A Tale Of Zoo Kitties: Stray Cat & Lynx Are Now BFFFs

A stray calico cat found both a home and a Best Feline Friend Forever after sneaking into a European Lynx‘s enclosure at the St. Petersburg Leningradsky Zoo.

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A Tale Of Zoo Kitties: Stray Cat & Lynx Are Now BFFFs

A Tale Of Zoo Kitties: Stray Cat & Lynx Are Now BFFFs

The Leningradsky Zoo in St. Petersburg is one of Russia’s oldest zoos, having been opened on August 14th of 1865. The zoo was founded by two animal-lovers, Julius and Sophia Hebhardt, so it’s perhaps fitting the zoo is grabbing headlines today thanks to two animal lovers: a former stray calico domestic cat named Dusja and a captive European Lynx named Linda.

A Tale Of Zoo Kitties: Stray Cat & Lynx Are Now BFFFs

Their story begins in 2007 when Dusja, a hungry stray kitten, wandered into Linda’s cage at the Leningradsky Zoo – most likely she was attracted by some of Linda’s uneaten food. As wild European Lynx’s can range in length from 80 to 130 cm (31 to 51 in)and weigh from 8 to 21 kg (18 to 46 lb), Dusja was lucky not to have ended up a meal herself!

A Tale Of Zoo Kitties: Stray Cat & Lynx Are Now BFFFs

A Tale Of Zoo Kitties: Stray Cat & Lynx Are Now BFFFs

Instead, something unexpected and heart-warming occurred: instead of fighting, the two felines bonded in what can only be a sort of surrogate mother-daughter relationship. Dusja began visiting Linda on a daily basis and zoo staff, seeing what was transpiring, thankfully didn’t interfere in the budding friendship.