Anton was walking home from work when he noticed a small grey lump shivering from the cold on the side of the road. He came closer and saw that this tiny creature looked like a kitten: wet, with big eyes and trembling paws.

Without thinking, he took off his jacket, wrapped the foundling and took him home. His wife Marie admitted that she had long dreamed of a pet and took the find as a gift from fate. They warmed up the “kitten”, gave him the name Toby and even built a corner for him in the living room. In the morning, to make sure the baby was healthy, Anton took him to the vet.

Dr. Helmut, an elderly specialist with twenty years of experience, picked him up and began examining him. Ten seconds later, he froze. His face turned deathly pale, his hands began to shake. He silently put the creature back in the carrier and ordered him to move away immediately.

“This is not a kitten,” he finally squeezed out. Anton laughed, as if he were a ferret or a raccoon. But the doctor remained silent. Then he whispered, “You brought home a baby caracal-puma hybrid. At two months old, it could be deadly.” Anton didn’t believe it. He took out his phone and started comparing photos. The longer he looked, the worse it became. The ears had tufts. The paws were disproportionately powerful. The habits were wild. “How could something like this end up by the road?” he asked, and the vet just shook his head, “Someone took it out and abandoned it, knowing they couldn’t handle it.” Anton had to urgently call the wildlife protection service. While he was waiting, “Toby” was already trying to rip the curtain with his claws. The specialists who arrived were shocked – this really was a rare hybrid, the result of illegal breeding. The man almost lost his arm when he tried to hug the “kitten” for the last time. The services took the animal to a special center, and Anton spent several days recovering from the thought that his entire family could have died. Marie admitted that at night “Toby” made strange low sounds that sent shivers down their spines. None of them look at the kittens with the same affection now. And the vet later admitted that for the first time in his life he was afraid of an animal. The rescue turned out to be almost a tragedy, and the good deed – a shocking lesson. People on the Internet are still arguing how this is possible and where else such “kittens” are hiding…