Collection Plan

Big Cat Rescue’s Animal Collection Plan

Rescues aren’t planned, but we can make certain that our involvement will be guided by our core principals and not by our emotions.  Big Cat Rescue is an exotic cat sanctuary and as such will ONLY acquire exotic cats into its collection.
The cats chosen for inclusion will be selected on a case by case basis.  Any animals accepted from the pet industry will require the surrender of the pet owner’s license and a written agreement to never again attempt to make a pet of an exotic animal.
Because of the surplus of unwanted exotic cats, Big Cat Rescue will not breed cats.  There are no legitimate conservation breeding programs in the private secter.  All cats living together are or will be sterilized so as to prevent unwanted births, or the cats will be housed separately to insure that they are managed to extinction.
Big Cat Rescue currently houses more than 100 exotic cats and is utilizing approximately 4/5ths of its land area.  While it would be feasible to expand the number of cages, such growth will not be undertaken without sufficient evidence that funds will be available for the care of the increased number of animals.  As a non profit 501 c 3 charity, we are largely reliant on donors for the nearly one million dollars needed each year to provide for the animals to whom we have already committed.  Our donor base would have to grow substantially for us to consider any increase in our exotic cat population.
Sometimes animals are left at our gate.  In the case of non cats we will hold them temporarily until a suitable sanctuary can be found or will surrender them to Animal Services if no accredited home can be secured.  In the case of non cats currently housed by Big Cat Rescue, we will attempt to find accredited facilities that are devoted to such other species and if proper placement cannot be made, will provide for them indefinitely.