ST. PETERSBURG – Three orphaned newborn bobcats got a second chance at life, when a housecat adopted them.

The kittens were given to a vet office by a hunter, who is believed to have killed their mother in Alabama. The office contacted Big Cat Rescue and the bobcats were transported to Tampa.

Big Cat Rescue's main goal is release the bobcats back into the wild once they have gone through an 18-month rehabilitation, in which they will learn how to hunt and survive on their own.

However, the kittens were too young to start the rehab. they needed a mother to get them through the first few critical weeks of their lives. They needed a female cat, who had nursing kittens.

Bobbi, a new mother at the Suncoast Animal League, fit the bill nicely. She had six kittens of her own, while already was fostering two others. Her six kittens were eating solid food and weren't dependent on their mother any longer.

So on Monday, Bobbi and her two foster kittens were driven to Big Cat Rescue where she met the bobcat kittens. Once she heard the mew of the kittens, Bobbi's motherly instinct took hold.

She automatically fed and cleaned the kittens. The staff of Big Cat Rescue said this was an immediate and overwhelming success.

Bobbi will spend the next few weeks with the kittens and then they will begin their rehab. 

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/pinellas/428-video-cat-adopts-bobcat-kittens