Tiny Kittens Choosing a Dalmatian as Their Mom Is Melting Hearts Everywhere
Mommy! Or is it? Don't ask that to a group of the cutest gray kittens, who were a little confused about who their mama was. According to the babies, it wasn't a cat like themselves. They truly believe their mom was a large Dalmatian named River. And River loves them right back.
There's no telling anyone in this situation that they aren't related by blood. The foster kittens were immediately taken by the Dalmatian, and she was happy to play surrogate mom.
@mywildmeadows hard to say who's more excited about this arrangement, River or the fosters she really is the mom who stepped up! River steals all the foster kittens from me every time, they all are just obsessed with her, it's so cute to see! #fosterkittens#rescuekittens#graykitten#adoptivemom#dogandcat
evening breeze calm (Acoustic) - Husein
Shared by the animals' human, Taylor Meadows, their immediate bond could bring a tear to your eyes. It's just so special to see animals connect with each other when there was no real reason to. They aren't related, but when you watch the video above the love they share is so clear.
Related: Precious Kitten Learning to Walk on Tiny Cast Has People Welling Up with Tears
The clip shared by Meadows is absolutely precious. It shows the Dalmatian, River, going to gently wake up the litter of foster kittens. She's so gentle with them! It's like she doesn't realize she's 10 times their size.
The kittens are just so excited to see her. One even jumps up and lands in her wet food! That's their mama alright. River was so good with them, she was even able to snuggle with them on the ground without incident. Everyone just got along.
"Hard to say who's more excited about this arrangement, River or the fosters," Meadows wrote in the caption. She really is the mom who stepped up!"
To say that people in the comments section were big fans of this arrangement is an understatement.
"She thinks her ‘SPOTS' fell off and she has to take care of them," wrote one commenter.
"They have to run so fast to keep up with her," chimed in another person.
"The counting to make sure they are all there," someone else mused.
"I don't see a difference," one person wrote. "They are her babies."
That they are!
Can Dogs Raise Kittens?
This isn't the only instance of a pup playing mom for a group of kittens. Female dogs have been known to take care of kittens because of their strong maternal instincts. It doesn't happen every time, but when it does it's magic - like with this group.
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 8:30 PM.