Animals have such strong maternal instincts that they’ll act as a mother to young ones, even if they’re not their biological children. Orphaned babies in need of a mother have been successfully paired with surrogate mothers, in a beautiful and mutually beneficial relationship.

That was the case recently at one shelter, who saw a caring mama cat take an orphaned newborn Sphynx cat under her wing as if it were her own kitten.

According to a Facebook post, the Helen Woodward Animal Center, in Rancho Santa Fe, California, took in a Sphynx cat named Cleopatra in March. The cat’s mother was not interested in nursing her babies, and sadly Cleo’s siblings all passed away.

But thankfully, Cleopatra survived — and soon found a new mother to take care of her.

Soon after taking in Cleopatra, the animal center took in a domestic short-haired cat named Ballerina, who was pregnant with her own kittens.

Ballerina gave birth to three kittens — and amazingly, took the orphaned Spynx cat into her care as well, accepting her as her own.

Erin Schmitt, the center’s foster program supervisor, says that Ballerina is “in love with” Cleopatra. The caring, maternal cat has instinctively given the orphaned kitten the love and care she never got from her own mom.

“Animals are amazing. It’s as though Ballerina sensed a need in Cleo and decided to not only provide her nourishment but provide her all the love she’d been missing,” Schmitt said.

It was a heartwarming story just in time for Mother’s Day. Now, all the cats are looking forward to happy lives in new forever homes.

The Helen Woodward Animal Center says that Ballerina and her kittens Bean, Biscuit, and Bunny will all be available soon for adoption. Cleopatra will stay in the center a bit longer for final health checks.

If you are interested in giving any of these cats a good home, you can keep an eye on the center’s cat adoption page.

What a sweet, caring cat. It just goes to show how caring animals can be and how strong a mom’s maternal instincts are.