Summer
Female bobcat
Born: Approx. July 4, 2021
Rescued by Big Cat Rescue: July 21, 2021
Moved to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge on December 29, 2023
Became a permanent resident: May 16, 2022-deemed non releasable by Dr. Boorstein and the FWC
Baby Bobcat Being Fed with Eye Dropper
Summer is a 2.5 week old bobcat came to us on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 very sick, weak, and immobile on the front limbs.
We are uncertain if she sustained an injury, or if she is battling a virus.
Nothing was found on Xray and blood work done prior to her arrival did not give any answers.
So we are treating her for both.
July 23, 2021
Summer made it through her second night and her first 3 doses of medications. Her eyes are bright and clear today and she is starting to show more personality and sass with hisses, growls, and calls. She’s getting more and more busy at meal time and changing her opinions with each meal. Her back legs are getting strong but she still isn’t holding herself up with her front legs so I’ve been doing little PT sessions that I’m calling her swimming lessons. I hold her facing away from me slightly off the table and let her move all 4 legs around. Gotta get this girl stronger!She is also following things with her eyes and turning her head towards noises- very curious. In fact when Cahira was in the other room being a crazy lady playing loudly, Summer stopped and looked that direction! She’s gaining a tiny bit of weight each day, and new milestones every time I check on her (every hour lol!) and every feeding which is every 4 hours! We’re hoping she will keep improving but are literally taking it hour by hour, day by day.~Brittany Mira
July 24, 2021
Summer is doing a lot of the same as yesterday but boy oh boy has she found her voice! When she isn’t sleeping or staring around in wonder, she is singing the song of her people very loudly. Since I can’t rush in and comfort her and get her used to a human rushing to her aid, I have set up my white noise app next to her and she happily listens to the Amazon rain forest, cat purrs, and other outdoor noises. Shes getting a bit stronger and has held herself up with her front legs for a couple of seconds at a time, however, when she wants to move forward she still slides around and is getting faster! She is starting to chew and bite with more force, she is spreading her toes and using her claws- so much so I had to trim those little daggers today. She is still a little picky at meal time so I introduced ground beef with formula and she really liked it, at least for now. Her belly is nice and plump but she hasn’t been going potty as much as we’d hoped so she started on lactulose today until we see improvement. She is enjoying exploring after her baths and likes grooming her front legs and today was the first time she was able to groom her back legs too. She is truly precious. ~Brittany Mira
Cute bobcat kitten
July 29, 2021
Summer had taken a turn for the worse several days ago. The antibiotics and steroids she was on to treat whatever ailment was afflicting her mobility were rough on her stomach and she began having diarrhea and was vomiting everything she ate. We have not been able to do bloodwork yet because she is just too frail, weak, and anemic from a hookworm parasite overload. So we were trying to cover our bases with treatment. We decided to discontinue these medications in an effort to stabilize her and if needed will start them back up again once she is doing better. For the past several days she has been in critical care. She is getting subcutaneous fluids and multiple injections twice a day to combat dehydration and nausea. She has started a twice daily medication for diarrhea and is given oral fluids and diluted formula every 2-3 hours around the clock. Deworming protocols are also in effect. Summer is tolerating everything with a bright spirit and an ever wriggly tail . She even had enough energy to wrestle her llama stuffie yesterday. We will continue to care for her to the best of our ability to help her get over this hurdle. ~Brittany Mira
UPDATE: August 2, 2021
As the daily struggle continues to get Summer feeling better, she doesn’t disappoint with her antics. Summer wants to know if you like her coon skin hat she loves playing with this stuffie and playtime is the only way I have been able to bribe her to eat.
This is what Summer thinks of hoomans after her vet exam today, lol. All kidding aside Summer did very well at her exam with Dr. Turner. She played nearly the whole time and would barely hold still for her blood to be drawn. We only took a very small sample today to check for some concerns. Thankfully she was negative for FIV and Felv. She was as suspected anemic. When Summer came to us she was covered in fleas. We suspect she has bacterial parasites in her blood as a result that are attacking her red blood cells. She has been started on a course of broad spectrum antibiotics and an iron supplement. In addition she is on steroids and nose drops to help increase her appetite. Summer is in very good spirits as always and we hope this new treatment plan will help.
UPDATE:
August 17, 2021 10 AM
From Jamie:
Summer is not feeling well. She did not eat last night and had diarrhea and vomiting throughout the night. She is pretty weak and uncomfortable this morning. Xrays show the poop that has been blocking her up is still there but is much softer now. I will be taking her to see Dr Wynn today for an exam and to see what we can do to make her feel better.
UPDATE:
August 17, 2021 4 PM
From Jamie:
We still do not know what is causing Summer to feel unwell. She became lethargic and inappetent with diarrhea and vomiting overnight and had very low blood sugar and was dehydrated this morning. We have ruled out some things; she is no longer anemic, she has not perforated her intestines, and she is panleukopenia negative (although it is possible to test negative the first time and positive a second time). We are still unable to collect enough blood to send out to the lab for a full panel because she is so small, but we were able to run some blood at the clinic which showed a very low white blood cell count and liver fluctuations. We are treating her symptoms with sub q fluids, GI meds, antibiotics and probiotics. In addition she is receiving formula feedings ever 3-4 hours.
