kittens

One thing you discover when you become a parent is that no parent is perfect. From the start, we are flying by the seat of our pants trying to figure out how to best care for the wee one in our care, and as the oh-so-true cliche goes, they don't come with a manual.

Apparently, the same is true for cats. A compilation of cat moms, purportedly on their first time around as mothers, is making the rounds, partly because it's hilarious and partly because it's painfully relatable. While we humans don't tend to suddenly thwap our babies for no apparent reason, we do accidentally hurt them, blame the wrong kid for a misdeed, overreact, and more on occasion. I mean, I never inadvertently dropped my baby into a garbage can, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that some mom has at some point.

Watch:

Thankfully, like kids, kittens are resilient and these moms and their questionable maternal instincts had people cackling. Naturally, the comments are gold:

"Call cps cat protective services."

"She just threw that baby away. 😂"

"Do the 9 lives start before or after parenting?"

"Okay that last one though…with the smothering & the eye-twitching…us mums can all empathize with that one."

  Mama cats don't always have the gentlest instincts.Photo credit: Canva

"The poor kittens in the white box are clearly used to it. 'Yep that's my mom.'"

"They grew up in the 80s…they will be fine."

"Being raised by a cat is an experience."

"I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying I do any of this. But I am saying I understand."

Another relatable cat mom video shows the opposing instinct that we all share: to protect our babies from anything that might harm them. I may have accidentally given my baby a black eye when I was carrying her and leaned over too close to the fireplace mantel corner once, but I would also wrestle an angry bear to protect her.

Check out these mama bear—or mama cat, rather—instincts in action:

Again, the comments are spot on.

"That first one 'don't you fat shame my baby!'"

"Mama cats are either super sweet about their babies or absolutely vicious about them lmao there’s no in between."

"Cats do not play when it comes to their babies 🤣🤣🤣🤣."

"They say mama bear buuuut mama cat should be a thing too. them cats ain't playin when it comes to they kids js."

  Cat moms can get overwhelmed, too.Photo credit: Canva

On the other hand, some people shared that they had deadbeat—or at the very least exhausted—cat moms:

"Meanwhile my momma cat would drop her kids off with me and dip. She did NOT want to watch them kids all the time."

"When my cat had kittens every time I came back from school she was like 'finally... take these baby's PLEASE.'"

Another thing moms of various species share is the instinct to do something when our babies cry. Research shows that human mothers' brains have a specific, universal response to babies crying that those who aren't mothers don't, and it appears mama cats aren't much different.

Watch this mama cat come running from far away when she hears her kitten's mewing (and be sure to stay for the entertaining end):

  - YouTube  youtube.com  

Priscilla wants us to know that mama cats may be mamas, but they're still cats and will not be told what to do.

"You're not for the streets Priscilla Had me dying. Backtalk meow. 😂"

"The amount of sass that Pricilla’s meow had was incredible."

"'You’re not for the streets Priscilla.' 'No, the streets are for me.'"

"😂 called her back like “You have a child at home maam."

"Their sense of hearing is amazing! It’s on the level of a superhero with superhero powers! She heard her baby’s squeal all the way down there! Goes to show you, when you call them and they don’t come, it’s because they don’t feel like it!"

Yup.

Here's to all the moms who would step in front of a train for their babies but who also fall far short of perfect parents every day. We see you, no matter your species.