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Florida law requires that all charities soliciting donations disclose their registration number and the percentage of your donation that goes to the cause and the amount that goes to the solicitor. Our registration number is CH-11409 and non-program expenses are funded from tour income, so 100% of your donations go directly to save the cats. We are a 501 c 3 charity as determined by the IRS Federal ID#59-3330495. Our 990s are available online at GuideStar.org with a complete breakdown of how your donations are spent.
Home to Animal Planet's Hero of the Year.
 
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Welcome to Big Cat Rescue!

Your Votes Won in Round 1

Thanks to 1,249 of Hurley's nearest and dearest friends, he won in Round 1 of the Bissell contest.  He was competing against 6,298 other great pets to win this round.

In April the top 60 pets from the 12 weeks of voting, will go nose to nose for the $10,000 grand prize. 

We will contact you then and ask that you vote for Hurley to win this big prize that he is donating to Big Cat Rescue.

In the meanwhile, we hope that you will rally your troops, join us on facebook and build your social profiles at places like ChatBigCats.com, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook so that we can get the word out quickly in the final round.

 

HURLEY'S BIO:

Hurley was rescued from animal control in October 2008 by Big Cat Rescue President Jamie Veronica when he was just three months old. He was scheduled to be put to sleep and was adopted just in time. Hurley is a Pit mix the most friendly dog you will ever meet. He is everyone's best friend and loves meeting new people. He grew up going to work at Big Cat Rescue every day with his mom. His job is to bring smiles to all the volunteers at the sanctuary by thanking them with slobbery puppy kisses!  See his YouTube Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Y0O97owQo

 

Video of the Week

Check out more than 300 big cat videos HERE

 

Rescue of Narla the Cougar:

Narla the CougarRI Woman Gives Up 13-year-old Pet Cougar

Marilyn Loppi had been searching for a home for her husband’s pet cougar for several months. Thirteen year old Narla, a 90-pound cougar, had been living in a cage in the Loppis’ Rhode Island backyard since she was a kitten. But when Marilyn’s husband Robert passed away in May 2009, Loppi decided she no longer wanted the cat. Robert Loppi had a permit for the cat, which he had gotten from a friend. It was legal in 1997 for private citizens in Rhode Island to own exotic cats, but authorities say they would not issue such a permit now, except to a zoo or other accredited facility. 

Unable to find a facility that would accept the cat, Loppi finally contacted Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, which agreed to take the cougar if Loppi surrendered her exotic pet license. Loppi lured Narla into a carrier with shrimp, and the staff from Big Cat Rescue came early in the morning of January 7th to take her back to Florida. Originally, Animal Control officers and a film crew from Animal Planet were supposed to accompany the rescuers. However, the crew from Big Cat Rescue was afraid Loppi might back out at the last minute, due to the media attention, so they came an hour early and quietly took the cat.

Cougars, also called mountain lions, pumas, catamounts, and panthers, are the largest cats in North America and can weigh up to 200 lbs. They are hunted for sport in many states, and are scarce in the Midwest and eastern United States. In Florida, the panther teeters on the brink of extinction, with only 100 cats remaining. The cats are tawny brown in color, built for running and jumping, and highly elusive in the wild. They are the largest of the purring cats.

At Big Cat Rescue, Narla is one of many cats who were former pets. When their owners no longer want or are able to care for them, the sanctuary offers the cats a comfortable home for the rest of their lives. Narla is currently in a large outdoor habitat, where she enthusiastically greets keepers with the signature cougar chirp. 

by Willow Hecht

Photos of the rescue here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigcatrescue/sets/72157623173290048/

You can help provide for her care here:  http://www.bigcatrescue.org/donate.htm

 

CFC Participant? Generous donations through the CFC program have become one of our major sources of funding. Our CFC number is 10766. On behalf of the cats, sincere thanks to the many Federal employees who have helped us provide the best possible home for the cats by donating through this program.

Big Cat Times Magazine!  Check out the most recent issue of The Big Cat Times in this online magazine format HERE

January Issue of AdvoCat:  The latest edition of the AdvoCat, our monthly E-zine is HERE

Win an Animal Lover's Dream Vacation: If you love animals, you have got to see this fabulous trip HERE

Follow us on Twitter and see what is happening moment by moment at Big Cat Rescue and in the world of lions, tigers, bobcats and other exotic wildcats. @BigCatRescue

 

Big Cat Credit Card

You can give more without spending more by turning your everyday spending into meaningful donations with a customized Big Cat Rescue Capital One credit card.  Share your passion and donate to Big Cat Rescue with your everyday purchases. We've partnered with Capital One® Card Lab Connect to bring you our newest fundraising program, which helps us earn money doing what you do every day! Just carry one of our custom credit cards (it comes with a competitive rate and no annual fee), and 1% of purchases made with the card will be donated to Big Cat Rescue.

Not only will you be donating to the cats with each purchase you make, you'll be helping to spread the word when people see your wildly unique card, designed specifically for Big Cat Rescue.  Three custom cards are currently available featuring Cameron the lion, Cheetaro the leopard, and Shere Khan & China Doll the tigers!  What a great way to share the cats' stories every time you pull out your credit card.  Tell others too by downloading Credit Card Flyer

Sharing your passion and your support is easy and automatic. Apply today! 

https://www.cardlabconnect.com/Big Cat Rescue

Tiger credit card Leopard credit card Lion credit card

 

 

 

Our Mission

Big Cat Rescue, a non profit educational sanctuary, is devoted to rescuing and providing a permanent home for exotic (i.e. wild, not domestic) cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from being slaughtered for fur coats, and to educating the public about these animals and the issues facing them in captivity and in the wild. 

The sanctuary is home to the most diverse population of exotic cats in the world, with 16 species and subspecies of wild cat represented among more than 100 residents.  These include tigers, lions, liger, leopards, cougars, bobcats, lynx, ocelots, servals, caracals and others, many of whom are threatened, endangered, or now extinct in the wild.

 

If you like what Big Cat Rescue is doing to save the cats, please help us out here: