Nathan, a dog dad from Canada, originally created the Tik Tok account “Tales of Arlo” (@TalesOfArlo) to share videos of his sheepdog Arlo. While Arlo remains the main focus, the account also features several kittens that Nathan fosters.
Several litters of foster kittens have come to this household at various times, but One video shows how Arlo really stepped up to take care of a litter of orphaned cats. Little does he or his dad know, Arlo will also form a deep bond with his future sibling, a kitten named Maple.
An orphan girl and a dog adopted by her father
Maple’s litters, though all kittens, have no foster mother when they arrive at the shelter. Arlo, who usually doesn’t get much involved in nurturing duties, stepped up when this particular litter entered the house.
He watches over the kittens while they sleep, stands by them while they eat, and even grooms them. Although his foster father’s duties were new to him, Arlo was clearly a natural one. He and the kitten love each other.
In a caption on an Instagram post, Nathan explained:
“These foster children unfortunately arrive at the shelter without their mother. Mothers are usually very protective so we usually don’t let Arlo see them. But this time we thought we’d give it a try and he’s like a big cat dad all day! Play with them and even groom them. They were messy because they basically sat in wet food so Arlo kept them clean. The most amazing boy! “
The video that @TalesOfArlo posted to TikTok depicting the cat dad Arlo and his relationship with Maple went viral, garnering nearly 43,000 likes and over 280,000 views. Check out the sweet journey for yourself below:
@talesofarlo We don’t know when we bring home the last litter we will nurture failure and keep the sweet girl forever 🥰 #dogsofttiktok #kittensoftiktok #catsoftiktok #bestfriends #australianshepherd #aussie #aussiesdoingthings #fosterkittens #rescue #rescuecat #fyp #for you ♬ Let Her Go – Jasmine Thompson
“We have to keep one.”
Maintenance is a must, but the hardest part is delivering the animals to the new adoptive family or original rescue team. In their sadness, Nathan and Arlo had to say goodbye to most of the kittens from this litter, a strong bond with one of them resulting in “unsuccessful rearing”.
As the caption on the viral Tik Tok video status:
“My heart couldn’t prepare for how much he would love them… so we had to keep one for him. Now, they are best friends and inseparable.”
Maple, a calico cat, joined the family permanently last year. Nathan posted about the adoption on Instagram in early November 2021:
“Still can’t believe this sassy woman has been with us for a whole month (+3 weeks nurturing)! It’s amazing to watch her grow from a 5 week old baby girl into a beautiful, sassy and sweet baby girl! What excites me the most is her relationship with Arlo and how they will become such good friends together! “
There are also two other cats in the family, both five years old and the same litter. It’s about to become a full house, but Nathan feels “the more, the merrier,” especially since Arlo and Maple have their close relationship while the other two cats have theirs.
“Our other two cats will be 5 years old next month and they have been together since birth and there is no separation, so I am glad that Arlo is not making them play now and they have space. its own 😹 It’s a blast now that there are 4 animals on our farm, and while mealtime is busy AF, I wouldn’t change a thing for the world! “
It’s Arlo’s name in both Instagram and Tik Tok, but Maple and the puppy’s friendship with her is also worth noting. These two fluffy friends have a loving life ahead of them.
Follow Arlo, Maple and their siblings @TalesOfArlo on Instagram and TikTok for more lovely content like this.
Featured pictures: TikTok
