Imagine saving what you believed was an adorable little kitten, only for it to turn out to be a untamed creature? That is precisely what transpired to one woman in Argentina after she took her “kitten” to the veterinarian.
Florencia Lobo clarified to Reuters that the mix up happened when she was in the northwest Argentinian province of Tucumán with her sibling. The duo had made the unfortunate discovery of two kittens beside a deceased adult cat.
“We assumed that it was a deserted cat who had delivered,” she told Reuters.
Florencia also mentioned that the female kitten didn’t survive, but the male kitten – who she named Tito – did.
While everything seemed to be going well with Tito’s health, she was in for quite the surprise two months later when she took him to a vet appointment. That is where she discovered that Tito was not at all a regular house cat like she had originally believed.
“The vet did not know what it was but stated it was not an ordinary cat,” she said.
Florencia added that the vet’s office provided her with the contact information of a local nature reserve. After reaching out to the Horco Molle Nature Reserve, it was confirmed that Tito was indeed a jaguarundi. Jaguarundis are actually a small species of wild cat that are native to both North and South America.
Their complete scientific name is Puma Yagouaroundi. And while their name may sound large and impressive, they are actually just slightly bigger than your typical housecat. As reported by the Texas Parks & Wildlife’s website, jaguarundis typically weigh between 8-16 pounds.
But there is a happy ending for Tito. As Reuters informs us, Tito is thriving under the care of the nature reserve, and there are plans to eventually release him back into his natural habitat.