Turns out, being kind and trying your best to help those in need can sometimes get you into pretty surprising and unexpected situations. That’s exactly what happened to these two cat-loving friends from the United Kingdom a few days ago.

While on a walk in Cairngorms National Park, the pair accidentally discovered a tiny kitten shivering in the snow. After taking the kitten to the vet, the men were told that this poor thing is actually an extremely rare Scottish wildcat.

While taking a walk in Cairngorms National Park, these two men happened across a tiny kitten shivering in the snow

Image credits: SWNS

“Piotr found him and picked him up, he was absolutely tiny, he must have only been a couple of months old. I grew up with cats and so did my friend who I found him with. At first, we thought it was a domestic cat which had run away, it was absolutely freezing and its coat was matted from lying in the snow,” one of the men named Pete McNab told Metro UK.

Piotr then decided to take the freezing cat and bring it to the vet. “My friend had a proper bonding session with it, he took it to the vet and I posted on local Facebook groups trying to track down the owner,” Pete added.

After taking the kitten to the vet, the men found out that this animal is actually a Scottish wildcat

Image credits: SWNS

At the time, Piotr was even ready to take the cat in if no one comes forward. However, the vets had some important news about the kitten. “Due to his personality, the vets began to suspect he was a wildcat,” Pete told Daily Mail.

“Specialists were saying ‘it’s amazing you managed to carry a wildcat for three miles without it ripping you to shreds’—we had been joking it was a wildcat because its claws were like miniature razors,” he added.

Sadly, despite the best efforts to help it, the wildcat didn’t make it

Image credits: SWNS

The next day, the wildcat sadly passed away. “The next day we got a call saying ‘we are sorry the cat has passed away,'” Pete told Daily Mail. “But it was the experience of a lifetime.”

This touching experience inspired Piotr and Pete to start a fundraiser to raise £1,000 ($1373) for a charity helping wildcats. As of now, the men have already raised over $7720.

Scottish wildcats are incredibly rare animals and there are only around 100 to 300 of them left in the wild

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons

Turns out, the Scottish wildcat is the most endangered mammal in the United Kingdom and one of the most endangered in Europe. “There are only around 100 to 300 left in the wild,” Pete told Daily Mail.

They are one of the most endangered mammals in Europe

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons

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