<~~Callie (aka Tawny Girl)
- a female South American Cougar born 3/1/92 came from Oneida and
arrived here on 8/18/95. She gave brith to her first litter on 5/31/96. Callie is one of our ambassador cats; she's friendly enough to take out on a leash and let people learn about cougars with some hands on experience.
Catrina~~>
- a female South American Cougar born 3/1/89 and came to us with two Cougars and a
Black Leopard on March 14, 1995. Everyone who sees her comments how much she looks like the
Florida Panther with her deep red color and low slung frame. She was a pet, but when her owner
moved she could not go with him. She is declawed and very lovable. She gets along great with our
South American male and has taught him a thing or two about "women." Catrina recently has had
two beautiful cubs on 5/2/96; the proud father is Scratch.
<~~Glory, Glory
- a female South American Cougar born 9/15/93. She came to us
through an auction at only a few days of age. In her poor condition, she only auctioned for $175.
She was born with a chronic kidney problem and has always had a hard time of it. Because of her
kidney failure, she has never been litter trained, but she lived in the house with several varieties of
cats, until her playfulness became too dangerous for the smaller cats. Glory, Glory prefers people to
other cats, which is a good thing since she has to spend so much time being cared for by humans.
Many sleepless nights we had to hold her between us in order to keep a life giving catheter in her
veins. Glory gave birth to three lovely kittens in December; the father is Cocoa.
The Cougar, also known as Puma or Panther, is the largest of the so-called "small" cats, although it
is nearly the same size as a Leopard. The Cougar is the most widespread of all the American cats
found throughout the South and North Americas and Canada. In North America, the Cougar is
restricted to the mountain regions of the western United States. All small populations of Cougars
remain in Florida. Their natural habitat consists of grassland, bush (up to 15,000 feet), swamps,
tropical forests, and coniferous forests. With the exception of females with young, Cougars do not
have a fixed den, instead they use caves and rocky crevices for temporary shelter.
The Cougar's size varies. Its head and body being up to six feet, three inches and tail up to two feet,
ten inches, and maximum weight of 225 pounds. As large as the cougar is they are very much skilled
at concealing themselves from prey. The Cougar's keen sight and hearing make them an excellent
hunter. The Cougar will cleverly stalk its prey and will either leap onto the prey's back, sometimes
from a rock or branch, or grab it after a short chase. Surprisingly, the Cougar has a poor sense of
smell.
The Cougar's diet consists of rodents, deer, hare, porcupines, beavers, sheep, horses, and cattle.
After a gestation period of 13 weeks, the female gives birth to three to four young.
The Florida Panther
These Cougars are the remains of a subspecies that was once widespread throughout the United
States. Today the Florida Panther has been almost wiped out by urbanization and hunting. An
estimated 55 Florida Panthers are alive in the wild today.
other cougars at easy street
Hallelujah - a male South American Cougar born 9/16/93 came to us at the same auction on
September 20, 1993 as Glory, Glory, but unlike her, has never been sick a day in his life. We were
not firm enough with him as a kitten and allowed him to bite, too much and too hard. Before long he
reached a point where it was not safe to walk in with him. He has never meant to hurt anyone; he
just doesn't realize his own strength, and that is a dangerous situation.
Morgan (aka Tweetie) - a female South American Cougar born 4/1/91 and came here August
26, 1994 from Hayes Paradise where she was also abandoned. Her owner may take her home any
time at no charge, but if he doesn't she will have a home for life. In August 1995 we persuaded her
owner to donate her to the Seminole Indians in Tampa, Florida where they will represent their spirit
guide to certain sects of their tribe. We thought that she would never cycle and was pretty sure she
was spayed until she recently had cubs, but they have gone to a new home since then. Morgan loves to chat with anyone who will listen, and is often heard talking to herself.
Scratch - a male Western Cougar born 3/1/77 came to us with Lola, and Catrina with the
understanding that he would retire and eventually die here. He is a very old, 230 pound Cougar and
got his name because he likes to be scratched. He is quite lovable, but not trustworthy. His owner
could not take him along when he moved but he has found happiness here. We thought he was too
old to produce until he recently surprised us. Him and Catrina on 5/2/96 are proud parents of two
cubs.
Tobi - a female South American Cougar born 3/1/91 and came to us from Oneida on 8/18/95.
Caspar - a male South American Cougar came to us in March of 1996. He had been confiscated
from drug dealers and placed at Lion Country, but they did not want him as there are no Cougars
native to Africa. We have been working hard with Casper, as he really hated humans, and have recently been rewarded with some progress. He no longer growls and charges the cage anymore when a human walks by, and there have even been reports of him purring and rubbing when one of the volunteers spends time with him.
Sylvester - a male South American Cougar born 3/1/90 and came to us from Hayes Paradise. He seems to love humans, as he always greets us loudly and purrs when we come within sight of his cat-a-tat.
