An Oklahoma woman let a stray cat give birth in her house, then found a bunny among the kittens days later

A pregnant stray cat that wandered onto a family porch in Vian, Oklahoma, has surprised her rescuers by adopting a baby bunny alongside her own litter. The cat showed up at the home of Kathy Price roughly two months ago and delivered five kittens on Memorial Day. A few days later, the family realized their new guest had added an unexpected sixth member to the box.

Price and her husband discovered the bunny while checking on the kittens. He told her there were six in the box, not five, and when she leaned in for a closer look, she said, “That’s a bunny.” The mother cat appeared to have fully accepted the rabbit as one of her own.

As detailed by UPI, Price noted the family has a long history of taking in stray cats and found the new arrival to be a friendly addition. The cat was so tame when she first appeared that Price believed she had previously belonged to someone. “She was incredibly tame and had been someone’s house cat,” Price said, adding that the family was concerned for her after it appeared she had lost her previous owners.

The Oklahoma cat’s cross-species adoption points to a well-documented pattern of maternal instincts overriding species boundaries

Cross-species adoption is rare but not unheard of, as documented by Wildlife Informer. For lactating mammals, the cries or helpless behavior of any young animal can trigger strong caregiving instincts driven by hormonal responses, regardless of species. Amid a wave of viral animal behavior stories this year, a viral dolphin rescue encounter off the Los Angeles coast drew more than 13 million views after a diver jumped in to help a distressed animal.

Price did some research after the discovery and found that mother cats have been known to adopt and nurse orphaned kittens, puppies, and even rats. “I said, ‘Thank god it wasn’t a rat,'” she told KFSM-TV. Her daughter, Christy Moreno, posted on Facebook that her mother was living “her best Disney princess life.” Domestic dogs, wolves, elephants, and horses have also been documented showing nurturing behavior toward young of different species.

Price said she is hoping to find a new permanent home for the mother cat and her unusual brood. She has grown attached to the animals but is concerned about the safety of the young kittens given the home’s proximity to a busy highway. Amid other recent stories of unexpected animal encounters going viral, a coati’s surprise resort visit in Mexico sparked debate after a Canadian woman filmed the animal approaching her table.