They thought she was a cute cat – until her claws came out.
A German animal shelter got a nasty surprise when staff discovered that a seemingly abandoned kitten was actually an aggressive European wildcat.
A good Samaritan found the little creature on the road and, after bringing it home, realized it was feisty and refused to eat. So he brought her to the Tierheim Bergheim animal shelter, The Dodo reported.
The shelter, located in Bergheim, about 40 km from Cologne, immediately identified it as a European wildcat, the size of a large domestic cat and a protected species native to the region.
Tierheim Bergheim posted a video of the adorable animal suddenly whistling on its Facebook page, along with a caption explaining that it had to be transferred to the Retscheider Hof, an animal station.
“Staff [at the shelter] immediately recognized that it was not an ordinary domestic kitten,” a spokesperson for the Retscheider Hof wildlife center told the media.
“The specific characteristics and behavior indicated that it was a wild cat. This prompted the animal shelter staff to contact us immediately.
The wild cat is now at the Retscheider Hof with another cat of its species, and the pair will stay there until it is old enough to be released into the wild.
“We are currently working hard to provide both animals with the support and care they need,” continued the wildlife center spokesperson.
“We do our best to make their stay as comfortable as possible. Every progress they make is followed here with great enthusiasm and hope.
