Zoo worker notices mother lynx refusing to care for her newborn cub, brings in her own domestic cat who had just given birth, and the feline foster mom adopts the wild baby, raising it alongside her kittens

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Jun 26, 2026 2:15 PM EDT

Sometimes, cute AI stories online are based on real stories - that are much, much cuter. 

You may have seen this viral Twitter thread come across your timelines this week. Two cute pictures of a cat and a lynx cub with an equally cute caption story above them. But you, with your keen eye and your new suspicion of every cute post you see on the internet, instantly realized the story and the pictures were generated by AI. You open the post, and the comments confirm your suspicions. It's AI. Except… not exactly.

AI pulls its ideas from somewhere. It finds… inspiration in real life. And we, the ICHC writers, as people who have made it our business to know every single story that there is in existence about cats, knew, right away, that this AI story was based on a real one. 

All the way back in 2015, something amazing happened. At the Novosibirsk Zoo in Russia, a domestic cat adopted a lynx cub. We had to dig for a while for a proper reference, but we found it - a 10-year-old DailyMail article covering exactly this story. Way before AI took over our lives. It's a simple story, but it is precious, and we understand why its AI version would go viral today. 

A worker at the Novosibirsk zoo noticed that one of their lynx cubs was being neglected by its mother. It was the runt of the litter, and Momma Lynx decided he wasn't quite strong enough for her. That worker, concerned, came up with a unique idea. She brought in her own domestic cat, who had just given birth to kittens, and placed her with the cub, hoping that the mom's maternal instincts would apply to the itty-bitty wild cub as well. And they did. 

The momma cat took in the lynx as if he were one of her own, raising him alongside her little kittens. The pictures of the pair are iconic. Truly, there is no need to generate fake ones when the real ones are so cute. 

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  • 01
    Cats with Aura @catwithaura When Nick was just a tiny lynx cub, his mother rejected him, leaving him orphaned and alone. He was brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center, where an unexpected foster mother stepped in a domestic cat named Masha.
    via @catwithaura
  • 02
    While nobody knew if the tiny cub would survive, Masha immediately accepted him as her own. She groomed him, slept beside him, comforted him, and helped raise him through his most vulnerable days. Under Masha's care, Nick grew from a helpless cub into a strong and healthy lynx. But although Nick grew bigger, one thing never changed - his love for the cat who became his mother.
    via @catwithaura

  • The story that went viral. You can see why it would capture people's attention. But in our opinion, it's not any better than the real story. Might as well have published that one, instead of adding to the AI minefield. 

  • 03
    Val Dobson @ValDobson The pictures are Al-generated and the story is based on this report of an lynx cub named Nika that was adopted by an unnamed cat in a Russian ZOO: Cat Adopts Baby Lynx Rejected by Her Mother From lovemeow.com 11:44 PM · Jun 17, 2026
    via @ValDobson

  • Also no, we didn't bother putting in the AI-generated pictures. We don't believe in those. Especially when it comes to animal content. Scroll down, we promise that the real pictures of the real cat and lynx cub are much better. 

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    AJ Schmitz @Dr_AJknowsaword GIF I'm not crying, you're crying! 4:04 AM • Jun 17, 2026 - 27.8K Views
    via @Dr_AJknowsaword
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    Ons is Voortrekkers @OBrandwag This is so beautiful and heartwarming. 9:59 AM ⚫ Jun 17, 2026
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    141TC @141TC Same software, different hardware! 2:21 PM ⚫ Jun 17, 2026
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    Lisa marchand @Lisamarchand20 Masha taught you beautifully. 6:27 AM ⚫ Jun 17, 2026
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    Chris Skinner @ChrisSkinnerSk1 A heartwarming story, showing animals often show more love & affection than humans! That said-- I wouldn't be rushing in to pet that rather large Lynx! 1:14 AM ⚫ Jun 18, 2026
    via @ChrisSkinnerSk1

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aww pics wholesome cat adorable cub cute cute cats viral Cats lynx
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