The number of cute posts we’ve seen all week could probably be counted on one hand and this one is the best by far. Paris Zarcilla’s adorable story of how he ended up with a house full of cats is as heartwarming as it is hilarious. Imagine going from a single individual to a dad of four kittens in a span of seconds, how crazy is that?
Becoming a surprise Cat Dad
So… I JUST FOUND A CAT THAT IS NOT MINE AND IT HAS HAD BABIES UNDER MY BED. pic.twitter.com/83ktBHGgT5
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) May 30, 2018
The incident happened in 2018. Zarcilla went to his room to look for his jumper, little did he know those were his last steps as a single man. Inside his drawer, under the bed, he found not only his jumper but an entire family of cats. Zarcilla, shocked at the discovery, took to Twitter to express his disbelief. He posted a photo of the momma cat calmly nursing her kittens as if she didn’t just drop a bomb on an actual human — surprise, you’re a dad now. His post went viral and to date has 163.1k likes (including mine) and a total of 60.4k retweets.
He decided to embrace his role
Cancelling all my plans. Crawling under the bed to spend the rest of the day with my four new children. #newdad
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) May 30, 2018
When life hands you a cat mom and a bunch of kittens, you simply have to make them your family. The cat gods have taken the choice away from Zarcilla’s hands — he had to accept his newfound role. Cat Dad.
….and then some
To my cat sons and daughters, I’ll be the hero you deserve, but not the one it needs right now (because of mama cat). So I’ll hunt for you, because I can afford it. I’ll be your silent guardian, your watchful protector. Love, #CatDad pic.twitter.com/JkaUpGzXCP
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) May 30, 2018
This guy really enjoyed being a dad. Scrolling through his Twitter thread will make you feel the intense emotional rollercoaster Cat Mom put him through. But we have to congratulate Cat Mom though, her choice of a random house to give birth at is one of the best ever.
The cats are finally christened
I’d like you to meet Pancake AKA Bijou. The purriest and furriest. A serial snuggler. Can often be found sleeping ON his siblings. He’s the embodiment of chill and affection. Incredibly tolerant. A true Hufflepuff.
Lvl: 20
HP: 200/200
Attack: 10
Defense: 100 pic.twitter.com/gygEvA7ici— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) October 25, 2018
Five months later, after looking for an owner and hoping there isn’t one finding none, Zarcilla finally allowed himself to name his fur children. The fierce, beautiful momma cat is dubbed Forever (“I love you, Forever.”) and the four kittens are named Machiavelli, Pancake, Ronin, and Tomorrow. Zarcilla’s house, once empty and only had jumpers in drawers, is now teeming with life.
Unpredictable, slow to warm and fiercely independent. Meet, Tomorrow AKA Dobby. Also, the latest member to join the *PLOT TWIST* club. He went from goblin prince to future QUEEN. Guurl! She doesn’t do cuddles but when she does, it’s all the feels 😌 pic.twitter.com/Qp5MQohfoU
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) November 9, 2018
Fast forward to May 2020
Happy Birthday my fam. I love you more than you’ll ever know. You’ve brought so much light to my life. You have me forever. X #Caturday #TwoYears pic.twitter.com/syNwYj70up
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) May 30, 2020
Zarcilla’s little fur family celebrated its second anniversary last May 2020. He posted a photo of all his cat children on the bed and we’re gushing at how cute they all look!
How are they now?
Me: *just fed cats and about to bite into a sandwich*
Them: “Spare some food for me and my starving family, sir?” pic.twitter.com/tbYcD1j4HE
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) January 16, 2021
Cat Dad is not selfish, he makes sure to update the internet on the adorable lives of his fur babies (are they fur toddlers now?). Here they are celebrating the 2020 holidays in lockdown most likely:
On Christmas the favourite part of their day is storytime when I read them the ingredients list on the back of their special Xmas Dinner can. pic.twitter.com/O1WNi3xLuu
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) December 25, 2020
And helping their Cat Dad with work:
Pancake checking my first draft for any spelling or grammatical errors. pic.twitter.com/UHu87YVj9E
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) November 22, 2020
Or attempting to learn filmmaking:
Trying to teach my kids about filmmaking but no one cares. pic.twitter.com/gaP3nHaSRa
— Paris Zarcilla (@ParisZarcilla) November 18, 2020
Netizens are gushing over the story
Sorry, but this is the best how it started / how it’s going ever. I love this so much. pic.twitter.com/eXHwPzsLla
— mythbri 🏳️🌈🏔🌲❄️ (@mythbri) January 16, 2021
Despite the lack of updates for months on the lengthy Twitter thread, netizens found the story anyway and reshared it. Zarcilla’s cat dad awakening is the best entry to the “how it started vs. how it’s going” trend.
And sharing their own accidental fur parent stories
— Lone Wolf, Totally Original (@LoneWol10175595) January 17, 2021
Similar story here. We fed a stray cat who came to visit, very round. She slept in our house. One day my mom came to wake me up with an excited expression and says “kittens!”
Spiced up the global pandemic and online schooling (we kept them all) pic.twitter.com/vJouo3wyu2
— ᴮᴱCat⁷ ☀ My Turn (@bubbleyoongz) January 17, 2021
My aunt left 3 puppies at my house so she could find a forever home for them. She said it would take less than 15 days.
They’re gonna be 7 this year. pic.twitter.com/BX9iQp9xyf
— Malena/Lagarta 🌙☀️ (@malenossaura) January 18, 2021
All this accidental fur parenting we’ve seen has convinced us of one thing: you don’t get to decide if you want to be a fur parent, the fur parent life will choose you.
What’s the cutest thing you’ve seen all week?
