Fire up our latest collection of funny parenting tweets and you'll know that moms and dads never get tired. Or, who knows, maybe you even have a little bundle of joy to remind you of that every single day.
Either way, we humans aren't the only ones who have to nurture our young. Far from it. And there's a fresh Twitter thread that beautifully illustrates this universal experience.
It all started when Shawna B shared a picture of a fluffy little family. "One of my favorite very specific image genres is cats that look completely unprepared for the realities of parenthood," she tweeted.
It quickly went viral, receiving over 350K likes and 50K retweets, and many people started responding to it with equally cute photos of animal parents. Continue scrolling to check them out!
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Cosy Cat’s Family
Bengal cats are my favourite they're just not very friendly and comparison to say a tabby cat
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real-life punnet square lol, these cats are adorable, can i adopt them please
🎶 One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong. 🎶
Oh my, how wholesome! Many years ago, before I knew about the importance of getting female cats fixed, my russian blue and white angora both gave birth within 10 days of each other. They snuggled up together, nursed the kittens together, washed them, the works. It was just 1 big pile of cats and kittens, but it was so easy to tell which kittens were which. The blueish grey shorthairs and the white longhairs. Just like this grey momma cat with a cheetah pattern kitten. Had 2 st. Bernard puppies visiting for a few days (huge huge puppies! easlily 3 times the size of 1 cat maybe more). The pups snuggled up in there too. If it weren't for the obvious size and them being dogs you would have never known they weren't kittens born in the same litter
I'm absolutely green with envy!! What a wonderful experience!
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What a rebel. Beautiful and peaceful. Stick a marble in the bathtub and see just how crazy they can be. It's like a feline roller derby. Just remove marble before bed or prepare for 3AM wake-up.
I love how their all various levels of a mix of both cats, I guess that is how genetics works, but it’s beautiful! They are all exquisite cats.
Is this the cat version of Lady and the Tramp? Where all the babies look like mom except the boy who looks like dad?
Beautiful little dotty chunk, but his/her brothers and sisters are ultra cuties too, don't you think? Love 'em <3
Taking a perfect picture like this one, must have been a lot of work..Beautiful
Dad Passed Out After A Long Day With The Kids
The amount of time animals spend with their parents vary tremendously. It's not very common, but there are a few species who stick around mom for a long time—or even their whole lives.
The orangutan, for example, tends to do everything slowly, including leaving home. According to Helen Morrough-Bernard, a primatologist at the U.K.'s University of Exeter, the great apes give birth only once every 7 to 8 years, and the youngster will sometimes nurse until six years old—about the time a new baby comes along.
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Imitation Expert
that bigger cat's realization that he has a copycat, this is so cuteeeee
Most orangutan moms let the older offspring stay together for up to three years after the infant is born, but some chase the juveniles off after six months.
When the new arrival comes, the older sibling will "go off exploring on their own and may stay out overnight," Morrough-Bernard told National Geographic.
"I like to think of this as like a teenager going off to university and coming back in the holidays. They are not truly independent but are trying out their independence."
Momma's Tail
Baby Sheep Sleeping On Its Mother
Kids
OMG, I saw a baby rhino once, in the huge savannah habitat at the San Diego Animal Park! The mother was just standing there like a boulder, like your typical adult rhino, while the baby charged around and around her like an Olympic track team on amphetamines. It was still at it when we left.
The African elephant world is another interesting case, as it revolves around women. The oldest, largest female is typically the leader, and females stay with their natal herd their whole lives.
Males leave their family group between age 9 and 18, and since a wild elephant's lifespan is about 56, that could mean up to a third of his life is spent at home.
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Mom And Baby. Pure Happiness
The Joys Of Motherhood
Like in elephant society, female lions "are the stable social structure of the pride, and it's the males that come and go, taking over prides," Ed Spevak, curator of invertebrates at the St. Louis Zoo who has also studied African animals, explained.
Male lions always disperse for other groups in this fission-fusion society, and about one-third of females will go off to other prides.
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Mama Cat Is The Best Cat Bed Ever
Mommy's Asleep, Time To Party
While the animal kingdom is full of wonderful moms who care for their offspring, often putting their children above themselves, some take a very different approach.
