Pregnant woman forms bond with pregnant stray cat, then they give birth at same time

When you’re expecting a baby, it’s always nice to have a friend who is also pregnant to share the experience — even if they’re not actually a human.

Two years ago, a pregnant woman took in a pregnant cat, and the two moms-to-be shared a bond — eventually giving birth at the same time!

Lauren Maners loves animals, and often volunteers to foster shelter animals in need of love. But when she was pregnant last year, she decided to take a break from caring for pets, instead focusing on her baby.

But fate had other plans. Months into her pregnancy, Lauren and her husband Kainan found a stray cat that they couldn’t turn away.

They found the stray, a white female cat they named Dove, on the side of the road, “extremely skinny and injured,” Lauren told Bored Panda.

Dove had reportedly been eating out of dumpsters. And the mom-to-be realized that the cat was also pregnant. Unable to find Dove’s owner or secure a place in a no-kill shelter, Lauren knew she couldn’t turn away a fellow expectant mother, and took her in.

“I couldn’t just leave her knowing that she was going to have to take care of her babies in the wild,” Lauren said.

“I knew that she was in bad shape and also felt a sort of connection to her due to us both being very pregnant,” she told The Dodo. “I managed to catch her by luring her up to me with our leftover food and wrapping her in my jacket, and we brought her to the vet.”

Lauren committed to fostering Dove and her future litter of kittens, and the former stray quickly made herself at home.

“She would follow me around everywhere I went, and loved sitting outside with me in the mornings in our fenced-in area and letting me rub her belly while we ate breakfast together,” Lauren said.

And in return for taking good care of the cat, Lauren got a sweet companion with whom she could share a real motherly connection. The two new friends were going through the same experience together, and Lauren joked on social media that they formed an exclusive “Pregnant Girls Club.”

“I and Dove had an instant bond,” she told Bored Panda. “It was like she also knew that I was pregnant and that I was a friend. She was not instantly trusting of my husband the way she was of me.”

Weeks went by, and soon both pregnant ladies were preparing to give birth — and it turned out their due dates were very close.

Finally, the day came, and Lauren gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Kylie.

And after returning from the hospital, she discovered even more good news — and an amazing coincidence: Dove had also given birth!

While she’s not sure exactly what time Dove had her six kittens, she suspects the cat’s birth aligned pretty closely with her own: “They were very possibly born at the same time,” she told The Dodo.

Lauren continued to foster the cat family while caring for her newborn baby, and she continued to share a bond with Dove on their motherhood journey. She even says that baby Kylie started to bond with the kittens.

After months of fostering, it became time to find home for all the cats. Lauren helped all the kittens get adopted into good homes, and she told The Dodo that Dove was taken in by a friend of hers, so she can still keep in touch.

While caring for this pregnant cat during her pregnancy was an amazing experience, Lauren also emphasized that it isn’t something you should try to emulate: it’s important to spay and neuter your cats to help reduce the stray cat population.

What an adorable story. Thank you to Lauren for taking such good care of these cats and looking out for a fellow mom. It goes to show the real unexpected bonds that can form between humans and animals.

Сlаudiа Саrdinаlе: Неrе’s whаt thе Itаliаn film iсоn lооks likе аt 85

Claudia Cardinale is Italy’s counterpart to France’s Brigitte Bardot. She quickly rose to stardom to almost just as quickly disappear from the scene later on. Now, Claudia Cardinale celebrates her 85th birthday.

The Italian star was originally discovered at a beauty contest held in 1957 by the  Unitalia film company. The “most beautiful Italian woman of Tunis” subsequently won a trip to the Venice Film Festival that was to become a decisive turning point in her life. The sultry young woman was born on April 15, 1938, in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Her mother was French, and her father Italian.

In 1958, Cardinale, known as CC, played her first role in “Goha” opposite Omar Sharif before being trained as an actress at the Italian Film Academy in Rome. Her talents as an actress renowned for her dauntless rambunctiousness gained her fame, and her gaze into the camera became legendary.

Famous director Luchino Visconti gave her minor roles in “Rocco and his Brothers” (1960), as well as in the historical drama “The Leopard” (1962) with Alain Delon. As she later recounted in a biographical interview, she rebuffed all of her famous  film partners,   Jean-Paul Belmondo, Marcello Mastroianni, Alain Delon and Burt Lancaster.

Cardinale and Delon (left) in a scene from "Il Gattopardo" by Luchino Visconti.
Claudia Cardinale appeared alongside famous actor Alain Delon in “Il Gattopardo” by Luchino ViscontiImage: AP

A beauty queen turned into a film diva

Cardinale is Italy’s counterpart of Brigitte Bardot. But in contrast to Bardot, Cardinale never appeared nude in a film: “I always thought it was more erotic to leave some room to imagination, hinting at things rather than showing everything,” she told the German magazine Stern in 2014.

