A resident from Minnesota heard a kitten crying in a car lot early this week. He looked around and found her huddled up next to a tire under a car.
The man couldn't leave the kitten in the busy location so brought her home, not realizing that she was not just a stray cat.
"A little while later he began to suspect it wasn't a domestic breed and started calling around. Thankfully he found us and transferred the kit to our care," Tami Vogel, Communications Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, told Love Meow.
24 hours later, the wildlife rescue took in their first bobcat kitten of the summer.
The mother bobcat was not around when she was spotted. "We don't know what happened, but we can make a guess based on what we see with a lot of other wildlife — a predator passed by, then everyone scattered. Mom and the rest of the litter stayed together but this little one got separated somehow, and mom didn't realize it to come back and check."
Normally, they would do a quick health check on the animal and have the finder return it back to where it was found to hopefully be reunited.
"That's what anyone should do who finds an orphaned wild animal that is not injured or in need of medical help. Don't feed it anything, don't handle it, put it back for mom to find. Then, if it's still there the next day all alone, bring it to a licensed rehabber," Tami added.
However, this bobcat kitten was found in an unsafe location and had been there alone overnight. "It prompted our decision to admit the bobcat rather than leaving it out for another night," Tami told Love Meow.
"Any orphaned wild animal should go to a licensed rehabber as soon as possible. Here in Minnesota, finders legally only have 24 hours to get it to a licensed rehabber."
The kitten appears to be in good health but was dehydrated.
"She will spend a few days with us stabilizing then we'll transfer her to another rehabber who works with bobcats. She'll eventually return to the wild."
Share this story with your friends. If you would like to support their rescue efforts, visit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota's site to see how you can help.
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