Most lizards, for instance, "deposit their eggs, cover them, immediately forget they did that and move along," Nassima Bouzid, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington, said.
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Caught This At My Parents' House. Just Cruizin' With Mama
Pretending To Be His Mother
Just One Of The Guys
Because they have a cloaca, an opening for their reproductive, digestive, and urinary systems, lizards might even think the eggs are "an uncomfortable and weird poop," and never think about it again.
Bouzid said the lack of parental care in most lizards may simply be part of a strategy to have as many offspring as possible in hopes that at least some will survive.
A Stray Cat Decided To Bring Its Kitten Into My House Today. The Kitten Was Extremely Aggressive But The Mom Was Surprisingly Chill
Sleep
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But one lizard species goes even further—not only do their young never see the parents, they never see any adults of their species at all.
At least one population of The Labord's chameleon of southwest Madagascar's dry forests "will lay all of their eggs before winter. The eggs will then hatch just before the summer rains," Bouzid said.
The eggs spend eight to nine months developing and in the meantime, the adults will have aged and died.
Back To Front - Dad, Mom, Brother, Brother, And Sister. A Family Snuggle
Daddy’s Life Routine
The Apple Doesn't Fall Too Far From The Tree
Interestingly, many insects actually receive parental care. But not moths and butterflies. They lay their eggs on host plants and leave their offspring to whatever the world throws at them.
"Some lay their eggs near ant nests and the ants take care of the caterpillars. It's like Moses in miniature," Katy Prudic, an entomologist at the University of Arizona, said.
The Look On The Mamma Cat
Hiding From The Bitey Puppies
"Of All The Places He Could Sleep On, It Just Had To Be My Head"
Have Kids They Said
They can be really cunning. Let's also look at the caterpillar of the large blue butterfly.
It secretes a sweet substance attractive to a particular species of red ant and makes itself smell like an ant larvae so the ant takes it back to its nest with its own brood, which the caterpillar then eats.
Six-Week-Old Leopard Cub Jumping On Its Mother In The Okavango Delta In Botswana
Motherhood
A Very Tired Momma And Her Pups
“I’ve Had Puppies And This Is My Life Now?”
Some young have a natural defense to protect themselves from predators via toxic chemicals from their host plant—and others have pitch-perfect camouflage.
The common lytrosis of eastern North America, for example, can perfectly disguise itself as a twig. And if it happens to fall off its background branch, it can use its silk to attach a "zip line" and pull back up.
They might not have someone to give them a hug like the boys and girls in these pictures, but at least they got an evolutionary "inheritance" from their parents to survive!
Oh God, Make It Stop
A Mother And Her Kittens
Mama Maybel With Her 3-Week-Old Kid, Scout, At Goats Of Anarchy Sanctuary. Maybel Had 4 Kids At The Same Time So She's A Busy Mama
"Why Did I Have Kids?"
Cuddles On Mom
I Love You Mommy
Baby Iguana Hanging Out With Its Mom
Mom And Pup Nap Time
Proud Momma
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A Definition Of Parenthood In A Picture
Mama Brown Bear Snuggling With Her Cubs
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Big “I Haven’t Slept In Days” Energy
Four Criminals Attack A Helpless Cat
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Nine Of Them
Note: this post originally had 121 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I was wondering why so many babies when there are so many strays
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When my goat had kids she was super protective for like 2 weeks, crying if the kids were out of her sight and then after that she was like "take em away, its fine" cause we would take her and the kids out for walks.
Are the photos cute? Yes. Did these animals choose to become parents? No- humans did that for than. Spay and neuter folks!
Then where are new baby dogo & kittykattys supposed to come from? Only other option is dog mills. Pets should be bred by loving doggy owners in diverse pairings then adopted out to individual families that will care for the pets.
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Sorry I don’t find most of these “cute”. I’m not the only one obviously that sees irresponsible owners and litters of unwanted puppies and kittens as well as dogs with clearly mutilated ears for fashion and genetic problems galore in the bred for profits like bulldogs and pugs
They were definitely cute..but that doesn't change the facts, u are correct.
