Rescued bobcat unable to return to the wild finds her purpose as a foster mom, raising every kitten who needs her: 'She takes those kittens in as if they are her absolute own'

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Aug 3, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

Just because an animal cannot be released back into the wild does not mean that they cannot find a new purpose and live a full and happy life. 

Back in 2016, Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center came across a young bobcat that needed help. She had a strange head tilt, likely caused by some head trauma, and that simply wasn't right. Because of this, she could not be released into the wild. But that didn't mean that her journey was over. That didn't mean that she instantly lost her purpose as a bobcat. And her caretakers knew that and decided to help her find a new purpose - as a foster mother, helping other rescued bobcat kittens get ready to be released back into the wild. 

The conservation center gets lots of rescued cubs, and the goal with each and every one of them, of course, is safe release into the wild. So, after they are done with bottle feeding, the cubs get placed in an enclosure next to Emma, and when the time is right, they get to meet her. "We'll open it up, and she takes those kittens in as if they are her absolute own, as if she gave birth to them."

"It's been amazing no matter how many kittens we give her, litter after litter, year after year, she takes them wholeheartedly and immediately starts bathing them and doing all the things that a wild bobcat mom would do," one of her caretakers explains. Thanks to Emma not having any interest in humans at all, the kittens she raises are also raised wild and wary of humans, giving them the best chance at a safe release. "We feed [Emma] every day. She doesn't want to have anything to do with us. She is a wild wild bobcat".

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  • “I think it's just so special how she takes in these kittens that aren't even related to her to see wild animals that do that it really just makes you think they have such amazing maternal instincts." Emma's bond with the kittens doesn't just help them either. The fact that she keeps on taking them shows that she needs them as much as they need her. “She gets as much out of it, I think, as the kittens do, so it's really like a win-win for everybody,” her caretaker adds. 

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