Meet Sonya and her extra-prickly kittens.
Mama cat Sonya adopted four orphaned hedgehog babies when they were rescued after losing their Mama, and cared for them alongside her own kitten. The video was originallyrecorded in August.
The sound you just heard was your heart breaking into millions of tiny pieces. See video of the "hedgekittens" nursing above and some additional photos below. Prepare to dawww...
Altruism in animals
Altruism is a well-documented animal behaviour, which appears most obviously in kin relationships but may also be evident amongst wider social groups, in which an animal sacrifices its own well-being for the benefit of another animal.
Examples of animal altruism
*Dogs often adopt orphaned cats, squirrels, ducks and even tigers.
*Dolphins support sick or injured animals, swimming under them for hours at a time and pushing them to the surface so they can breathe.
*Mongooses support elderly, sick, or injured animals
*Wolves and wild dogs bring meat back to members of the pack not present at the kill. Male baboons threaten predators and cover the rear as the troop retreats.
*Gibbons and chimpanzees with food will, in response to a gesture, share their food with others of the group. Chimpanzees will help humans and conspecifics without any reward in return.
*Vampire bats commonly regurgitate blood to share with unlucky or sick roost mates that have been unable to find a meal, often forming a buddy system.
*Raccoons inform conspecifics about feeding grounds by droppings left on commonly shared latrines. A similar information system has been observed to be used by common ravens.
*In numerous bird species, a breeding pair receives support in raising its young from other "helper" birds, including help with the feeding of its fledglings. Some will even go as far as protecting an unrelated bird's young from predators
*Most mammal carnivores like wolves or dogs have a habit of not harming pack members below certain age, of opposite sex or in surrendering position (in case of some animals, the behavior exists within entire species rather than one pack). (Wikipedia)
VIDEO Baby Hedgehogs Have a Cat Mom
After their mother died, these baby hedgehogs were left alone... but luckily for them, Sonya the cat was willing to save them! Watch as Sonya nurses the wee hedgehogs, while also cuddling with her own young kitten. What a great mom!