Browse ›
A fluffy silver cat rests a paw on a cluster of yellow ducklings huddled together on snowy ground by a wooden fence. 1 / 22

The Big Silver Cat Spotted Something Shivering in the Snow

AI imagenorwegian forest catducklingssnow

Snow dusts the ground behind a weathered wooden fence, and a big silver cat has settled right in the middle of it. Her thick coat looks almost like frost itself. One heavy paw rests lightly on a huddle of yellow ducklings, and her eyes are half closed, as if she has taken on the job of heater for the whole group. The ducklings are packed shoulder to shoulder, fluff against fluff, bright yellow against all that grey and white.

Norwegian Forest Cats are built for cold weather. They have a dense, water-shedding double coat, tufted paws and a bushy tail they can wrap around themselves like a scarf. Their ancestors lived through long Scandinavian winters, and the breed is known for being sturdy, patient and quietly affectionate. Real ducklings are a different story, though. Very young ducklings can't regulate their own temperature and need a warm, dry brooder, so a snowy afternoon like this would be far too cold for them. Cats also have strong hunting instincts, so any real meeting between a cat and baby birds should be closely supervised, and many owners simply keep them apart.

Here, though, nobody is worrying about any of that. The silver cat keeps her calm watch, the ducklings lean into her warmth, and the only sound is the faint peeping of a very small, very contented crowd. It is a winter picture with a soft, soft center.

More from this collection

All 22 →
A white Persian cat with a grumpy face sits beside a basket as yellow ducklings scatter across a pile of brown leaves.A Grumpy-Faced Persian Sits Very Still Among Ducklings and LeavesA orange long-haired cat walks across a sunny backyard with four yellow ducklings perched on its back.He Was Only Going for a Stroll Until the Ducklings Climbed Aboard
A black long-haired cat sits on a stone edge beside a pond while a row of yellow ducklings lines up next to it.Five Ducklings and One Black Cat Share a View of the PondA seal point Ragdoll cat rests on a windowsill beside a tight group of yellow ducklings with a cloudy window behind.A Ragdoll Shares Her Sunny Windowsill With a Stack of DucklingsA cream cat sits at an open weathered barn door while a crowd of yellow ducklings peers out from inside.This Cream Cat Is Guarding a Barn Door and the Crowd Behind ItA blue-gray Siamese cat walks along a wooden fence rail toward a small line of yellow ducklings in warm evening light.A Blue Point Siamese Tiptoes Down a Fence Toward Four Ducklings