‘Really beautiful to watch:’ Meet co-parenting cats Casper and Edie

Casper, Edie and their four kittens are shown in this photo provided by TinyKittens rescue.

A feral cat named Casper is defying the stereotypes about feline fatherhood – and the doting dad’s every move is being livestreamed by a B.C. rescue.

Casper was one of 12 cats trapped on Fraser Valley farm last month by TinyKittens Society, an organization with a program that captures, spays and neuters cats living in feral colonies.

Shelly Roche, the society’s founder and executive director, said the obvious “matriarch” of the dozen was a pregnant tabby named Edie. All the cats were bonded to one another, but the relationship between Casper and Edie stood out.

“Casper seemed to always be by her side, and she was kind of plastered to him,” Roche said. “We just kind of fell in love with the obvious bond that these two had.”

The rescue decided to keep Casper and Edie together until at least after the kittens were born. Giving birth is stressful, Roche said, and the organization has found it is helpful and comforting for the mother-to-be to have another cat around through the process

Casper, however, did more than just keep Edie company – he got involved.

“He was right there with her. He was helping to clean the kittens as soon as they came out. He was helping to keep her clean,” Roche said.

“He was vigilant about noises and keeping an eye on the situation. He was going to keep her safe. It was just really beautiful to watch.”

A quick internet search about feline family dynamics suggests that for male cats, mating is a one-off and doesn’t involve a bond with a female. Tomcat, after all, is a synonym for someone who promiscuously pursues sexual gratification. When it comes to fatherhood, male cats are described as deadbeats at best, dangerous at worst.

Casper and Edie are demonstrating that things don’t necessarily play out that way.

“They’re giving us a rare, heartwarming glimpse into the secret family bonds of free-living cats, which is something that happens, usually, entirely out of sight,” Roche said.

“We’re now getting to witness exactly what some of these relationships can be like – and Casper is completely not the stereotypical tomcat. He’s loving and supportive and patient and just so helpful. It’s a really beautiful story that we’re being able to witness.”

Tiny Kittens livestreams the cats in its care 24/7 to let the public into the day-to-day lives of the animals, to change perceptions about feral cats, to raise awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering, and to encourage people to get involved as fosters or volunteers. The livestreams start when the cats arrive, and end when the cats leave.

Among the current streams, Casper, Edie and their four kittens are the stand-out favourite.

“They’re so delightful, they’re so playful and funny and just unique. It gives you a really good feeling, it’s something you can ‘joy scroll’ to counteract all of the scary and bad things going on in the world right now,” Roche said.

“That seems like something that is resonating with a lot of people.”

A volunteer with Tiny Kittens moderates a lively chat among the hundreds of people subscribed on YouTube – with comments like “Casper is a tip top baby daddy,” “Casper even helps clean up the house, what a brilliant father and partner he is,” “They are wonderful kitty and kitten therapy at a much-needed time,” and “Couple goals.”

Casper and Edie will, once the kittens are self-sufficient, be returning to the farm where they will reunite with the other 10 cats in their colony.

The kittens will be put up for adoption.