A resident in Bolivia discovered a kitten near a forest and, thinking it was a domestic cat, began feeding it noodles, rice, and eggs. The animal was cared for in a home for about a year before its unusual behavior prompted further investigation. Researchers recently identified the kitten as a new species of wild cat, named tilcayo, and published the discovery in the journal Current Biology on September 17, 2026. This marks the first new wild cat species to be identified since 1923, when the Uruguay pampas cat (Leopardus fasciatus) was described. The tilcayo was found in the Yungas forests of Bolivia, a region known for its dense cloud forests in the Andean foothills. This small wild cat weighs about 2 kilograms and has light brown fur marked with large, irregular rosettes—distinctive patterns that help identify it as a separate species. Genetic analysis confirmed its uniqueness, showing that the tilcayo diverged from other species around 1.4 million years ago. Its genetic makeup also includes about 15% from ancient hybridizations with a neighboring Peruvian subspecies, indicating a complex evolutionary history. The discovery came after the kitten was brought to the La Senda Verde sanctuary in 2017. A volunteer biologist, Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, noticed the cat’s unusual features and initiated genetic testing. The study involved sequencing 38 complete genomes of animals from the Leopardus genus, revealing at least five distinct species. Four of these species already had scientific names, but the tilcayo is the fifth. The species remains largely unknown, with its full range, diet, and behavior still mysterious. Researchers have not yet formally evaluated the tilcayo’s conservation status, but they believe it is likely threatened due to habitat loss. Genetic data also indicate long-term declines in tiger cat populations, with some species having declined by up to 80% compared to historical numbers. The tilcayo had never been collected before this discovery, meaning it was not previously represented in museum collections. To learn more about the species, researchers are now setting up camera traps in the Yungas forest. These traps will help document the tilcayo in the wild, as it is often mistaken for margays in photographs. Fecal samples suggest it hunts small rodents, and some camera trap images indicate that the tilcayo is primarily active at night.