'He thinks he's one of [the cats]': Rescued bobcat kitten who's unable to be released into the wild gets adopted by a veterinarian and his rehabilitator wife, grows up alongside domestic cats, now thinks that he is a cat himself

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Sep 26, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Some big cats, unfortunately, don't have the best start in life. We want them all to be free, running around in the wild, meowgestic as they are, but that's not always possible. Some big cats cannot be released back into the wild for a bunch of reasons. We've heard of a bobcat who fell on its head as a kitten and has lost all its instincts. We've heard of a lion born with a rare disorder who can't survive on its own in the wild. We heard of a panther who got rejected by its mother when it was a kitten.

There are so many cases like that, and all we can hope for is that in as many of these cases as possible, other solutions will be found - other ways for these big cats to be fulfilled and happy throughout their lives. And Petie… Petie is definitely a happy one. Sure, he couldn't be released back into the wild, but he has a family, cat friends, favorite toys. He's living his best life, it just looks a little different than other bobcats.  

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  • 01

    "This is Petie. He's a bobcat, so I'm pretty sure he's allowed to show his lovely face in this sub."

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    KaizokuOni55 What's Petie's story? How'd he come to be raised by you? Beautiful animals btw.
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    vix_aries OP How'd he come to be raised by you? He was raised by a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals and his wife who is a certified rehabilitator.
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    What's Petie's story? He was born as one of three cubs born to two different mums. Neither knew which cub was hers, so they fought and one of the cubs was unfortunately k led. It was an irresponsible move on the breeder. They separated Petie and his brother and placed them into the care of
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    two veterinarians respectively. Petie was bottle- fed because he wouldn't have been able to survive otherwise. Subsequently, he was deemed ineligible for rehabilitation. He's four now and the couple who care for him love him very much. I just happen to be a family friend with a phone lol
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  • We are so happy that people like this exist and that they are willing to do this for animals. We're sure that it's not the easiest thing in the world to take care of a bobcat, but they're doing it, and just looking at him and knowing how happy he is… we're sure that makes it all worth it. 

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    foopdedoopburner Petie doesn't think his smaller friend is a snack? Around here wild bobcats will hunt and eat pet cats if they can.
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    vix_aries OP Petie doesn't think his smaller friend is a snack? Nope! He's been around domestic cats since he was little.
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    RebelMountainman Oh but where I live just south of Yosemite Bobcats are the number one ki er of domesticated cats.
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    vix_aries OP Oh but where I live just south of Yosemite Bobcats are the number one ki er of domesticated cats. Petie has been around domestic cats his entire life. Frankly, he thinks he's one of them.
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  • We are so, so happy that he has friends too. The fact that he thinks he's a cat is cute enough, but to know that he acts like one, that he's happy with them… it's like a Disney story. And we wish we could get some more updates on him. 

  • 13
    405134 Hi Petie! How old is he? Does he still have more to grow?
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    vix_aries OP How old is he? Does he still have more to grow? He's four years old and he's done growing.
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    jordclay Omg I love his belly fluff. Does he purr and give whisker rubs???
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    vix_aries OP Indeed he does! The only cats that don't purr are those from the panthera genus (tigers, lions, etc). All kinds of big cats can give whisker rubs though!
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    Careanon Great info, thank you! But...Still want to know if he's fed red meat, is box trained, neutered and whether or not he has anything in common with living a "normal" life. Like does he ever get to see his brother? Etc...is he playful, does he get to play/hunt? Exercise his instinctual proclivities like tree climb? Not hostile...lol, just wondering bc he's a majestic beautiful "wild" animal who kind are common in my neighborhood here in the Great P.N.W.
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    vix_aries OP Great info, thank you! But...Still want to know if he's fed red meat, is box trained, neutered and whether or not he has anything in common with living a "normal" life. He is fed an assortment of meats, red meat included. He is litter box trained and neutered. Petie doesn't get to see his brother, but he has Calypso!
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    Etc...is he playful, does he get to play/hunt? Exercise He is *super playful! It's so fun to watch him. There are tons of enrichment items around the house. It's been bobcatified. He climbs, scratches, etc. It's really funny to watch him around cat nip.
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    FecalFunBunny How does his owner find his temperment? I understand that he has been raised as a housecat around said housecats, but I am curious if there are any moments that he shows a more feral/wild reaction at all? Plus, those pads would come with some extra biscuit making needles that could be hard to manage. :)
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    vix_aries OP How does his owner find his temperment? I understand that he has been raised as a housecat around said housecats, but I am curious if there are any moments that he shows a more feral/wild reaction at all? He'll growl at you if you try to take his toys. It's actually really cute because he'll play fetch, though he'll want to chew on his toy by himself really quickly. As someone who regularly works with much bigger and more dangerous felines, Petie isn't that big a deal for him. It's
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aww wholesome cat adorable adoption heartwarming special needs cute adopted bobcat story Cats rescue
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