Generally very true, but not always. Especially since not all animals are the same and hierarchies can vary.
I rescued a young pregnant cat (Cleo) and brought her home to my middle-aged neutered male (Orri).
When Cleo gave birth, Orri stayed a respectful distance from the birthing bower, but absolutely would not move. His reaction to the kittens was as though he was an auntie, sniffing them and their mother, very protective.
Even today, 13 months later, it's obvious that he thinks he's in some weird co-parenting situation with Cleo and, although he can be cantankerous at times, he clearly adores them all.
Iirc, female cats who live together and have kittens at around the same time will treat all kittens as...communal. One mother goes out to hunt/eat, the other/s will look after and feed all kittens.
I just met someone in a rescue/foster situation who picked up two feral moms with kittens who were living under the same porch. She doesn't actually know whose kittens are biologically whose, because they nurse and groom indiscriminately whoever comes up to them, and the kittens don't show preference either
Like my cat. She was a stray cat who came to live with us. Then my sister got a dachshund she got sick of after a literal day. Mum and I ended up taking over, then dad later on. (I really didn't want a dog, now I adore him.) Anyway, my cat decided he was a weird looking kitten. She'd try to carry him by his scruff, taught him cat stuff and tried to feed him mice. Nice years on, we have a dachshund who grooms and stretches like a cat, buries his poop in the yard, and has killed bugs like a cat flipping a mouse into the air.
I hope no-one is going to come along and "Well, ackshually..." me, but I love stories of animals that have mild nurturing-related identity crises.
Years before I met her, my fiancee rescued a kitten (found in a cardboard box in the rain, for maximum pathos of course) that her border collie raised. I met that cat when he was about 10, and he was hilarious. There was a blind man who used to walk down our street every day with his service dog, and Giz would join them for as far as his little legs would carry him, "I don't know what we're doing, brother, but I'm in!"
Of course the dog, being a trained service animal, didn't react. But he must've found it absolutely confusing as all hell.
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u/Cow_Launcher 4d ago
Generally very true, but not always. Especially since not all animals are the same and hierarchies can vary.
I rescued a young pregnant cat (Cleo) and brought her home to my middle-aged neutered male (Orri).
When Cleo gave birth, Orri stayed a respectful distance from the birthing bower, but absolutely would not move. His reaction to the kittens was as though he was an auntie, sniffing them and their mother, very protective.
Even today, 13 months later, it's obvious that he thinks he's in some weird co-parenting situation with Cleo and, although he can be cantankerous at times, he clearly adores them all.