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Yes, baby anythings are so cute and precious. But a lot of animals don’t have a choice and have liter after liter because of not getting spayed or for making someone money. It’s hard to appreciate babies when there are so many who are not wanted and killed.
It's really great 😍, lol to see it. Giving life,is so beautiful, especially our pets and animals. P.S.yea some people should spa and nutter , especially them selves if there unhappy.Tada. Happy Soul.
I have nothing against strays,have has them myself,but what is wrong with wanting a specific breed that you know what their health problems are likely to be and the temperament you want? If everybody spayed/Neutered every breed,they would end up extinct. Not everybody breeds them in puppy mills. Some families want more of them,like I did. That Adopt don't shop.mentality is noble but very nearsighted.
Get your pets fixed . Wat to many unwanted cats dogs kittens and puppies in shelters .please NEUTER AND SPAY. Your pets will be healthier.
I'd love to get through one of these kind of articles without people screaming 'spay and neuter'. I agree it's important, but doing it over and over in every article, sometimes multiple times, only makes you look smug and self righteous. Same with ear and tail docking, for pete's sake we get it, lay off.
I don,t think they should put new born dogs or cats on the bigger animals heads what if they fall :(
They have much better balance than us. Plus, mommas don't usually let their babies get hurt.
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I love seeing all the adorable babies...but having volunteered in a shelter...nope, nope, and nope. PLEASE spay and neuter your pets. Even pedigreed animals get dumped.
i have a friend who has a dog and the mom of the dog was a pure breed shiba-inu and the mom got out of the breeders cage and found a male but the whole litter of puppys had there tails cut off and thrown on the high way in a bag
surprised you decided to post that s**t of a comment.
Load More Replies... I was wondering why so many babies when there are so many strays
Load More Replies... When my goat had kids she was super protective for like 2 weeks, crying if the kids were out of her sight and then after that she was like "take em away, its fine" cause we would take her and the kids out for walks.
Are the photos cute? Yes. Did these animals choose to become parents? No- humans did that for than. Spay and neuter folks!
Then where are new baby dogo & kittykattys supposed to come from? Only other option is dog mills. Pets should be bred by loving doggy owners in diverse pairings then adopted out to individual families that will care for the pets.
Load More Replies... Sorry I don’t find most of these “cute”. I’m not the only one obviously that sees irresponsible owners and litters of unwanted puppies and kittens as well as dogs with clearly mutilated ears for fashion and genetic problems galore in the bred for profits like bulldogs and pugs
They were definitely cute..but that doesn't change the facts, u are correct.
Load More Replies... Yes, baby anythings are so cute and precious. But a lot of animals don’t have a choice and have liter after liter because of not getting spayed or for making someone money. It’s hard to appreciate babies when there are so many who are not wanted and killed.
It's really great 😍, lol to see it. Giving life,is so beautiful, especially our pets and animals. P.S.yea some people should spa and nutter , especially them selves if there unhappy.Tada. Happy Soul.
I have nothing against strays,have has them myself,but what is wrong with wanting a specific breed that you know what their health problems are likely to be and the temperament you want? If everybody spayed/Neutered every breed,they would end up extinct. Not everybody breeds them in puppy mills. Some families want more of them,like I did. That Adopt don't shop.mentality is noble but very nearsighted.
Get your pets fixed . Wat to many unwanted cats dogs kittens and puppies in shelters .please NEUTER AND SPAY. Your pets will be healthier.
I'd love to get through one of these kind of articles without people screaming 'spay and neuter'. I agree it's important, but doing it over and over in every article, sometimes multiple times, only makes you look smug and self righteous. Same with ear and tail docking, for pete's sake we get it, lay off.
I don,t think they should put new born dogs or cats on the bigger animals heads what if they fall :(
They have much better balance than us. Plus, mommas don't usually let their babies get hurt.
Load More Replies... I love seeing all the adorable babies...but having volunteered in a shelter...nope, nope, and nope. PLEASE spay and neuter your pets. Even pedigreed animals get dumped.
i have a friend who has a dog and the mom of the dog was a pure breed shiba-inu and the mom got out of the breeders cage and found a male but the whole litter of puppys had there tails cut off and thrown on the high way in a bag
surprised you decided to post that s**t of a comment.
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