking them to cleanliness and brimming health. Although these behaviors are extremely uncommon, they are not nonexistent.”
We’ve actually written stories about amazing cat dads before! Here you can read about Yello, another ginger kitty who was also the epitome of the perfect father.
I would just like to congratulate this cat on being a better Dad than some of the humans I know!
Watch the adorable clip below!
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