Bobcat who was injured as a kitten and lost all his survival instincts gets rescued, and his caretakers find out that his favorite toy is fennel: 'It knocked most of the... "bobcat" out of him'

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Mar 24, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

All big cats are amazing and meowgestic, but unfortunately, not every one of them gets the same start at life. Some are a little less lucky than others, but that doesn't mean that they cannot find their joy in life. And when things like that happen - when a big cat, for whatever reason, cannot be released back into the wild, it is up to us humans to make its life as good as it can be. For some big cats, it's just about making a friend - like this shy rescued cheetah cub who got paired up with a puppy or this rescued black panther who grew up with a Rottweiler. For others, it's about finding a new purpose - like this injured bobcat who became the best foster momma to other orphaned cubs. 

And for T'Challa, the bobcat we're going to be talking about today, who fell on its head as a kitten after a hawk grabbed it, finding joy in life just meant discovering that fennel is the best toy ever. 

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  • 01
    Yell in a War @jelenawoehr I'm still on Facebook mostly because I have a friend who runs a wildlife rescue and had to keep a bobcat that's unreleasable because he was dropped on his head by a hawk as a kitten and doesn't understand he's a predator It's an absolute Pixar movie. Fennel is his favorite toy.
    via @jelenawoehr
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    via @jelenawoehr
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    Yell in a War @jelenawoehr This bobcat is not bright. I cannot overstate how not bright he is. An apex predator in his natural ecosystem, meant to patrol a range of multiple square miles and terrorize smaller wildlife, in captivity he has taken up sunbathing and eating vegetables.
    via @jelenawoehr
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    via @jelenawoehr

  • We do not think that it is possible for us to love an animal more than we have fallen in love with this little guy. Thank you for saving him. Thank you for giving him a second chance and for taking care of him so diligently. And thank you for giving him all the fennel that he could possibly want. 

  • 05
    Yell in a War @jelenawoehr Another update: T'Challa is still swimming in fennel, thanks to the Internet! And his rehabber was able to use donations from viral stories about T'Challa & their other wildlife ambassadors to expand the wildlife rehab to a second location to better prepare patients for release!
    via @jelenawoehr
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    via @jelenawoehr
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    Yell in a War @jelenawoehr It's T’Challa's birthday! He received a special piñata, a cake toy, a birthday house, and of course fennel! Happy birthday sweet boy.
    via @jelenawoehr
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    Cheezburger Image 10484346368
    via @jelenawoehr
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    via @jelenawoehr
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    via @jelenawoehr

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  • 11
    For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue Everybody loves T'challa, our bobcat ambassador. When this boy was dropped by a hawk as a newborn kitten, it knocked most of the sense (and most of the "bobcat") out of him. As a result, he is unusually tame and has few survival instincts, and can't return the the wild.
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
  • 12
    We love sharing T'challa's cute, funny, friendly side with people. We've lost count of the number of confused people who have emailed us asking to adopt or purchase him as a pet and asked for help getting a bobcat of their own. So we feel like it's necessary to mention that, despite being a friendly critter made of derp, T'challa is still a bobcat. And like any bobcat, he would be a terrible pet.
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
  • 13
    Please never kidnap a wild bobkitten in hopes that it will grow up to be like T'challa. Most bobcats don't act like him, and even T'challa himself is not an animal you actually want in your home.
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
  • 14
    For one thing, T'challa is dangerously unpredictable. He is a friendly baby who loves chin scritches and cuddles as much as a house cat 99% of the time... but, the other 1% of the time, he is a vicious predator. There are moments when he will "snap" and attack with little warning. I'm covered in gashes and bites in various states of healing at any given time and my doctor gives me a prescription to keep on hand for when these bites get infected. A bobcat's claws and teeth are much sharper and st
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
  • 15
    T’challa is much more expensive to care for than a house cat― not something a typical pet owner could handle. It costs about $300 per month to provide T’challa the specialty foods and whole prey he needs to thrive. His outdoor enclosure cost over $3,000 to build, secure, and furnish to USDA and IWRC minimum standards. His veterinary care though discounted for us since we are a nonprofit organization- would run a private owner several thousand dollars per year. Finally, liability insurance for th
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
  • 16
    A bobcat, even as tame as T'challa, is also extremely destructive to property and could cause serious damage to a home. Most bobcats do not fully litter box train, because they have a powerful instinct to mark their territory. They will pee and on beds, carpets, and water bowls. They will scratch furniture and walls and floorboards. They can sometimes be territorially aggressive, attacking guests and visitors and other pets. Most bobcats also have a strong prey drive and, when raised to ignore t
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
  • 17
    We love T'challa and we're so thankful that there are so many people who love him as much as we do! He is a wonderful ambassador for his species and encourages people to understand that bobcats are sensitive, beautiful animals intrinsic to our ecosystem. But we owe it to him and his wild kin to give the other side of the story. Even the friendliest bobcats are not house cats. Please keep wildlife wild! If you want a companion suited to life in a human family, there are many domestic cats awaitin
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
  • 18
    I'm the tamest, least-bobcat-like bobcat ever. But even I would be a terrible pet! Keep wildlife wild.
    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue

  • Not everyone has a great start in life, but we think that if there is anything that this story has reminded us of, it is that everyone - truly everyone - deserves a chance. Being different doesn't mean that you deserve love any less than someone who is “normal”.

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    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue
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    via For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue

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