Hikers help injured newborn bobcat on New Mexico trail. See it snuggle up to toy

Miami Herald

15-05-2025

Hikers stumbled across a baby bobcat along a New Mexico trail on Mother's Day, officials said.
The tiny newborn creature was injured and all alone on a trail just north of Albuquerque, the New Mexico Wildlife Center said in a May 14 post on Facebook.
'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 center said in the post. 'The hikers who found her knew she needed help, so they contacted NMWC for guidance.'
The hikers 'gently placed the orphaned kitten in a backpack' and hiked back to their car to bring the kitten to the center's wildlife hospital in Española, about a 70-mile drive north from the trail in Sandoval County, the center said.
'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,' the center said. '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!'
Photos show the tiny kitten drinking milk from a syringe and resting on plush blankets.
Its eyes are still closed in the photos, indicating it was likely born within the last week. Bobcat kittens open their eyes about nine days after birth, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.
'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,' officials said. '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!'
A photo also shows the kitten cuddling up to a stuffed bobcat toy.
'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,' officials said. '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.'
The team anticipates caring for the kitten for at least 10 months, officials said.
'It's going to take a LOT of food, medical care, and staff hours to raise a healthy bobcat from such a young age!' the center said.
Several people shared in the comments that they had spotted the kitten on the trail that day too.
A pair of trail runners shared they had stumbled upon the kitten and shared a video showing it tucked between a moss-covered rock and brush along the trail.
'We came across it on our run. At that time it was still tucked in some brush so we left it alone in case mom was close,' one of them said, adding that they worried with the amount of people using the trail that day that the kitten's mother wouldn't be able to make it back to the cub. 'Another friend of ours saw it later and it had moved to the center of the trail.'
The person who ultimately took the kitten to the wildlife center also shared their experience.
'So happy to see her looking healthy and alive,' they said. 'We actually found her on the trail. I almost stepped on it, since it was right in the curve of the trail.'
That's likely when they called the center for guidance.
'Our initial name for 'him' was McGregor,' they said. 'Now that we know it's a she, we will remember our little adventure with her as McGreta.'
It's likely the kitten might eventually be raised with foster siblings, as the hospital typically receives several kittens throughout the summer, officials said in the comments.
'If not, we will still do everything we can to keep this baby wild, fierce, and releasable!' the center said.
'So tiny and adorable,' someone said. 'May she grow up strong and return to the wild!'