Male Cat Steps Up as ‘Foster Mom’ for Six Orphaned Kittens

A litter of kittens rescued in Los Angeles now in a foster home is being raised by an unexpected stepfather.

Kyla Lodwig’s cat, Bundy, wanted to help the six kittens she brought home from a rescue mission at a private junkyard property with a feral cat problem. Lodwig, a veterinary assistant, joined her friend and other technicians to lure a mama cat and her kittens out. She told Newsweek that the owner does not claim the cats, but because he will not allow anyone to step foot on the property, they had to entice the cats to come over to their side.

The mission was partly successful as they were able to get six kittens—the mama cat and another kitten slipped out of their trap. She felt horrible taking the cat’s babies away but ultimately brought the kittens to be spayed, neutered, and eventually adopted.

Lodwig brought the kittens back to her home to foster on March 28 and tried to keep the fosters away from her cats for health and safety reasons, but Bundy is one curious, nosey cat. He would attempt to get into the room, screaming if he knew something was going on.

Eventually, Bundy got to see the kittens and within a few days, he stepped up to become a father figure to the little ones. The text on @bowtie.bundy’s April 14 TikTok video reads: “POV: Your male cat is a foster mom to 6 kittens.”

Lodwig said Bundy growled and hissed at the kittens initially. However, he wouldn’t leave them alone. He would stare at them. Then, after three days, his entire demeanor changed.

He started to “scruff” the kittens, a common way female cats pick up their young. He’d done this before to a previous foster kitten Lodwig housed, so she knew it was a sign he was starting to enjoy the kittens’ company.

“From that point, he would start bringing them out to the living room, putting them on the carpet, on the couch,” Lodwig said. “He started grooming them.”

Now, Bundy even tries to play with the little ones. But since he is so much bigger, the kittens are a little unsure.

Lodwig shared that the kittens are likely between five and six weeks old. The plan is to have them available for adoption in the next two or three weeks. She is currently working with the ASPCA Los Angeles location to try and get the kittens into their program.

Viewer Reactions

The TikTok video garnered over 625,700 views, 137,700 likes, and 270 comments so far. TikTok users applauded Bundy and how he stepped up to be a father figure for the fosters.

“He is STRESSED thinking he needs to provide for the entire home,” a comment reads.

One viewer wrote, “He said, ‘Watch out daddy with a baby coming through.'”

Another commented: “That’s not a dad that’s a FATHER.”

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