Forest cat: never pick up kittens in the forest (12 photos)

A kitten in the forest is not always the result of human cruelty. Perhaps you are looking at a future wild forest predator! And then the rescue will turn into a surprise that is unlikely to live in your apartment. A wild forest cat can kill a deer - what a one-room studio apartment for him!





A typical transition from childhood to adolescence through the eyes of parents.

In Europe, such kittens are periodically brought to shelters. People find babies in the forest and on the sides of the roads, and then begin to suspect: something is wrong. And indeed, it is almost impossible to distinguish a kitten of a wild forest or European cat from an ordinary stray at first glance. Whiskers, paws, tail and big pitiful eyes - what other documents!



A surprise kitten!

The truth about the origin is revealed upon arrival at the aid center. Wild children react very negatively to people: they bite, snort, and do not even take food from hands. Yes, ordinary street strays can also be wild, but they quickly get used to the presence of two-legged creatures and after a couple of days they take people for granted. But no matter how much you feed forest kittens, they will still look into the forest. And wait until the claws grow to tear everyone apart.





They don't need a warm bed and a bowl of food. They need a bed of moss and warm blood from their prey!

People have repeatedly tried to domesticate European cats. Spoiler - no one has succeeded. Although forest cats are considered close relatives of domestic Barsiks, they do not make contact with humans. Even if you raise them from a small mole rat.



Okay, kids, get into this two-legged's good graces, take all his sausage and come back. Got it?

If compassionate people regularly meet kittens, then adult cats remain invisible to people. Wild murziks are found in Europe. Moreover, they settle next to us - on the edge of the forest: in an old barn, in the attic or in the country. And the owner of the living space may not suspect about the newcomer for years!



One more chicken, one less. Who will notice?

This is because forest cats in different parts of their range adjust their activity to the world around them: somewhere they go hunting only at dusk, somewhere they prowl only during the day or, conversely, exclusively at night. In general, they do everything to reduce contact with humans to a minimum, even though they live right under their noses.



Go away, this is my house! What do you mean, you're the owner? I don't know anything, I've been living here for 5 years!

Even if a person is lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a forest cat, he's unlikely to recognize it as a wild animal. European cats are very similar to ordinary strays of brown-striped color. That's why people drag forest kittens to shelters. It's just that no one knows that in addition to ordinary cats, their wild cousins live in the forest.



A hare is not an easy prey for a cat either. The average hare weighs as much as a cat!

European cats do us a big favor by not making contact - otherwise no one would go into the forest. Savages are distinguished by their ferocity and bloodthirstiness. They catch very difficult and strong prey alone - a person might seem like either a competitor or the next target to them.



The demonic essence that lives in every cat has finally come out!

The predators' menu includes: fast-footed hares, secretive muskrats, a large list of birds, including ducks and coots, as well as deer and roe deer! Yes, they are not able to bring down an adult ungulate, but catching a cub is also a difficult and dangerous task. Sometimes such game weighs as much as the cat itself. Predators try to eat their victims on the spot, but if the hunt is successful, they hide the remains of the meat under dry leaves and branches.



Boris from the Kitekat ad has become really mean!

Sometimes other predatory freeloaders visit cats' hiding places. But European cats will never let theirs go: there was a recorded case when an animal was guarding its prey from a badger that was twice its size. And the badger got away!



I. Need. Yours. Sausage.

In the spring, the animals are given away for gingerbread not only to other meat-eaters, but also to cats from all over the area. The mating season of wild cats proceeds in the same way as that of domestic cats: with howls, screams, cries and clumps of torn fur. In the March atmosphere, filled with a haze of romance, the difference between domestic and wild cats is sometimes not noticed by the cats themselves. They are blown away by love! So in the litters of European cats, sometimes there are kittens-hybrids with domestic cats. And vice versa: wild blood appears among domestic cats.



Males and female cats do not form monogamous pairs. They have rather promiscuous relationships. But these cats look like they've been married for 20 years!

In many parts of their range, this threatens the existence of the species. The savages don't become more civilized or kinder from their relationships with domestic cats - they simply lose their genetic uniqueness. So today, these cats' main battle is not for prey, but for survival in a world where wildlife is rapidly disappearing, forests are being cut by highways, and forest edges are being occupied by campsites, summer cottages, and people.



My mother told me that this Petka is a city dandy and will leave me! It's a pity I didn't listen to her!