A cat named Andrei didn't hesitate to help a starving kitten he heard crying outside his front door, and only three days later he's already become a "father figure" to the look-alike ginger kitten.

In a Reddit post shared this past Friday under the username @NBonaparte1769, the owner shows the two napping together, holding on to each other tightly as the kitten makes himself comfortable in the new environment.

"My ginger boy heard a kitten mewing in our yard and I came out to see what's up. I took the little one in and this is them 3 days later," says a caption with the viral post.

The poster, Nikolai, told Newsweek that he was watching YouTube with his AirPods on, with his cat, Andrei, sitting on his lap, when all of a sudden the feline's ears perked up and he ran outside.

"I was curious so I took off my AirPods and walked outside. I immediately saw a tiny, starving kitten mewing for help. It broke my heart. Andrei went over and sniffed him over. I was a little concerned he might get aggressive toward the kitten, but he treated him gently. Then I approached the kitten slowly, letting him know he was safe.

Nikolai went on: "He was hesitant, but he came around. I gave him food and water. Afterwards, I gave him a bath and he seemed OK. I decided to take him in. I mean, he was only here for an hour, and he had both our hearts. I named him Nico, and he's a very happy boy. He's insanely active, and Andrei can barely keep up with him. Andrei is like a father figure to Nico."

While Andrei felt an immediate connection with Nico, most cats usually need time to get used to a new kitten in the house.

Cats are territorial creatures and so sharing their territory with another feline may be challenging in the beginning. But there are some things you can do to make this easier.

Newsweek previously reported on the best way to introduce a kitten to your new cat and found that it can't be done all at once. Instead, take your time to allow the pets to get used to each other.

The first thing you should do is introduce the two kittens through their scent. The best way to do this is rubbing a cloth on your kitten to collect its scent and then offering the cloth to your older cat to smell, as well as some treats as a reward, to make this a positive experience.

You must give each of the cats its personal space where it can isolate if needed. It is also important to keep the cats separated in the beginning and to keep their interactions monitored until they are clearly comfortable with each other.

Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, 24Petwatch's Shelter Watch Report found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.

The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 6,500 upvotes and 89 comments.

One user, BillTheCat-, commented: "You're building a loving family."

BonaFortunaAurantius said: "The cat distribution system worked. I appreciate your generosity in taking in this small one. I wish you the best of luck with your new duo. They both look really great together!!!"

Full-of-Cattitude wrote: "Awww, he's taken them in under his little ginger wing. What a lovely boy he is!"

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.