When most children ask for pets, they usually wish for a puppy, kitten, or even rabbit. But for Sofia Nikulochkin, her dream pet was a bit more unusual—she wanted a lynx. And that wish came true.
Four-year-old Zen, a Eurasian lynx, lives with Sofia and her parents, Pavel and Svetlana, in their home in Kaluga, Russia.
Despite being a wildcat, Zen acts like a regular house pet, cozying up on the sofa, sleeping in bed with the couple, and forming a close bond with young Sofia.
The Nikulochkin family was so determined to have a lynx as a pet that they moved out of their apartment and bought a house to make it possible. Zen, who his mother abandoned as a cub, has been with the family since then.
Sofia bottle-fed him, and although lynxes are typically solitary animals in the wild, Zen has developed a strong attachment to her. Their bond is so deep that Sofia even dresses him up, and the two are nearly inseparable.
Pavel, 43, explains, “It was our family’s dream to have a lynx as a pet. We all—me, my wife Svetlana, and Sofia—wanted one. Before realizing a lynx couldn’t live in an apartment, we spoke to many experts, including animal trainers and nursery owners. So, we bought a house.”
After three years of preparation, they met Zen—a tiny, fluffy cub too young to feed himself. “When we brought him home, we fed him with a substitute for cat’s milk, gradually introducing some meat,” Pavel recalls.
Despite being a wildcat, Zen grew up alongside the family’s domestic cats, and even now, he sees them as leaders, following their cues. “He purrs like a cat but listens to commands like a dog, so we call him ‘CatDog,’” says Pavel.
Zen also serves as a protective figure in the home. While he loves children and allows them to play with him, he has a keen sense of who is a guest and who is a stranger. “He’s the best guard-CatDog you could ask for,” adds Pavel.
For Sofia, Zen is much more than a pet. “He’s my best friend, and he’s very gentle with me. We play all the time, and he never seems to get tired,” she says. Even though Zen has grown significantly, his playful nature hasn’t changed.
Zen belongs to the Eurasian lynx species, the largest member of the family, including the bobcat, Canadian lynx, and Iberian lynx.
This family’s unique choice of pet has brought them joy, companionship, and a loyal friend in the form of a wildcat.
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