Woman unknowingly rescues bobcat thinking it was harmless kitten

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WTVD) -- A Tennessee woman's good deed was not what it seemed - at least initially.

She thought she rescued a cute, cuddly kitten. It turned out to be a bobcat darting across a busy street.

The animal climbed all over Jill Hicks after it got in the car with her.

"I pulled over on the side of the road, got out, got it. It did run a little bit, but not fast and not far," Hicks said. "I crouched down. I picked it up. I put it in the car with me. It climbed all over me."

After talking with neighbors, she realized she had actually rescued a bobcat. That changed her plans for what to do with the little guy.

"I was going to go home from dinner, give her a bath, put her in the bed with me," Hicks said. "And when we decided she was a bobcat, I was like I probably better not do all of that."

Hicks took her to a wildlife rescue, where she was named Arwen. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says bobcats can be found all around the state.