Helping the Wild at Heart
The Challenge
As an eight-week-old Cougar cub, Leo already had been bought and sold twice as a "pet" to private owners. One of the owners had small children.
In November 2004, having realized a Cougar cub does not make a good pet, Leo’s existing owners wanted to get rid of him. By this time, an improper diet and the stress of bouncing between homes had taken a serious toll on little Leo. Leo's health was deteriorating, and no one seemed to want him.
The Solution
Upon learning of Leo’s situation, WildCat Haven immediately took steps to rescue him. He arrived at the sanctuary severely malnourished - to the point where his whiskers were breaking off and his fur was falling out. He was all “eyes and ears,” and we loved him.
To our relief, Leo’s veterinary tests revealed that, aside from being anemic, his health was normal. All he needed was a proper diet for a growing Cougar cub and lots of loving care.
Over the next year, we watched this scruffy, precocious little cub grow into the magnificent Cougar he is today. Quite the charmer, Leo routinely chirps and purrs at the volunteers when he’s not playing with his Cougar buddy, Cody, another WildCat Haven rescue.
The Outcome
Leo, and all of the cats we rescue, live out their lives at WildCat Haven in safe, natural surroundings. Many people don’t realize that captive-born wildcats cannot be returned to the wild because they have bonded with humans and most of them have been defanged and/or declawed by their private owners so they would not be able to protect themselves or capture prey for food.
The Organization
WildCat Haven is located in the hills above Sherwood in Clackamas County. Our mission is to rescue captive born wildcats that have been abandoned, abused or neglected by their private owners.
WildCat Haven currently has 42 cats on-site, including Cougar, Bobcat, Lynx, Serval and a few other smaller breed wildcats. The sanctuary has no paid staff and relies solely on private donations.
more about the organization