mother

We've said it before and we'll say it again! There's no love like a mother's love! 

Happy Mother's Day to all those terrific moms out there! You truly deserve some recognize this Mother's Day (maybe more than ever, for those of you who have been homeschooling these past few months). 

We appreciate you. 

And to celebrate the beauty that is mothers we have collected some loving family pictures -- animals, of course! Enjoy and have a wonderful day! 

There's no love like a mother's love. This brave stray cat lives on the streets of Istanbul and seems to have no fear of humans, so when her kitten got sick -- this incredibly intelligent cat shows up at emergency room asking for help. 

There are only four images of this incredible moment, and according to the post, it mentions the emergency doctors helped by taking them to a vet. 

Love is powerful and a beautiful sight to behold, this mama cat truly loves her kitten. However, it's more than just the love she has for her kitten, it's also the level of trust she has in humans and apparently, the stray cats of Istanbul are mostly this trusting due to Turkey taking such wonderful care of their strays. 

Scroll down for all the info and stories about this mama cat and her kitten along with how wonderful it is to be a stray in Istanbul: 

Gemma Copeland was left in tears after visiting Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria. 

While in the orangutan enclosure, Copeland realized her son, 15-month-old Jasper, was hungry. She sat down against the glass to breastfeed him when a female orangutan, named Sol, who had been watching Copeland intently, comes to sit beside her.. as if protecting her as she breastfeeds. 

Sadly, Sol had previously given birth to a stillborn infant. 

Copeland was moved to tears by the gesture, writing, "She looked directly into my eyes then placed her hand up as if to touch my son. I was in awe of this beautiful creature already. My son wanted feeding and as it was quiet I fed him whilst I sat there. The way the orangutan reacted took my breath away she kept looking at me, then my son then back again.

She sat with me for approximately half an hour, and kept stroking the glass and lay down next to me as if to support and protect me. I was absolutely gobsmacked and got quite a crowd of people turning up to see what was going on – people were sat watching quietly and respectfully. It was really lovely and I didn't want to leave – it felt incredible and I was crying so much because I couldn't take it in.

I had to share this because my mind was blown, we may be a species apart but breastfeeding connected us today in a once in a lifetime moment that will stay with me forever."

Sol undoubtably had a strong connection to this mother and her child. Orangutans are such gentle and loving souls, Sol is an example of that love.  

Story via The Scottish Sun

She didn't choose the wildlife nanny life, it chose her. 

Tumblr user ruby-white-rabbit shared that unexpectedly, an expecting turtle, has laid eggs in her yard. 

She is in no way prepared to be a mother, and knows nothing about reptiles. But it was decided long before that she would be the chosen one to deliver these turtles. 

Volunteers from Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica played recordings of displaced baby's cries over handheld speaker to locate brown-throated three-toed sloth mother. The infant was returned to its mother in a moving video. Via: National Geographic

Maternal instinct comes so naturally to this incredible Lynx who has taken custody of four kittens. 

Story found on Russian.rt

And if your heart hadn't already melted, thaw it completely with the most enchanting cute cats and kittens you've ever seen. Or just ask yourself the ultimate mystery in the universe: Why are cats so cute? We tried to figure out the answer and hopefully our explanation is on point.