A woman from Nebraska, USA, was used to seeing cats wandering outside her home, so she thought she was simply helping a lost feline. But as she opened her door on a snowy evening, she had no idea about her visitor's true identity.
This spontaneous act of kindness would end up saving the life of an animal far more unexpected than a simple domestic cat.
A surprisingly confident guest
Jackie Vrzak Hamaker isn't surprised to find neighbourhood cats on her porch. Usually, they run away as soon as she gets close.
Last month, however, a female who appeared to be a stray showed up at her door in the middle of the snow. And, against all expectations, the animal didn't move.
Thinking she was dealing with a hungry cat seeking shelter from the cold, Jackie brought it a tin of food and settled it in her warm garage.
A shocking discovery
Observing it more closely, however, Jackie noticed some intriguing features. The coat didn't look like any domestic cat's she had ever seen before. Most notably, its tail was much shorter.
"I really thought it was a new exotic breed," she confided.
Assuming the animal belonged to someone, she posted a message in a local Facebook group for lost pets. The responses came quickly and were unanimous: this “lost cat” looked very much like a bobcat.
Still sceptical, Jackie contacted a friend who works in wildlife rescue. The verdict was in: the animal was "100 %" a bobcat.
"I was shocked to learn it was a bobcat," she admitted. Shortly after, volunteers from Nebraska Wildlife Rehab arrived to safely retrieve the animal.
A life-saving rescue
The wild feline appeared thin and unusually docile. Jackie quickly suspected a health problem. The rescuers confirmed that the young female was underweight and still at an age where she should be with her mother. She is now being cared for by the Nebraska Wildlife Rehab team.
Without Jackie's act of kindness, this bobcat might not have survived long enough to get the help it needed.
