| Rescues
By Hilda P. Jackson Since the last newsletter, we have rescued three cats, Pretzel, a female Bengal tiger, Baby and Shackbotnia (Shack), two male cougars.
Pretzel is approximately 9 years old, so her birthday will become May 24, 1990. She was picked up from facility in Wichita, Kansas by Don and Scott on May 24, 1999 from the same place we received Tigger-11. TCWR was told that she was heterozygous (white genes) and had been sent to a zoo for breeding purposes. She was supposed to have had white cubs before. TCWR was also told she was only 3 to 4 years old. Her being a proven breeder and the age did not coincide. The health certificate from the vet stated that Pretzel was 9 years old. The owner told TCWR Pretzel had come back to them very mean and they were not able to handle her anymore. They were afraid of the tiger, since they dealt primarily with hoof stock and not the large felines. She was very hyper and scared at the time, but with a lot of love and attention, she has come around. In the short time we have had her, she is beginning to enjoy the company and is beginning to "chuff" and rub on the cage when our people come around. When a cat is this scared and seemingly vicious, it takes a lot of time and attention to settle them down. We have received worse and we have received better, but they all seem to come around, sooner or later. Shack Baby Shackbotnia "Shack", a 5-year-old male cougar was picked up by Scott & Darla on June 10, 1999 from Cameron, OK. His new birthday will be June 10, 1994. Shack had his claws removed at a very young age. His owner was terminal ill and not expected to live more than 2 or 3 months. He has been searching for a liver transplant, but unable to find one. Someone told the owners about us, therefore the wife called TCWR. They were at their wits end trying to find a good home for Shack. He is a very beautiful cougar and we welcome him to join our ever-growing family of "Big Cats".Baby was born on approximately October 7, 1997. He was brought to us by some people from a rehab facility located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on March 7, 1999. He had been abandoned by his previous owner in a cage behind a mobile home near Pine Bluff for approximately 10 months. This land was next door to the man’s mother. The grass had grown up around the cage so high the cage was barely visible. The neighbors would bring over a chicken once in awhile to feed Baby. He was picked up by the rehab group with the help of a person from the Little Rock Zoo and brought to us. He still has his claws but is a very nice cat. He is gradually calming down and allowing us to handle him. Hilda P. Jackson. Curator
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