Resident thought it was a stray cat. It was an endangered wildcat.

An endangered wild leopard cat was rescued from a residential neighborhood in Seoul after a resident reported it.

According to Gangdong-gu, a report came in Sunday night from Seongnae-dong asking for help rescuing what the caller believed was a cat.

District office staff who responded found no visible injuries and left after explaining that only injured cats — or nursing mothers — qualify for rescue.

The resident then took the animal to a veterinary clinic, where it was identified not as a domestic cat but as a leopard cat, a Class II endangered wild species. The resident notified the district office duty room and again requested that the animal be taken in.

After taking custody of the leopard cat, district officials found it was severely underweight, dehydrated and highly alert. The district office sent the animal to Seoul National University's Wildlife Center on Monday morning.

Officials believe the leopard cat may have wandered into the urban area after struggling to find food in its natural habitat near the Han River or Seongnae Stream, both close to Seongnae-dong.

A check of the rescue site suggested that territorial fights among stray cats in the area had left the leopard cat unable to hunt or feed, the district office said.

The animal was found collapsed on the street in a malnourished state. The person who found it said in a media interview, "I thought it was a pretty-looking stray cat, or maybe a pedigree breed."

The leopard cat is a mammal in the family Felidae. It resembles a domestic cat but can be distinguished by white stripes above the nose between the eyes and dark brown stripes running from the forehead to the back of the head.

The leopard cat is designated a Class II endangered wild species in South Korea and is protected by law. Anyone who captures, collects, harms or kills one without a permit faces up to three years in prison or a fine of 3 million won ($2,220) to 30 million won.

Gangdong-gu urged the public not to approach or attempt to rescue a leopard cat that appears injured or in distress, and to instead report it to a wildlife rescue center.