Oct. 25 (UPI) — A seemingly orphaned or abandoned kitten brought to an animal shelter in Germany displayed unusually aggressive behavior that resulted in it being identified as a European wildcat.
The Bergheim Animal Shelter said the small feline was brought in by a member of the public who found it alone on a country road and became concerned by the animal’s aggressive behavior and refusal to eat.
Shelter staff suspected the kitten wasn’t a domestic cat at all, and contacted the Retscheider Hof wildlife center, which confirmed the animal was a European wildcat, a protected wild species native to the area.
The wildlife center said the young wildcat is being cared for alongside another member of its species until they are old enough to be returned to the wild.
“We do our best to make their stay as comfortable as possible. Every progress they make is followed here with great enthusiasm and hope,” a wildlife center spokesman told The Dodo.
