Tiny Maine Coon Kittens Who 'Look Just Like Dad' Are Stealing Hearts

The way genetics work can be a truly fascinating thing. Of course, there's plenty of science behind it that explains the way that parents pass their genes onto their children, but seeing the end result never fails to be really cool. Some kids are born looking identical to one of their parents, while others may look like they had been switched at the hospital! The same goes for animals, too — some kittens and puppies are just smaller versions of their mom or dad, while others look like they might have come from a different litter entirely.

But when it comes to this litter of Maine Coon kittens on TikTok, there's absolutely no doubt about who their dad could be! Somehow, they all look exactly like him, and people can't get enough of these cuties.

On Monday, July 29, @wildmane_mainecoons , a Maine Coon cattery that's popular with the feline lovers of TikTok, shared an update on one of their recent litters of kittens... and how their dad basically just said "copy and paste."

She started off by showing the dad today, as a fully grown cat, who is an all black Maine Coon with green eyes, and then, a video of him as a kitten, when he was all black with bright blue eyes. Then, she shared four of his five children, who are not only adorable, but all look identical to him. There's no doubt they will be dad's twins when they're fully grown!

The only kitten who doesn't look exactly like him is a dark gray, like the cat printer ran out of ink. LOL.

After seeing these kittens, I'm sure you're not surprised that commenters are absolutely gushing over them. One person wrote, "Fantastic. I'll take a dozen."

Maine Coon Color Genetics

Maine Coons can be so many different colors and patterns, and they don't always look exactly like their parents the way these kittens do.

As Regal Lane Maine Coons points out, because of the way that cats get their genes passed down from their parents, male cats will typically look more like their moms, while females get one color from each of their parents.

The site goes on to explain that solid colors are recessive, while tabby patterns are more dominant, and both cats must have the solid gene to be able to pass it on. Color patterns can come from either of their parents, but all red (orange) Maine Coons will have a tabby pattern.

Also interesting: White isn't a Maine Coon's true color, even if it looks like it is. Instead, it's actually dominant and masking one of the other colors.

It's pretty fascinating stuff (and getting into the nitty gritty of it can be very complicated for those of us who aren't science whizzes). But in the end, it all comes together to make a really cute kitten, which is kind of a miracle in itself.