Domesticated cat plays with and feeds adopted baby lynx after its own mother rejected it

Jake Polden
Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 31 Jul 2015 19:26 UTC

Motherly love! The cat had recently given birth to kittens and adopted the little lynx as a part of her own brood

A domesticated cat has adopted a baby lynx after its own mother refused to feed it.

A worker at the Novosibirsk Zoo in the city of Novosibirsk, Russia, noticed that the young lynx Nika was not being correctly cared for by its mother.

The lynx had refused to feed the cub because it was the runt of the litter and the zoo needed to find an innovative solution for the problem.

An employee at the zoo then decided that she would bring her cat into work with her to act as a surrogate mother.

Her cat had recently given birth to kittens and it was hoped that the feline would adopt the little lynx as a part of her own brood.

Growing up! Nika the lynx is now eating better and growing fast and will soon outgrow her foster mother

Captured on camera, the domesticated cat can be seen tending to the lynx - despite almost being the same size as it.

The cat grooms the top of the lynx's head as a number of visitors to the zoo take photographs of the unique sight.

Later in the clip the duo eat together before the lynx is filmed playing with a tennis ball on its own.

Nika is now eating better and growing fast and will soon outgrow her foster mother.

Caught on camera: the lynx is filmed playing with a tennis ball and feeding alongside its surrogate mother