Cats that seem to be raising baby chicks have become extremely popular, for better or worse. For example, one viral video shows a cat who seems to have sat on a clutch of chicken eggs until they hatched. As a person reaches for the eggs, the cat swats the hand away! At one point, the kitty even rolls one of the eggs under the cat bed as if keeping it warm.
As the chicks start hatching, the cat seems to watch over them as they grow up. There’s even a moment when the cat hugs a chick and licks it gently.
Cat seems to hug a chick. Images via YouTube
At another point, we see chicks lying beside the cat as if nursing, which is the most obviously staged scene. Finally, we see the grown pullets all lined up in a row by the cat on an indoor shelf.
Image via YouTube
Cat Hatches Baby Chicks?
It’s certainly cute, and we’ll suspend disbelief until you see it for yourself. Real or not, people loved it so much that it received thousands of views and comments across social media. Are people easily fooled, or do they just want to believe in a gentler world? It’s probably a combination of both and more.
Video by Cat Kitty Kittens:
A Chick-Raising Cat?
The cat and chick video’s origins are unclear but have been credited to a viral Reddit post by JettMe_Red. The video also appeared in media from Hong Kong and was posted by Nextdoor on Instagram.
Cat sitting with a lined up row of pullets
Although it might make you go, “awwwww,” it seems this might just be a stunt for social media. Similar videos are extremely popular, with thousands of views. People love the idea that cats can be best buddies with animals generally on their list of natural prey. But this cat is an exception to the rule, well-fed, happy, and with a uniquely gentle disposition.
Cat sits with a chicken pullet
Can a Cat Incubate an Egg?
Again, we want to believe, but could a cat even incubate an egg to begin with?
A cat’s body temperature is around 101.0 to 102.5º F, and chicken eggs can be incubated at 99 to 101 degrees, according to one hatchery. But the kicker is the cat would need to stay on those eggs for 21 days, a laughable scenario for any independent-minded cat. So, while the cat does seem to be protective of the eggs, they were probably hatched with an incubator, if not a hen not visible in the video.
Humorously, there are elaborate stories online about how the cat’s best friend, a hen, passed away. So the cat stepped in to care for the clutch of eggs. And again, people generally bought it like a dozen eggs.
A Chicken and Cat Family?
There are even channels dedicated exclusively to showing cats with chicks, and the whole chicken family!
In this case, it’s another exceptionally gentle cat, so we want to believe the kitty wouldn’t harm the chicks. And it’s funny to see the chickens sometimes puzzled over the feline imposter and other times seemingly right at home. How is this even possible?
It may not prove a cat can love a chick, but it does prove cats – and chickens – can be successfully trained to do very unlikely things!
Video by Cat’s Diary:
Barn Cats and Chickens
On the other hand, cats living in barns can make themselves right at home with the chickens. The rooster and hens will naturally defend their chicks, and a barn cat would know their boundaries. Get too close, and the hen or rooster would come running with a feather-flying fury!
But in another story, a cat with kittens in the UK made news for sharing the nanny duties with a resident mama hen in a barn. But this peaceful scene was probably temporary as soon as the eggs hatched. At that point, the mama hen instinct would have almost certainly take over and then all bets are off!
Lizzy the cat with chicks via Daily Mail/SWNS
We Love Imagining a Gentler World
Here’s another ridiculous viral video showing a cat with baby chicks. Although we have to agree it’s cute, a cat’s natural prey are birds. So, out of concern for those chicks, we would file this under “don’t try this at home.” Yes, there’s something a peck cringe about it.
But who can resist watching animals, generally thought of as natural predators, being so gentle with one another? Whether or not a cat can genuinely feel maternal for a chick, we love thinking so, which is no doubt why these videos are everywhere. People want to live in a kinder world, and so do we.
Video by Lovely Kitten:
