A family discovers an abandoned cat on the sidewalk. Examine more closely to see that this isn’t your typical kitty.
This story from 2016 is just too adorable to share. A small baby cat was spotted exploring the streets by itself in Thailand. A nearby family spotted the little man on the street while they were out and about taking in the evening.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered that this was no ordinary cat—it was unlike any other kittens they had seen. The family contacted the wildlife organization Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), and they sent a representative right away to look over the animal.
After conducting a comprehensive examination, the researchers concluded that the animal was a fishing cat, a rare species of cat that is in jeopardy of going extinct.
This “wild cat” can get up to double the size of an average cat and loves the sea. The cat got its moniker because it loves to hunt and devour fish so much.
Wikipedia describes the fishing cat, or Prionailurus viverrinus, as a medium-sized wild cat that can be found in South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it has been classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The fisher cat population has declined significantly over the last ten years, and its decline is threatened by the degradation of wetlands. The main habitats for fishing cats are marshes, mangroves, oxbow lakes, rivers, and streams.
When the family discovered the kitten, WFFT discovered that he had just been out of the womb for a few hours. The organization’s experts couldn’t figure out how a mother might have left her newborn behind in such a peculiar fashion for the breed.
The family was immediately enamored with the unusual cat and granted permission to keep it for a trial term. They decided to call him Simba. It was obvious that the cat had a deep connection to the family.
The family always thought that the mother of the kitten would come back at any time to look for her offspring, so they kept a close eye on her.
Unfortunately, that never happened.
Rather, Simba was breastfed by the family, and he grew up to be a beautiful fisher cat.
Simba is fortunately still alive and well as of right now, but it is imperative that he continues to develop.
According to the WFFT, poaching and retaliatory killing were the primary causes of Thailand’s high 84% fishing cat mortality rate.
Consequently, Simba’s survival and rescue are not only astounding, but also crucial to the continued existence of his breed.
