Foster mom discovers her "mama cat" is a tomcat, who proceeds to mother every single kitten that comes through her door: 'The father that stepped up.'

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Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
May 29, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

The tomcat nominated to be "mother of the year". 

We thought long and hard about how to tackle this absolutely wholesome story, full of twists and turns, and we're still not sure. But one thing is certain, and that is cats never cease to surprise us. Whether it's with a new fur coat discovered, or some new behavior documented - we think we know cats, but they always find new ways to surprise us. And yes, even the most experienced of fostering people, who probably saw everything the stray cat population has to offer, can still be caught by surprise. Just like this one fostering woman from the r/cats community.

It's not every day that you get to see such a maternal tomcat, caring so gently for foster kittens. It's truly such a rare sight, that even the vet was fooled in the beginning to think he was a female cat caring for "her" own litter of kittens. This tomcat is so endearingly caring that after sharing this story with the online feline family, many cat people commented that she should keep him to help with fostering future kittens. And all we have left to do is join the chants: Foster fail! Foster fail! Foster fail!

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    i potentially cat-napped a random man
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    Cheezburger Image 10633800960
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    i foster with a cat rescue group, and a few months ago i received a message about a mumma cat and 2 kittens who had been humanely trapped by a member of the public and needed a place to stay. i
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    picked them up the next day and took them to my apartment.
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    NT
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    i knew the two babies were little boys (gremlin and dobby) but "mumma" did not enjoy being handled, so i wasn't able to closely examine her before going to the vet the next day.
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    when it became "mumma's" turn to be taken out of the carrier and get checked out, the vet remarked "god she smells like a tomcat". a
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    moment of silence ensued... before the tail was lifted and a giant set of troublepuffs was discovered!
    via jordanmoriarty

  • Imagine the surprise on the veterinarian's face! There are many surprising things you can accidentally discover about a cat, like suddenly realising the orange cat is a girl or the calico cat is a boy. But a vet who has seen it all must be more surprised than the average person, who doesn't know how rare the sight is in front of them. 

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    SMOL TEN
    via jordanmoriarty
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    "mumma" has since been named linkle, and we don't know if he's the father/older brother/random dude along for the ride.
    via jordanmoriarty
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    the vet thinks he may have been raised alongside the kittens, as his fondness for them is quite unusual being a (then) entire male cat.
    via jordanmoriarty
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    he just loves looking after kittens though. i recently took on two little ones (leaf and tatiana), and he's been taking care of them too. he cuddles and grooms them just like a mother cat.
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    he's since settled into the life of a house cat, chunked up quite a bit, loves chin scratches and his tail does that little vibrate thing when you pet him. it's been
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    incredible watching him go from hissing every time i enter the room, to waiting for me at the door while yelling.
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    linkle has a meet and greet this weekend, so he might be leaving my house soon. i don't usually get attached to my fosters, but i've got quite. a soft spot for this guy. i don't think i'll ever see another cat quite like him.
    via jordanmoriarty
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    warmtortilla420 the father that stepped up
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    Lissyncia Jumping onto the enabling train to say you can always keep the lovely man to be a help with foster kittens □ Uncle Linkle does have a ring to it hehe
    via Lissyncia
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    No_Consideration5005 He's adorable. He'd make a good permanent "uncle" for foster kitties.
    via No_Consideration5005

  • Exactly like these people are suggesting, keeping this tomcat as a permanent resident and adopting him for good, seems like the natural progression that needs to happen here, in our humble feline-loving opinion. And it's not just about our opinion - it's a known thing that calm and caring resident cats can help foster kittens immensely, especially semi-feral or undersocialized ones. Here are some of the ways in which they can help them:

    Social modeling. Kittens are hardwired to learn by watching other cats. A calm, confident, and caring resident cat demonstrates that humans, furniture, litter boxes, and food bowls are safe and normal. Kittens pick this up remarkably fast when they see another cat navigating the environment without fear.