CC achieved her breakthrough with her performance in the highly popular  Italo western “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1969). The classical western directed by Sergio Leone and starring Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson was shot in Rome’s Cinecittà studios and in Spain with some scenes set in Utah’s Monument Valley. The film that flopped in the US only acquired cult status in Europe. 

A scene from Fitzcarraldo featuring Cardinale in an old fashioned dress next to actor Klaus Kinski.
Cardinale also starred in the 1982 film “Fitzcarraldo” by Werner HerzogImage: picture-alliance / dpa

CC’s career already saw a downswing in the 1970s. She then turned to television films, especially entertainment films where she showed some talent as a comedian. She got her last main role in a movie in 1971 when she starred opposite her main rival, Brigitte Bardot, in the Italo western comedy “Frenchie King.” 

Spending time in a jungle with Werner Herzog 

Ten years later, CC starred in German director Werner Herzog’s historical film “Fitzcarraldo” (1981). Although Claudia Cardinale had a difficult time enduring the bouts of anger of her eccentric film partner Klaus Kinski, she greatly enjoyed shooting and working with director Werner Herzog: “Being in the middle of the jungle with insects all around me and nothing to eat was one of my most wonderful adventures,” she later stated.

Claudia Cardinale and other heroines of European film

Claudia Cardinale is seen as Italy’s counterpart to France’s Brigitte Bardot. The actress who became a star in the 1950s and 60s now celebrates her 85th birthday.

Claudia Cardinale

She’s the youngest of Italy’s three major female stars. Claudia Cardinale worked with outstanding directors like Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini. She fascinated audiences with her charming smile and acting skills in westerns, among them “Once Upon a Time in the West” and “The Professionals” (pictured).

Gina Lollobrigida

One of the most highly acclaimed European stars of the 1950s and 60s was Gina Lollobrigida who was born in the East of Rome in 1927. “Lollo” even made it to Hollywood where she was equally showered with praise. In the 1970s, however, she withdrew from showbiz.

Sophia Loren

Another Italian actress, Sophia Loren, who was a few years younger than Lollo, became her fiercest rival. The mutual hatred and jealousy of the two stars was a frequent topic in tabloids. In contrast to Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren continued to perform in movies even as an older woman.

Brigitte Bardot

During the same time, another sexpot rose to stardom in France with movies like “And God Created Woman” and “Love is my Profession.” Brigitte Bardot, the superstar of the Grande Nation, withdrew from film production in the 1970s to devote herself to animal rights causes.

Catherine Deneuve

A decade later, Bardot’s compatriot Catherine Deneuve broke onto the film scene. Deneuve differed much from both Loren and Lollo by playing roles as aloof and myterious women early in her career. Deneueve’s talent as an actress guaranteed her success throughout her life.

Romy Schneider

The two decades between 1960 and 1980 were also the golden era of German-French actress Romy Schneider. Born in Vienna, she made her breakthrough in the German-speaking world as “Sissi” before moving to France. In Paris, she became one of the most charismatic and impressive actresses of European film scene. But in her private life, she was anything but lucky. She died in 1982.

Penélope Cruz

One of the most famous Europen actresses in recent decades is Spanish actress Penélope Cruz. Cruz started her career in her home country before achieving fame in other European countries and, finally, Hollywood. Her performances received a lot of acclaim, especially in films by director Pedro Almodóvar, among them “Volver” (pictured).

Irene Papas

After 1945, actresses from smaller European nations were able to conquer the hearts of audiences across Europe. One of them was Irene Papas who is also renowned as a singer in her home country, Greece. She celebrated her biggest success in “Zorba the Greek” (1964) before also working in other European countries, and in Hollywood.

Tatjana Samoilova

While films from Italy, France, Germany and England dominated the film scene during the postwar era, it should not be forgotten that eastern Europe had much to offer too. One of the biggest female stars of Russian film was certainly Tatjana Samoilova who achieved world fame with the movie “The Cranes are Flying” (1957).

Krystyna Janda

Polish actress Krystyna Janda became known in the 1970s for her performances in films by Polish director Andrzej Wajda. She then performed in international co-productions with stars like Lino Ventura. In her home country, Krystyna Janda is also known as a singer and an an author.

In 1993, CC received a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival to be followed in 2002 by an “honorary bear” at the Berlinale. The spirited actress performed in more than 100 films.

In 2017, CC once again drew attention at an international film festival. A photo depicting her as a young actress embellished a placard in Cannes where she had often been invited as an honorary guest. On April 15, Claudia Cardinale will turn 80. Happy birthday!

This article was originally published April 15, 2018 and updated.

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