Cats are fickle creatures. Most of the time, they’d sooner go chasing an inanimate object than return your cuddles. But once in a while, cats will surprise the world by doing something so unusual that it seems almost mystical. Panda the cat (don’t get confused!) did just that recently by displaying the most adorable affection for a pregnant mom’s belly, and then the baby itself after birth.
Liel Ainmar Assayag chronicled the behavior in a Facebook post, with pictures we’ve compiled for you below. The story is more than touching — it’s magical.
For nine months, the cat showed an unusual amount of affection for Assayag’s belly – for reasons that, while mysterious, seem fairly self-explanatory.
“Once I got pregnant she started following me around the house, tucking her head on my belly, purring,” Assayag told Love Meow in an interview.
The cat’s attention to the mom’s belly is more than just a show of love. She really looks like she’s guarding it.
Baby Sean was born healthy and happy a few months ago.
Though Panda took a little while to get used to the idea of the child being on the outside now, she ended up going back to her old habits — in a slightly different manner.
“Now, three months later, she jumps on the bed near him, smells him, sits next to him,” Assayag told Love Meow. It’s clearly the beginning of a wonderful new bond between a child and a furry partner in crime.