NEW JERSEY – You do what you have to do when it comes to being a “mother,” according to the members of the Bloomfield-based Homeless Animal Adoption League (HAAL).

That’s one of the biggest lessons that the animal rescue organization learned when they discovered that an adorable guardian stray cat found protecting a litter of kittens was really a male.

HAAL members went on to share the story of how they found “Mrs. Doubtfire” and his adopted babies on their Facebook page Thursday.

“When you get a call saying that kittens are in a laundry basket on a curb, your heart sinks. The call sounded legit and the caller seemed truly concerned. The caller didn’t drive and didn’t know what to do. He was just walking home when he spotted the little ones. He said they seemed to be placed there by someone. The temperature was dropping and it had started to rain. The caller said that the mother cat was with them and he wasn’t comfortable picking them up.”

The animal rescue organization went on to say:

“So off we went to see if we could find these frightened babies. With GPS in hand we quickly found the street. Once we parked we started walking and in seconds, we saw a recycling container on the curb. Cuddled together with a mommy cat keeping them warm was at least four kittens. They were about four to five weeks old. Mom was quiet and looked up as if to say ‘Thank god you found us.’ We covered the container with a blanket and off to HAAL we went.”

However, once back at their facility, the HAAL rescuers got two surprises.

First, they discovered that there were actually six kittens in the container, not four. All of the kittens “looked good,” with clear eyes and noses and the ability to eat on their own, HAAL rescuers wrote.

However, there was one other surprise… the kittens’ guardian wasn’t a “mother” cat at all. It was an adult, stray, male cat!

“He could have been the dad or a big brother from another litter, but to those little kittens he was their protector and surrogate mom,” HAAL staff noted. “He groomed them and gently played with each one… That little cat has taught us that you do what you have to do to protect the most vulnerable.”

How beautiful is that?!

Read these characteristics which almost all cat lovers have in common:

INTROVERTED AND SENSITIVE
It’s the nature of cats that they are not friends with everybody, and the same trait can be seen in their owners too. Usually, they live alone and are happy with their independent lifestyle. They are introverts but are comfortable hanging around with other people. However, they would need some me-time to relax and recharge.

CAT LOVERS LEAN TO LEFT
It has been observed that people with liberal political leanings prefer cats over dogs. You might be a liberal dog lover or a conservative cat owner; if you’re a liberal, you love cats and vice versa.

CAT OWNERS ARE OPEN-MINDED
Five traits – conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and openness are often seen in most cat lovers. As compared to dog owners, people who have cats as pets are more open and therefore, have greater artistic creativity.

ATTENTION SEEKERS
Just like their pets, cat lovers seek attention from people around them. They like to be the centre of all conversations. At times, cat owners rely on their pets for emotional support.

THEY RESPECT CATS MORE THAN ANYONE
Cat people respect cats more than humans, in general. The saddest sight for a cat lover is to see the animal on the streets without a home. Cat lovers are often seen making a special effort to rescue or rehabilitate homeless cats.