UPDATE:
August 17, 2021 7 PM
From Jamie:
So many ups and downs with my little girl. Summer had been doing awesome for nearly two weeks then last night started feeling unwell yet again. She is back on critical care and round the clock feedings. This poor baby has had such a tough go at life. She is a fighter for sure. But it breaks my heart to see her struggle.
UPDATE:
August 19, 2021
From Jamie:
Summer started some new meds (cherry flavored, from a human pharmacy) to treat Salmonella and she absolutely hates them. We are in the process of getting some new meds compounded for her that are tuna flavored. In the meantime she is getting spoiled with new toys.Summer is eating her formula well, but has refused meats for a few days now. We tried fish today which see seemed very interested in.Each fecal sample we have checked is $350 (she has had several already), plus her medications and vet visits are really adding up! Any donation to the rehab program will go to helping with Summers continued care. Thank you for your continued support of this program to help us send native Florida bobcats back to the wild!
Bobcat Kitten Medicated
August 26, 2021 Update
An afternoon with Summer is play time at the park (outdoor exploring in her donated kitty play pen with an enclosed top) then cereal (chopped beef with milk) and cartoons (video compilation of animals at the farm and in nature).
August 28, 2021
A ladybug landed on Summers outside pen. Ladybugs are good luck!
Bobcat Kitten Exploring
September 7, 2021
Summer is still receiving formula in the AM but has been reduced to once a day and is now being offered more meat throughout the day. She is spending her days in the kitten room in rehab where you can watch her LIVE and is being introduced to new toys daily! Summer also crossed over the 2# milestone Doing big girl things!!!
September 19, 2021
Summer Update: we did some big girl things and tough love things this weekend- I started to transition Summer onto a twice a day feeding schedule that bobcat kittens her age typically follow as well as giving her 90% mush (carnivore diet) even though she prefers fish the most (which isn’t what she should be eating lol she finally turned the corner on eating it and is on her way to eating like a big girl! Plus- today starts another milestone- she will be staying in the kitten room in the rehab hospital full time day and night with only AM /PM check ins from us- I’ll probably cry all the way home today but it’s worth it to see her take the next step She now weighs 2 pounds 10 oz and look how long those legs are!! Positive vibes that she keeps eating.
September 21, 2021
Summer is looking so good and is eating very well. She got a booster FVRCP vaccine today and we have plans to do some protected introductions to Cahira and Byrdie next week. “Protected” meaning they will share a common wall in rehab cage 1 but will be separated by a fine mesh so no one can sticks their paws through to swat at one another.
Big Eyed Bobcat Kitten
September 28,2021
This lil munchkin is spending her first day outside in the rehab area. So far Cahira and Byrdie have not discovered their new neighbor. Summer is loving all the new sights and smells
October 26, 2021
Sweet little Summer spent her first night outside and it looked like she had a lot of fun. We have finally gotten the rest of her lab results back and so far nothing to indicate why her growth is stunted. We will continue to monitor her and plan to do follow up bloodwork once the coming months.
Jan 15, 2022
No Bobcats or Snakes were harmed in this video. Thanks to Camera Operators who discovered this bit of Nat Geo happening in our rehab area, our Operations Manager was able to rescue the snake from Summer.
February 1, 2022
Cuteness overload Summer and Autumn have been introduced.
Update 03 29 2022
Summer was weighed today. She came in at 6lb 7oz. Her last recorded weight was 3 months ago and she weighed 5lb 12.8oz. So in the last 3 months she has gained approximately 10oz. And by the way…she is ferocious!
From Jamie:
New artwork coming at you. Finally got around to creating a graphic to celebrate our forever kitten Summer the bobcat and how resilient she has been throughout her rehab journey.
April 3, 2022
Sundays are for being lazy. Summer the tiniest bobcat ever
April 21, 2022 Update:
Summer Update - Tiny little Summer was found not feeling well on Tuesday. She had no interest in food and was not her usual playful self. She was sedated today for an exam and was found to be very constipated. Dr. Justin deostipated her removing lots of fur and bone. Her pelvic canal may be too narrow to pass large amounts of whole prey. We recently had increased her diet to include 2 rats two days each week. She could also have a bowel deformity. We do not know for sure. While sedated we took the opportunity to run bloodwork (which showed she is slightly anemic) and we also collected an additional sample to send out to the lab to see if we can get any answers as to why she is so small. Summer is 9 months old and weighs only 7 pounds. At this age she should be nearly double in size. Her X-rays did not show anything abnormal. She is waking up in the Rehab Hospital now and will remain indoors under observation until she is eating and pooping normally.
