Isn’t she lovely? A bobcat kitten rescued in Bernalillli County on Mother’s Day has been named 25-146. Photo Courtesy NNMWC
Bobcat kitten 25-146 at the Northern New Mexico Wildlife Center is beginning to open her eyes. Photo Courtesy NNMWC
NORTHERN NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE CENTER
On Mother’s Day, a newborn bobcat kitten was found all alone near a hiking trail in Bernalillo County. The kitten had thorns and cactus spines stuck in her face and paws, and there was no sign of her mother or any siblings anywhere nearby. The hikers who found her knew she needed help, so they contacted the New Mexico Wildlife Center for guidance. They gently placed the orphaned kitten in a backpack, hiked back to their car, and drove her all the way up to our wildlife hospital in Española.
Bobcat kitten 25-146 is one of the many wild babies our hospital team will be caring for this summer, but she has a long hospital stay ahead of her. Young bobcats stay with their mother throughout their first winter and disperse in the spring, so this baby won’t be ready to be out on her own until the spring of 2026!
Since 25-146 has lost her mother and does not yet have any foster siblings, our team is taking a lot of creative steps to make sure she grows up wild. NMWC’s bobcat Ambassador Animal, Joni, cannot directly interact with the kitten, but Joni’s care team has been giving her blankets and straw to rub her scent on. Those bobcat-scented items can then be used to provide warmth and appropriate scent cues to the orphaned kitten in the hospital! 25-146 can also snuggle up to a stuffed toy that makes the sound of a heartbeat, and when her eyes open she will see a toy that looks like another bobcat. She won’t see human faces or learn to associate people with food and comfort, thanks to the camouflage garb our team will wear during feedings.
Now that 25-146 is starting to be able to see the world around her, feeding time means that our staff has to dress for the occasion. In these photos, visiting veterinarian Dr. Lily Cedarleaf-Pavy (who completed a wildlife rehabilitation internship with us in 2022 – welcome back, Dr. Lily!) is camouflaging herself with a shaggy ghillie suit, leafy hat, and dark face screen. Even the photographer, Communications Specialist Laura, was hidden under similar camouflage garb for a few quick snapshots of this midday feeding. 25-146 is doing well and still has a lot of growing to do!
We anticipate that 25-146 will be in care with us for at least the next 10 months. It’s going to take a LOT of food, medical care, and staff hours to raise a healthy bobcat from such a young age! You can help support the care of this orphaned kitten and all of our other hospital patients with a donation to NMWC. Every contribution makes a huge difference! To make a donation, please visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/bobcatkitten25-146/ or mail a check to us at 19 Wheat Street, Española, NM 87532. Thank you for helping us help wildlife!
Dr. Lily Cedarleaf-Pavy has camouflaged herself in preparation for interaction with this bobcat kitten. Photo Courtesy NNMWC
Check out the claws on 25-146 who is still a newborn. Photo Courtesy NNMWC
NNMWC staff use the utmost care so as not to be injured by their newest bobcat kitten. Photo Courtesy NNMWC