    Reducing fear. For kittens with little human exposure, another cat is far less intimidating than a person. The resident cat can serve as a bridge of sorts. The kitten bonds with them first, relaxes, and that relaxation gradually extends to people.

    Warmth and physical comfort. Kittens who were separated from their mothers (or litterless kittens) often seek out an adult cat for warmth and grooming. Even a resident cat who isn't fully enthusiastic may allow some proximity, which is calming and helps the kitten regulate stress.

    Play and rough-and-tumble practice. Resident cats often teach kittens appropriate play limits, which is crucial for kittens who missed that socialization from their mother and littermates. This also burns energy and builds confidence, like it would in the wild.

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    Winjin Makes me think of that old tomcat that tried to tear everyone to shreds until a kitten was introduced Turns out that feral guy, who's been hating on everyone until then, is a huge softie
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    You can find the story, his name is Grandpa Mason and he is "an ancient, battle-scarred feral cat" as TinyKittens rescue describes him, and "He is one of the oldest surviving ferals we have seen"
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    8Bit-Jon You could always keep the fella! He could be good with other foster kittens
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    RPG_add1ct I second this! I have two fellas and they LOVE when we have fosters. They're the best babysitters and role models for them. Them seem to really enjoy being foster dads and having them around! They really do help so
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    much both with learning cat things and with socialization. I get so many compliments from adopters on how well my fosters behave compared to others in our shelter even.
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    RPG add1ct Since it's getting so many likes, here's a pic of them with some fosters lol
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    W4spkeeper smug a look on that dude, he's going nowhere and he knows it XD
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    KevRev972 If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the universe called your bet on fostering, and raised by a premium chaperone.
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    FatAZZRedditMod OP you should really consider keeping him. I kinda believe he's already chosen you so you kinda have no choice now lol I wouldn't wanna see the little guy get depr sed
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    Catpaws335 Awww that's such a sweet story! I think you should keep him and he can help raise other foster babies you take in! I've seen other cats do the same thing- it's so sweet seeing them take to little kittens right away. Also, your title made me lol
    via Catpaws335
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    ¡Veg Mac I love male momma cats. I snatched a feral kitten off the street and took it home. When he was about a year old i fostered a litter of kittens and he was obsessed and wanted to be around them constantly.
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    He would hold them down and groom them, cuddle them, play with them. He has always been a cat's cat and was such a good momma. Our female cat wanted absolutely nothing to do with the kittens
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    corkscrewtales I adoped a male black cat from the shelter in 2018. In 2020 we found a stray mama cat outside, and brought her in. She gave birth to 6 kittens (4 male, 2 female) my male cat was very close with the mama,
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    and then very close with all her babies. He followed them around, made sure they were okay. Fast forward to know, we kept two of the kittens and found homes for momma and the other four cats. My male cat is still close with the other two cats.
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    Some of them are just sweet like that
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    partoneCXXVI I know a lovely middle aged lesbian couple who feed stray cats in their neighborhood. One day, one of their regulars showed up with four kittens in tow. They managed to catch the whole family and took "Mama" to be spayed... only to find out she was a neutered male.
    via partoneCXXVI
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    CuriousPixel7 Wow. All of us here are incorrigible. Out of all who have commented I guess only one has wished OP luck on the adoption. Everyone including me is saying Foster fail! Foster fail!!
    via CuriousPixel7
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    jordanmoriarty OP i'm definitely feeling the pressure
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    Impressive Let2266 My boy Julian took on a motherly role to my Cilla when we got her in December. He's 3 and lost his littermate brother, Ricky, in November due to a pitbull attack. So we got Cilla as a buddy for him. She was 7 weeks old and after a day or two of hissing, they started grooming one another and loving on each other. He used to scoop her up and bunny kick her til she screamed, but she would bite him back...and climb all over him and still does. They call for each other too
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    Mysterious_Mango_3 This is my "mama" Murph. He raised three sets of kittens (11 total). He kept one.
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cat adoption mother cat adoption foster kitten adopted Cats Father heartwarming
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