Mother's Day is all about celebrating the greatness of maternal love. But because there are enough paeans to human moms and their incredible acts of kindness and sacrifice, this year, we're celebrating moms from the animal kingdom. Not just any animal moms, though, these are cats and dogs who've adopted babies from a different species and treated them like their own.

An abandoned wolf-cub has turned to an unconventional mother figure in a Siberian Zoo .... a caring cat. The actual mother had refused to feed the Wolf, leaving him close to death, forcing the keepers to think outside the box. They brought in the unexpected feline helper as a last resort, who seemed more than happy to nurse the little cub back to health. So there's no more crying for this wolf orphan, thanks to his new family.

Why Some Animals Abandon Their Young

Animals abandon their young for many reasons. A young, or first time, mother may abandon her young out of stress or confusion. It is not uncommon for them to be confused.

Although it is not true that a mother animal will kill her offspring or reject them due to human handling, they may do so if there is too much human handling.

Move newborn animals quickly and then try to leave them, and their mother, alone to rest and bond. In fact with kittens and puppies, they should be left alone until their eyes open, and even then only handled for short periods of time.

Health

If the mother had a difficult delivery, or is in poor health herself, she may abandon her young. If she also goes off her food, or shows any signs of problems (including if she has not shed the placenta) a veterinarian should be called in to check her. If she tore something she could be fighting infection and would run a fever. Mother animals who have mastitis (inflamed mammary glands) will be in physical discomfort and will not want to nurse their young. Source

Take a look at the video below, let your heart melt and don't forget to call your mom!