Della the mama cat thinks these ducklings are her babies

On a rural farm in Clara, County Offaly, Ireland, a cat named Della has taken her mothering game to a staggering new level.

Farm owners, Ronan and Emma Lally, became worried when a trio of newly hatched ducklings went missing. They feared the worst — that their cat, Della, may have had something to do with the disappearance of the baby ducks. So they checked on Della, who’d just given birth to a litter of kittens, and what they found took them by surprise.

“We lifted her up and two ducklings were latched onto the cat,” Ronan told the independent.ie. 

Disclaimer: We totally get this vid was updated a while ago but CAN’T HOLD US DOWN. This is duck + cat heaven.

Della adopted the baby ducks within just an hour or so of giving birth to her kitties because, you know, multi-tasking.

Although it seems like Della would have had a lot on her plate having just birthed a litter of kittens and all, the timing couldn’t have been better. Ronan and Emma say that her nurturing instincts were in top form due to the spike in hormones from the birthing process. If she’d come across the tiny ducklings just a few hours sooner or later, her feline instincts might have caused things to take a different turn. As in, she could have eaten them. But shhhh, don’t tell the ducklings! Because clearly they love their adopted mama and think she’s the bomb.

The feeling is mutual. Della seems quite attached to her ducklings. Ronan says, “The minute the cat lay down the three ducklings ran underneath her. She started to purr.” Awww!

Della does a great job of keeping up with the ducklings, returning them to their kitten box when they wander off, as ducks tend to do on occasion.

Of course, ducks grow a tad faster than kittens do, but family is family. Right?

For another dose of duckling cuteness, watch Della and her babies in action on this adorbs video.

[Images via video]