WATCH: A Stray Cat Met A European Lynx, It’s Six Years Of Adorable Ever Since

Cats are highly territorial animals. Marking, occupying and protecting territory are vital to a cat’s sense of security and well-being. In fact, watching over his or her territory is the closest thing your cat has to a job.

What animal behaviorists call “inter-cat aggression,” better known to the rest of us “cat fights,” almost always result from a dispute over territory. Which makes this story not only a heart-melter, but from a cat psychologist’s point of view, a shocker as well — in the best possible way.

The story could have easily ended in feline tragedy. In 2008, a stray calico cat looking for food, shelter and whatever it is that stray cats look for, wandered into the St. Petersburg Zoo. That’s St. Petersburg, Russia. Not St. Petersburg, Florida. Now, we know that almost every viral story coming out of Russia these days seems to involve someone doing something insane or violent.

But don’t worry, this one could have gone that way, but miraculously, and adorably, went 180 degrees in the other direction.

The cat found its way into a cage occupied by a European Lynx, a wildcat. And though the lynx is not the biggest wildcat in the animal kingdom, an average-size European lynx can weigh between 40 and 70 pounds. That’s a mismatch with a typical domestic cat, such as the kitty in this story, who appears to weigh about 12 to 15 pounds.

With the stray calico invading the lynx’s territory — and the bigger cat’s food supply — the expected result would be an extremely one-sided incident of “inter-cat aggression.” But that’s not what happened. Instead, this happened…

The domestic cat and the lynx immediately became best buds. In fact, they’ve spent the past six years without leaving each other’s side. According to locals who’ve watched the feline friendship over the past six years, the lynx bonded with the stray on the very first day they met, and the feeling was mutual.

When the zookeepers saw that the two kitties thrived itogether, they made the stray an official ward of the zoo as well. The two cats have lived together in the lynx cage ever since.

Though this story has been going on since 2008, this endearing video just started making the rounds earlier this June. Check it out. This may be the most unexpected cute-cat video you’ll ever see.