Tiny Kitten Found Alone In Woods Wasn't What He Seemed

Last month, Mathieu Patry was riding his bike along a wooded trail near his home in Quebec, Canada, when something small and furry caught his eye.

There, just off the path, was a tiny kitten all alone.

"At first I thought it was a domestic cat," Patry told The Dodo. "So I got off the mountain bike to go check."

Turns out, he thought wrong.

Upon closer inspection, Patry noticed that this particular kitty was unlike your typical house cat. The little feline's features are what helped reveal his true, wild identity.

"I saw his paws and immediately guessed that it was a lynx," Patry said. "Then I saw the little round ears, and afterwards I saw that he had just a tiny little tail. I was very surprised to see that it was a lynx."

Unsure if the kitten had been orphaned, or if his mother was still somewhere close by, Patry decided the best thing to do was to let him be and continue on his way — but the baby lynx never left his mind.

The next day, Patry returned to the spot, just in case. The lynx was there like before, but this time he was crying out. His mother, sadly, was still nowhere in sight.

Fearing the helpless baby wouldn't make it on his own, Patry chose to help.

Now, the lynx kitten was alone no more.

Patry brought the baby lynx home and contacted wildlife rehabbers at a local zoo for help. They instructed him to feed and water the lynx until he could be placed under their expert care.

The next morning, after dropping the lynx off with his new caretakers, Patry came to learn that the kitten was much smaller than he should be this time of the season, suggesting he may have been struggling to survive on his own for a while before Patry found him.

But now things are looking up.

"The zoo will host him for a while and then release him into the wild, when he is strong enough," Patry said.

With any luck, all will go well for the little lynx and he'll go on to live a normal life. Patry, meanwhile, is happy to have given him a second chance.

"I love all animals, so it was just normal for me to help him if I could," Patry said. "I am very happy to know that he is safe and that he is doing well. I am happy that he will survive. He's so beautiful."