Flint

Meet Flint!

Rescued June 30, 2019

Flint’s First week has shown a lot of improvement, check out this video of his first week in rehab. Watch him go from not being able to walk to wrestling with his special ‘stuffie.’

Below is a chronological walk thru Flint’s journey.

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June 30, 2019

Whenever the Big Cat Rescue van pulls out the gate, you know someone is about to be rescued. Stay tuned!

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June 30, 2019

Big Cat Rescuers are on our way back with Flint a 13-week-old bobcat kitten that was injured by hunting dogs who were tracking wild boar. The kitten is unstable and it is difficult to tell which legs may be affected. Otherwise, he is bright and alert. Flint will be examined and weighed upon arrival and then we will determine if he needs emergency vet treatment or if he can wait until Dr. Justin comes in tomorrow for his usual rounds.

While the rescuers are on the road the team at the sanctuary has everything all set up and ready for the kitten’s arrival.

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June 30, 2019, Evening – Flint has a LIVE Streaming Webcam

The rescue team, Jamie and Victor, have arrived back at the sanctuary. The wild bobcat kitten has been named Flint and will be seen by Dr. Justin tomorrow.

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Update July 1, 2019

Flint was seen by Dr. Justin Boorstein for diagnostics.  He ate and drank well overnight, last night.  His SNAP test was negative for any cat diseases.  His X-rays showed no broken bones.  His physical exam showed no punctures or cuts.  We were concerned that there might be bleeding in the lungs, as he sounded raspy, but under anesthesia, with a stethoscope, the lungs sound clear, so it could be damage to his vocal cords or throat.

Because he’s only 3 pounds, 12 ounces, and has tiny little bones we sent out the X-rays to Oncura Partners for a second opinion.  We could see there was a bit of a mess around his lungs and heart, but couldn’t tell if it was congenital or caused by the trauma.  Oncura Partners had the same reaction.  They said it could have been a pre-existing condition (which might have caused him to be slower in getting away from the dogs than his family) or it could be due to the trauma.

It’s hard to believe this could have been a congenital issue because Flint is in very good body condition for a wild bobcat kitten.  We don’t think he would have thrived if he had these serious conditions before being caught by hunting dogs.  All we can do now is keep Flint on pain meds, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and a good diet while keeping him quiet and safe.  Cats have an amazing ability to heal themselves, so keep sending good vibes his way and hopefully, he will be joining Cinder and Ash soon outside in rehab.

Flint’s Exam begins

Flint is getting x-rays

Finishing the exam and getting paw prints

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Update July 9, 2019

Flint is doing a lot better, so we are continuing the same course of treatment and sending this video to a neurologist. As you can see in this video he is now able to walk and is doing better but is still not normal.

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Update July 15, 2019, Flint Gets and MRI

Flint Update – Thanks to all our amazing donors that we could spend the $3,800.00 necessary for Flint Bobcat to get the MRI he needed. The only thing they found was the broken neck. Sending off the spinal tap for testing. For now, the only thing that can be done is to keep him quiet (small cage) and feed him a proper diet, in the hopes he can heal himself. Surgery was not advisable and the results are being sent off to yet another radiologist, just in case anything was missed. — with Laura Diodati at Levine Veterinary Neurology.

Here is an image captured during the MRI showing Flint’s fractured vertebrae.

This image with contrast shows the inflammation (the brighter area). This inflammation could be causing the majority of Flint’s lameness. Hopefully, steroids will help ease this and cage rest will help Flint heal.

At the conclusion of the MRI we found a fractured vertebrae c7. His imaging results will be reviewed by radiologists as well to ensure nothing was missed. In the meantime, a spinal tap was performed to test for infection, infectious disease or cancer. In addition, both of his knee caps have a significant amount of “play” due to his rear leg bones suffering from curvature as a result of his hunched gait. He will be on the hospital cage rest for the next 7 days.

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From Afton Tasler on July 16, 2019

I snapped a cute photo of Flint the rehab bobcat while filming his walk for the vets. by Afton Tasler

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Learn more about our wild bobcat rehab and release program at BigCatRescue.org/bobcat-rehab/

If you would like to help support our efforts to rescue cats like Flint you can:

• Choose Big Cat Rescue as your chosen charity on Smile.Amazon.com and Amazon will make a donation to the sanctuary every time you shop at no additional cost to you.
• Donate securely at https://BigCatRescue.org/donate
• Set up a Facebook Fundraiser for Big Cat Rescue at https://www.facebook.com/fund/bigcatrescue/
• Shop at one of our online gift shops: BigCatRescue.biz, CatRescue.biz, BigCatRescue.org/amazonstore

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