After taking in a stray “kitten” from the side of the road, we quickly learned that it was actually a very different species when it began biting us.

A woman in Missouri thought she was adopting a lost kitten, but it turned out to be something entirely different.

The lady from Kansas City found the little cat abandoned by the roadside in Liberty and took it in.

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She was just trying to be a good Samaritan when the cat pounced on her and bit her.

It turned out to be a bobcat, not a kitten, according to the local police.

The woman’s thumb was bitten, but she did not require medical attention.

The Liberty Missouri Police Department tweeted“Just so you know, before you pick up that adorable kitten and cuddle it, make sure it isn’t a bobcat!”

“They do bite and scratch. #Meow”

The tweet included a photo of the creature, which appeared to be harmless.

One member of the response team is holding the cub while another holds him or her in protective clothing.

The kitten is seemingly harmless, but it has long claws that aren’t like those of a house cat and a distinctive black tuft on top of its ears.

The kitten-like size of the wild cat’s paws indicates that it was designed for the outdoors rather than a home.

It looks like a wildcat because of the black stripes across its face and the brown fur.

“Bobcats may look cute and fluffy, but don’t be fooled into thinking that they are anything like a house cat,” National Geographic advises.

These wildcats are roughly twice as large as the average domestic cat and are ferocious predators, making them one of the four species of lynx.

Bob Cats are a common sight in Liberty, as they are in many other American cities and states.

Numerous replies to the police department’s tweet joked that the object shouldn’t be so adorable if it’s not meant to be touched.

One wrote: “If not friend, why friend shape?”

Someone else chimed in, “Nobody, cops included, can stop me from petting the kitty.

“Now please bring me the box of bandages.”

A local Orlando woman said, “The same thing happened to me in Orlando!”

We have a golf course in our neighborhood, and at first I thought it was just a tiny kitten missing its tail.

“I tried to put it in a carrier, and I had never heard such growls from a small Kitty. Then I heard mom, and I ran inside. Lol.”

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