A couple who found an unusual visitor at their home have gained viral attention this week after sharing how a bobcat kitten suddenly appeared.
Shared on Reddit on Saturday by user u/Doustin who lives in New Hampshire with his wife Courtney, the post has gained over 72,000 upvotes and thousands of comments.
In the post, the caption says: "Came home from a walk and saw this guy at our stairs," alongside pictures of the kitten.
The Redditor Doustin told Newsweek: "I went on a walk and when I was coming home, I found a kitten. I called my wife Courtney and said that it had a possible medical problem.
"She immediately told me to pick it up and bring it inside, she was going to evaluate for obvious medical concerns and bring it to the vet, I said that it was hissing and making it known he/she did not want to be handled."
Not giving up easily, Courtney headed outside with some food and a towel. After trying to feed it—and the cat making it clear it was not interested—the couple realized it was no ordinary kitten, this was a Bobcat kitten.
"Courtney did see a noticeable massive tick and what looked like a puncture wound near the tick spot," said the Redditor: "I knew that between the injury and the age of the little one that we needed to get it help at a wildlife sanctuary."
However, after calling a few sanctuaries with not much success, the couple were left with the next best option—calling the police.
Ensuring the cat didn't stray too far while they waited, the couple sat until officers arrived. "The officer that came out was super excited for this call," said Doustin: "He loves cats too, so it was the perfect person to come down. He called dispatch and they called a sanctuary and that place responded and was sending out someone to get it."
Around 45 minutes later, the team from Millstone Wildlife Center arrived and picked up the wildcat: "The wildlife people came and we found out that it is really rare for them to get any kind of Bobcat. It has been years since the last one."
Explained the Reddit user: "He and his wife were super excited about this because it is so rare, and is the cutest kitten."
The rescue told the couple it was likely the mom was gone, and they would take the cat in to take care of him.
Executive Director of Millstone Wildlife Center, Frannie Greenberg told Newsweek: "He is doing very well and we anticipate being able to successfully rehabilitate him over the next many months with a release expected possibly in the spring of 2023.
"The bobcat population is increasing in southern New Hampshire, however, this is our first call for one since we became licensed in 2015. Millstone Wildlife Center took in 974 animals last year alone, so a bobcat is quite uncommon in rehabilitation. We are saddened that he has lost his family, but excited to be able to raise and release him."
The rescue center estimates that the small cat is only around 7 weeks of age—this would be around the time they usually emerge from their den. Weighing just 2.5 pounds, the fiesty kitty will be taken care of using protocol that will help him to remain wild and not become habituated.
With a specially-built enclosure to keep both him and the team's volunteers safe, he will have a special diet of meat, including game meat.
"Prior to release he will need to demonstrate the ability to hunt, catch and kill prey," explained Greenberg.
According to information from the New Hampshire government website, bobcats are distributed from coast to coast in the U.S., found between southern Canada and Mexico with 12 subspecies.
In New Hampshire, the bobcat species is known as the Lynx rufus gigas. Data shows that bobcats reside in all New Hampshire counties and information suggests that numbers have increased in the last 20 years.
Ambush predators that frequent wildlife paths, the bobcat diet includes mice, squirrels, woodchucks, moles, and even reptiles and domestic cats. Standing at around 19-22 inches and weighing roughly 27 pounds, an adult bobcat's average lifespan in the wild is just 2–5 years, but the cats have been reported to live up to 32 years in captivity.
In thousands of comments, Reddit users shared their joy at seeing the unusual feline.
"All these kittens just sauntering up to everyone and YOU get a bobcat. Not gonna lie, I'm super jealous," said one commenter.
Meanwhile, another Reddit user wrote: "Sweet baby. Probably so scared."
"I would have accidentally adopted a bobcat," joked another user. While one person said: "Ignore logic. Embrace forbidden kitty."
For now, the couple says the cat is doing well. "He's feisty, which we're told is perfect," said the Redditor.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.
UPDATE 06/22/22 03:22 a.m. EDT: This article was updated with more information from Millstone Wildlife Center.
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