I took in a little, pregnant stray cat just over 2 yrs ago. When she had the kittens, she was such a wonderful mum! I was with her when they were born and she trusted me completely, even though she'd only been with us a short while. It was as if she knew that I was trying to help & protect her. She had 8 of the little darlings and we found lovely homes for 6 and kept the other 2 (Monty & Cleo). Mum has now been spayed, as has her daughter, and her son is neutered too. They get on fine with my other 2 cats and the dogs, but the main point of this (sorry, I went off at a tangent, didn't I?) is that, even after 2 yrs, the mother cat still adores her offspring, playing with them, washing them and letting them feed before she does. You're so right - animals (which humans say haven't got as much intelligence as we have) are much better parents than a lot of humans are.