When walkers discovered a tiny, frightened kitten all alone in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, they knew they had to help.
Despite the kitten's protests, they bundled him up and took him to the Bergheim animal shelter.
Wild at heart
Once there, shelter staff quickly noticed there was something very unusual about the new arrival.
He displayed extremely defensive behaviour, which would be abnormal in even the most feral of cats. Hissing and using his paws for protection, the kitten was behaving like a wildcat!
The team called in the experts, who confirmed the creature in question was in fact a wildcat.
Having never seen one in person, shelter staff couldn't believe what they were hearing. "This is the first time something like this has happened", explained shelter manager Heike Bergmann.
In safe hands
As the Bergheim shelter isn't equipped to care for wild animals, arrangements had to be made for the kitten to be moved to an appropriate centre.
And thankfully, via a Facebook appeal shared with the community, a chauffeur for the wildcat was found in no time.
Happily settled at the wildlife centre, the little wildcat is doing well, surrounded by a dedicated team and specialist attention.
