When a Thailand family discovered a teeny tiny kitten, they soon learned that it was no ordinary cat. Soon after they took the baby animal to get examined the vet informed them that it was a two-day-old fishing cat kitten, which is a vulnerable species in the area. The baby, who they named “Simba,” had somehow become separated from his mother. Unfortunately, they were unable to locate the mother, but Simba is in good care and is currently being treated at the animal hospital where she was taken.
A fishing cat is a medium-sized wild cat that can be found in South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List of threatened animals. Over the last decade, fishing cats have declined severely as they are threatened by the destruction of wetlands. Known as the state animal of West Bengal, fishing cats are typically found in swamps, rivers, streams, and oxbow lakes.
As with the tiny little kitten that this family found, fishing cats have olive grey to ashy grey fur with black stripes. The stripes on their shoulders are darker and their markings on the sides of their bodies are roundish or oval-shaped.The fur on their belly is longer than the fur on their backs and it is usually spotted. They have a shorter than normal tail for cats, and their tails are usually shorter than half the length of the head and body.
It is usually spotted at the base with a few rings toward the tip of the tail. While Simba looked like an average baby pet cat, fishing cats are usually twice the size of domestic cats and their bodies are stocky and muscular with medium to short legs. They have a long face and their body length ranges from 57 to 78 centimeters and they weigh anywhere from 11 to 35 pounds.
They have webbed feet which assists them greatly with swimming, however; the webbing beneath the toes is not that much more developed than that of the bobcat.
Little Simba was lucky he was found when he was. At two days old, the chance of him surviving for longer than another day were slim.
Commenters shared their praise for the family who rescued the little guy…
“Poor little Simba being left behind.A lovely family indeed.Thank you, rescuers and vets.I pray for precious sweet little Simba to grow up healthy and strong.”
“Amazing story god bless that family that helped that poor cat.”
Some commenters requested an update on Simba’s health.
And other’s commented on the similarities between fishing cats and your average domestic cat.
“It looks like a Tabby cat but it looks cute. Do they attack humans as an adult or no?”
Considering their main source of food is fish, this species isn’t known to attack humans, however; they might if they felt threatened.
This family did the right thing by bringing Simba to the vet and getting him some help. They could’ve easily left him behind, but they got him the help he needed.
