6 Pet Dads We're Celebrating this Father's Day

Father’s Day is just around the corner and, as always, we love celebrating dads and father figures of all kinds. As you’re gathering up your Father’s Day gifts, we're profiling six dads that go the extra mile for their furry (and feathered) kids. These stories are sure to melt your human heart.

1. A Dachshund Dad Who Created the Coolest Pup Hangout Room

Mid-century modern meets dachshund mini in this dog dad’s decked-out hideaway - but the thoughtfully designed space isn’t for dad. Benjamin Mazer transformed his spare bedroom with dachshund-sized furniture to keep pups Peaches, Challah, and Mitzi happy and healthy when he’s away. “They have elongated spines with very short legs, which makes them highly susceptible to injuring their necks or backs, usually from jumping onto or off of human-sized furniture,” Mazer writes. Everything in the room is hand-selected or made with fatherly love - from the faux fireplace to the custom artwork. This dog dad won our hearts, and the right to use TikTok handle theworldsbestdogdad.

2. A Cat Dad Who is Shattering Gender Stereotypes One Cat Dad at a Time

Tamás Kovács is the cat dad behind the sensation account “Cat Daddy Official.” Here, he celebrates the bond between cat and man, and (not on purpose he says) pushes the gender stereotypes tethered to men parenting the “other” four-legged friend. “Men are not considered as cat lovers in such societies, it's unusual, but people tend to accept this relationship when they see examples,” he writes.

3. This Cat Dad Biking the World with His Rescued Feline

In September of 2018, Dean Nicholson left his home in Dunbar, Scotland on a mission: to cycle the entire world. When Nicholson set out on his adventure around the world, he wasn’t sure what to expect. But we can all guess that he wasn’t anticipating becoming a cat dad to a tiny, stray kitten at the Bosnia-Montenegro border. The newly adopted kitten, now named Nola, didn’t halt the first-time cat dad’s big plans. She made them bigger. With Nola riding shotgun in the bike basket, the pair has traveled to 30 countries, planting over 40,000 trees and raising thousands for animal charities along the way.

4. This Dog Dad Reminds Us That There’s No Shame in Self-Care

Jonathan Graziano and his 13-year-old pug Noodle won the internet with their daily wake-up calls consisting of a “bones” or “no bones day”. On the days that Noodle in fact has “bones” or decides to stand, you know it’s going to be a day of indulgence. When he plops right back down in his comfy spot, this no-bones dog signals a day of laying low and canceling plans with no regret. Graziano doesn’t just bring us all joy and a curiosity about what the day could bring - he reminds us to respect our pets’ mental and physical needs on any given day.

5. This Cat Dad Treats His 23-Year-Old Cat Like a Queen

If you missed wishing Queen Lily a happy 23rd birthday in April (that’s 108 in human years!) hop on over to Queen_lily_99 and say hello to the delightful feline. What’s a cat dad to do on his Queen’s birthday? Serenade her, complete with a homemade cake and candles, of course! “I am grateful to experience an unconditional love,” the cat dad writes in a video caption of his self-proclaimed soulmate, Queen Lily.

6. A Father Figure for the Birds

Being a father figure isn’t always easy. For James Manzo, a park ranger in San Francisco, going the extra mile means dressing like a flower and holding a sugar-filled bloom in his mouth. He goes by hum.daddy and in a time of feeling really low, he found pure bliss in feeding the local hummingbirds - by hand. His dedication to being a hummingbird daddy doesn’t stop at the pure luck of a tiny bird fluttering his way. Manzo designs elaborate costumes to attract the delicate birds. Sometimes, being a human flower takes hours of sitting and waiting. It’s during these times that Manzo likes to jump on Instagram Live for face-to-flower chats with other humans in search of their bliss.

There’s no better gift than peace of mind when it comes to your pet's well-being. This Father’s Day, give dad a gift that will keep giving well into their dog or cat's senior years. Pet insurance ensures they can get back to doing what they do best - being a pet parent.

Janelle is a cat mum to two resident adventure kitties, Lyra and Atlas, and numerous cat and kitten fosters. Janelle and her furry family enjoy filling their days with hiking, kayaking, and seeking out the best cat-friendly destinations around the Pacific Northwest. You can follow Janelle, her adventure kitties, and adoptable fosters at @paws_pdx.