A group of tiny gray foster kittens has chosen their new mom, and she looks nothing like them.
Instead of bonding only with another cat, the adorable kittens have decided that their mother is River, a large Dalmatian who seems more than happy to take on the role.
The sweet moment was shared by the animals’ human, Taylor Meadows, and it is the kind of video that makes people stop scrolling immediately. River may be much bigger than the kittens, but she is incredibly gentle with them.
In the clip, River walks over to wake up the litter of foster kittens, carefully checking on them like a proud mother. The tiny kittens immediately perk up when they see her and rush toward the spotted dog as if she is exactly who they have been waiting for.
One kitten is so excited that it jumps up and lands right in River’s wet food.
River does not seem to mind at all.
The Dalmatian calmly watches over the babies, snuggles with them and lets them climb around her as if she has been caring for kittens her entire life. Despite the major size difference, everyone seems perfectly comfortable together.
“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!”
Viewers could not get enough of the unusual little family.
“She thinks her ‘spots’ fell off and she has to take care of them,” one person joked.
“They have to run so fast to keep up with her,” another commenter wrote.
Someone else noticed the way River appeared to check on each kitten, writing, “The counting to make sure they are all there.”
Another viewer summed up what everyone was thinking: “I don’t see a difference. They are her babies.”
The bond between River and the kittens is especially touching because there was no reason they had to become this close. They are not the same species, and they are certainly not related by blood.
But River clearly adores them, and the kittens clearly believe she belongs to them.
Sometimes, family is the one who shows up, snuggles close and makes sure every tiny baby is accounted for.
And for these foster kittens, their perfect mom just happens to have spots, paws and a very big heart.