Rabbit and cat mom duo raise their babies together in unlikely bond that's melting our hearts

In an animal rescue sanctuary, a farmer captured an odd video of a cat and a rabbit raising their litter together. In the now-viral TikTok video, the animals living at Roberson Creek Farm in North Carolina can be seen looking after their babies in a mesh cage.

The video captioned "Monday morning surprise" has reached over 25 million views on Tiktok. According to Newsweek, Destiny Hampton, a farmer at the sanctuary who shot the sweet video, asked netizens for their advice on the situation. "Shall I separate the babies or let them raise them together?" she wrote in the text overlay.

The New Jersey-based Animal Welfare Association reports that cats and rabbits can coexist, but it is pivotal that they should be properly introduced to each other. "However, it is important to always remember that cats are predators and rabbits are prey. If your cat exhibits predatory behavior, introducing a rabbit will put the rabbit in danger. Cats need space to run and play, just as a rabbit does—but a running or hopping rabbit can trigger a cat's prey drive. The best option is to set up visual barriers between the rabbit and the cat so that the cat can feel more relaxed and the rabbit feels a greater sense of safety," the nonprofit organization recommends. They went on to add that "rabbits are far more territorial than cats, are capable of defending themselves, and could possibly cause injury to a cat."

Once Chrissy, the cat, relocated her babies into the rabbit hutch, Amy, the bunny, served as the babysitter for more than two weeks. According to Good News Network, Hampton had put up a separate hutch for Amy and her babies, so it came as a surprise to see the cat occupying the same room as the rabbit.

"I was a little worried at first that they might fight or hurt each other," said the 47-year-old farmer. The wildlife rescuer and owner of Roberson Creek Farm in Tobaccoville, North Carolina, tried to separate the pair, concerned for the babies, but it turned out to be a mistake. Both mothers stopped feeding their babies due to the stress of the sudden move. 

Now the duo co-parents their babies, but Chrissy often has to pick up the slack because May feeds her young ones only once a day. "They get along great," exclaimed Hampton on social media. "They all want to be together, the babies and the mothers."

Chrissy isn't "the nice cat," so this sudden affection was very new to everyone. "Chrissy is feral. She won’t let me touch her, but she apparently loves Amy. I think maybe she knew that the rabbit mom wasn’t making enough milk and wanted to help her," said Hampton. While rabbits can be very good friends with cats and dogs, every animal is different and you need to take care of them. Most pairs require constant supervision and care. If you are interested, learn more here.

Hampton has been providing updates on the "Cabbits," and the babies are growing to be very well-fed and healthy. "They're already growing so much (the bunnies more than the kitties)," said @christineellingt. "I love this. My rabbit used to chase my cats around the house. They are social animals. I love how the mom cat is cool with it," added @samanthakidwell.

"They all imprinted on one another; all those babies are interspersed and loved," said @starrajade. In response to a comment, Hampton said that rabbits and cats all live in her house together. "The rabbit had her babies in that box, and the cat moved her kittens in there to be together."