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A white cat rests one paw on the rim of a woven basket filled with sleeping yellow ducklings on a wooden floor. 8 / 34

Eight Ducklings Fell Asleep in a Basket. Someone Volunteered for Guard Duty.

AI imagewhite catducklingsnap time

Naptime is in full swing, and a white cat has volunteered for guard duty. She leans against a round wicker basket lined with straw, one paw resting on the rim, gazing down with half-lidded green eyes at the eight sleeping ducklings packed inside. The little yellow birds have pressed together in a downy pile, bills tucked in, eyes closed, perfectly at ease. Sunlight falls across the wooden floor, and in the background a pair of gray slippers and a folded pair of jeans sit by the doorway, while a houseplant reaches in from the window.

Ducklings naturally pile up when they sleep because they're seeking warmth. Very young ducklings can't regulate their body temperature well on their own, so in the absence of a mother duck, caretakers usually provide a heat source in a draft-free brooder. A thermometer helps keep things comfortable, and the ducklings' behavior offers clues too: huddling tightly under the heat can mean they're cold, while spreading far away from it can mean they're too warm. As they grow feathers over the coming weeks, they need less supplemental heat. Clean bedding is important too, since ducklings are notoriously messy with their water.

The white cat may not be able to keep them warm on her own, but she's doing an excellent job of looking protective. Whatever dreams ducklings have, these ones seem to be having good ones.

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