Rusty-spotted cat found in field reunited with its mother in Ahmednagar

The 14 day-old cat was spotted in a field at Walki village in Ahmednagar

Wildlife SOS, a conservation NGO that has been successfully rescuing leopards in the state and reuniting lost cubs with their mothers, has once again saved a cat. However, this time it wasn't a wild one, but a rusty-spotted cat - smallest member of the feline family.

The kitten, a 14-day-old, got separated from its mother at Walki village in Ahmednagar. The villagers spotted the kitten in the fields on Sunday and informed the Maharashtra Forest Department, which informed the NGO.

A team of NGO and forest officials reached the spot and conducted a medical examination. They kept it in a safe box and waited for the mother to rescue it. Dr Ajay Deshmukh, senior veterinarian at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, said, "A medical check found the kitten to be healthy and fit to return to the wild. The mother was initially scared of approaching the box, but the following day around 12 pm, she came back for her kitten."

Rescue of wild cats from the state's sugarcane fields have increased over the years. The NGO said the growing population, expanding farmland and depleting forests are to be blamed as these have ruined the natural habitats of the wild animals, forcing them into the human habitation.

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