May 5, 2022
Summer being nosey from the kitten catio of the rehab hospital. Hopefully she will get to go back outside with Autumn next week.
May 16, 2022 UPDATE on Summer Bobcat by Jamie Veronica:
Summer has been deemed not releasable. This decision is supported by both Dr. Boorstein and the FWC. Summer came to us last July at just 2.5 weeks of age. She faced a number of health obstacles during her first few months. Many times it seemed she was not going to make it. From loss of mobility in her front limbs upon intake, to a series of gastrointestinal issues, a salmonella infection, hookworm infestation and giardia. Yet every step of the way she over came each and every ailment. All along the way Summer was much smaller than growth charts indicated she should be. Consistently throughout her rehabilitation she weighed roughly half what she should have for her age and her stature remained small. Today she weighs just 7 pounds and is half the height of similarly aged Autumn. It has become obvious she has some sort of congenital defect that has limited her growth. We have collected blood serum samples to send out for testing to determine if she has a specific gene that would cause this. In the meantime Summer has displayed the inability to eat multiple small or larger whole prey foods. She gets blocked up with fur and bone and cannot pass large amounts of these byproducts through her narrowed pelvis. She has been transitioned to a meat diet going forward. Because she is unable to freely eat larger amounts of whole prey if she were to be released she would most certainly become blocked again and die as a result as there would be no observation of her nor intervention in the wild. In addition to this it is also a concern to release assumed defective genes back into the wild population. Summer remains housed in the rehab enclosures neighboring Autumn so the two can have companionship until Autumn's release. It is unlikely we will be putting them back together as Autumn does not always finish her whole prey meals and Summer would have the opportunity to eat the leftovers. After Summer's quarantine following Orpheus' positive calicivirus test we may move her back to Rehab Enclosure 1 to have a shared wall with Autumn. Meanwhile Summer has not displayed any symptoms of calicivirus and has transitioned well to a meat diet. Once Autumn is released Summer will be moved to the sanctuary into the enclosure next to Mrs. Claws.
Summer Bobcat Looking Sweet
June 13, 2022
Summer is in cage 2 of rehab until her permanent enclosure is ready in the sanctuary. One of her favorite places to CATnap is on the platform in front of her nest cam!
June 21, 2022
Jamie and Victor created an amazing enclosure for Summer! She moved into her new home on the sanctuary property today!
June 24, 2022
Summer has her own LIVE cam 24/7 where you can watch her and listen to her cute little squeaky chirps! The internet has fallen in love with this adorable little princess!
July 4, 2022
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY SUMMER!
You've come a long way baby!
Summer's then and now! WOW!
July 5, 2022
THE cutest bridge troll ever now on duty and you better know the password squeeeeeeee
July 21, 2022
Wow! It's hard to believe we rescued Summer bobcat a year ago today! It was a rough start for this little girl but she has done well in recent months and is loving her new home in the sanctuary!
Summer's First Year Anniversary rewind!
August 2022
There is just nothing cuter that our precious little Summer bobcat!
September 11, 2022
Summer is enjoying her new home and platform! She loves being the su-purr-visor of the tour path!
Summer Bobcat with her ball
Follow the remainder of Autumn's journey of rehab to release at: BigCatRescue.org/Autumn
Wild bobcats come to Big Cat Rescue for two reasons:
Injuries such as having been hit by cars or disease, illness, birth defects.
Kittens that have been separated from their mothers or orphaned and are too young to survive in the wild.
Upon arrival, the cats receive a full exam and given whatever medical care is needed for their injuries or illness. Blood is drawn and tested for infectious diseases. They are vaccinated, dewormed, and flea treated.
Injured cats are given the time and supportive care they need to heal. They must prove they can hunt and survive before being released. Our six rehab pens are 230 feet long by 20 feet wide giving the cats 4600 square feet of natural space to learn their skills.
When possible kittens are given a domestic surrogate mother. When a surrogate is not available the kittens are bottle fed but weaned from the bottle as soon as possible. They are then raised with as little human contact as possible and given opportunities to learn to hunt.
Rehabbing and releasing bobcats is much more difficult than the rehabilitation of most wildlife. These magnificent little wildcats need every opportunity to fulfill their role in nature and Big Cat Rescue is here to give them that second chance.
While we do bobcat rescue, rehab and release in Florida, we will not relocate bobcats as state law requires that they are released very near where they were captured. They must be released on at least 40 acres and we must get written permission from the owner/manager of the property.
Big Cat Rescue has decades of experience rehabbing and releasing bobcats back to the wild where they belong. We provide huge, naturalistic enclosures where these cats can learn or perfect their hunting skills before being released back to the wild. We have trained staff who are experts at capturing an injured bobcat or hand-rearing orphaned bobcats until a surrogate can be found.
We go to great lengths to keep these wild cats from imprinting on humans and monitor their care via surveillance cameras to make sure they are thriving. When they are healed, or old enough for release (about 18 months of age) we find the best habitat possible for sustaining them and set them free to live out the life that nature intended.
