Beth Walton

bwalton@citizen-times.com

WAYNESVILLE - Thanks to the help of a nursing mama cat, a Haywood County animal rescue saved an orphaned bobcat kitten and is now partnering with a wildlife agency to re-release the animal.

Bob the bobcat came to Sarge's Animal Rescue Foundation in May after a woman dropped off an "unusual looking kitten" that appeared to only be a few days old, said Sarge's Animal Rescue Foundation animal care manager Erica Chacon.

The woman found the animal abandoned, but thought it might be a bobcat since she had seen a family of the large, wild felines near her home, she said.

That same day a nursing cat named Sweet Pea and her four kittens were going to be dropped off at the shelter.

If the bobcat was going to survive it would need her milk, Chacon said. Within 15 minutes, the small animal was welcomed by the adult cat.

“Mama cat Sweet Pea and Bob loved each other so much," Chacon recalled.

A staff veterinarian at the Western North Carolina Nature Center began regular check-ups and Sarge's Animal Rescue started consulting with a biologist at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. A plan was devised to care for the bobcat until he was weaned and ready for release.

On July 8, the animal was transported to the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. There he will be placed in a large wire enclosure where he will not see humans. Live prey will be put into the cage so Bob can learn to hunt.

Another bobcat will hopefully be introduced to help Bob with his training, said Nina Fischesser, director of the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in a statement. The rehabilitation center plans to re-release Bob in the wild between the Pisgah National Forest and the Linville Gorge area next spring.

“Hopefully, he’ll pick up on his natural instincts and return to the wild," she said. "The Sarge’s staff did such a good job with him — he looks really healthy.”

LEARN MORE

For information on Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation, visit www.sargeandfriends.org or call 828-246-9050.