When animals come into our lives, they have a way of making us forget about everything else and focus our attention on them.
Most of the time, we walk in the door and expect to be greeted by our cat or dog, but one man was surprised to find that he was a new cat dad. He didn’t have a cat when he left that day, but when he came home, he had an entire cat family.
He posted his story on Twitter along with photos, and the posts went viral.
A lot of men step up and father kids that aren’t theirs, but this guy stepped up to father a litter of kittens. He wrote:
“Trying to adjust to the catshit crazy reality of going upstairs to grab a jumper but instead finding a cat and 4 kittens. Am I dad now?”
He went through all the normal emotions of a new father. He was nervous, in denial, amazed, and even confused at times.
He wrote:
“Paternal instincts kicking in. Overwhelmed with feels. Don’t know how to deal.”
Then, he went through a period where he only wanted to be with his kittens. It’s a feeling a lot of parents know. They don’t want to leave the side of their new babies. He didn’t even want to get out from under the bed where they were born. He said:
“Cancelling all my plans. Crawling under the bed to spend the rest of the day with my four new children. #newdad I am living for these babies. Any work commitments I have are now temporarily on hold. Sorry, I’m a dad now.”
He fell in love with his new fur babies and was amazed at the joy they brought to his life already.
Like any parent, he shared his joy online. He posted:
“I feel like the veil of the universe is being lifted slightly. Like, I feel high. Is this what it feels like to have a child? I think I’m falling in love. This is too much. I’m approaching nirvana. I legitimately suffer from anxiety attacks and depression and my capacity to deal with it recently has been waning. The Cat Gods have smiled upon me with benevolence and turned the monsters under my bed into kittens.”
The kittens made him a better person.
Like most new dads, he felt that he had to protect them from the world. He felt that he was meant to care for them, and he wanted everyone to know that he was going to do whatever was necessary to protect them. He said:
“To my cat sons and daughters, I’ll be the hero you deserve, but not the one it needs right now (because of mama cat). So I’ll hunt for you because I can afford it. I’ll be your silent guardian, your watchful protector. Love, #CatDad”
He spent all his free time with the kittens.
He knew they were happy and safe under his bed, so instead of bringing them out from under it, he just crawled underneath to spend time with them. His Twitter feed was all about these kittens. He had a new purpose in life. He was always meant to be a cat dad, and it was the most important thing in his life right now. He said:
“Literally re-emerging from underneath the bed. Possibly now as a different person. Reborn as #CatDad. Wiser. Hairy-er. Learning secrets of the universe and life through the unexpected birth of these gaddamn fluff miracles. Praise be to the Cat Gods. Meow”
Then, the worry started to kick in. This mother cat wasn’t his. He didn’t know where she came from, but she had to belong to someone. That meant that he might not be able to keep her. He put off naming his new babies and even did the right thing by posting lost and found flyers around the neighborhood.
He admitted that he hoped nobody called to claim the cat, but if the owners did want her back, he would do the right thing.
Every ring of the phone was torture, but after several calls over several days, nobody had claimed the cat. He shared:
“Listen, I’m sorry I haven’t named them yet. Naming them makes it a full on commit. Don’t get me wrong I’m here for this queen. But that’s giving 100% of my heart and if they have to go that’s 100% heartbreak. #CatDad #problems.”
He waited a while longer and then realized that nobody was going to claim the cat and kittens.
They were his to keep, and he was overjoyed at the thought of having a new cat family. He continued to update his Twitter with photos and updates on their development and weight.
He’s still going strong with the posts, and he loves these kittens so much that it’s likely he will continue to share photos and stories about his kittens and his new role as a cat dad. He sure did step up and embrace his new life. What a great guy!
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So… I JUST FOUND A CAT THAT IS NOT MINE AND IT HAS HAD BABIES UNDER MY BED. pic.twitter.com/83ktBHGgT5
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) May 30, 2018
