• Donate Now
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
  • Login
  • Register
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
Home Memorials

Josie

BCR by BCR
March 10, 2017
in Memorials, Rescues
19
0
josie-cougar-day 1 scared
16
SHARES
321
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

Josie Cougar

Appx DOB 1/1/2000

Died 3/9/17 from advanced kidney disease

http://bigcatrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Josie-Cougar-2016.mp3

Josie and 5 others arrived at Big Cat Rescue on Oct. 17, 2016 from Spirit of the Hills.  Find out more about the rescue here: http://bigcatrescue.org/spirit-of-the-hills/

In 2004 Josie came to Spirit of the Hills from Ken and Nancy Kraft in Minnesota. Josie is spayed.  Keith Kraft, who had owned BEARCAT Hollow in Racine, Minn., had pleaded guilty to falsifying records and conspiracy and was convicted of two counts of witness tampering in connection with the case. Kraft and eight others, including his wife, Nancy Kraft, were accused of illegally trafficking animals, including 17 tigers, seven leopards, five grizzly bears and dead animals and animal skins between 1999 and 2003.

The Krafts became infamous for their part in Operation Snow Plow and for selling theTiger to the Harlem apartment owner, who made news when the police had to scale the side of the building to tranquilize the tiger after it bit the owner.

josie-cougar

Her favorite foods are ground buffalo, deer carcasses and rabbit in the winter. Otherwise chicken like quarters in the warmer months and fresh butchered beef. For enrichment we put essential oils in paper bags , bowling balls, and they always had beef bones or wild game bones.

The video below is Josie Cougar back in 2010 at Spirit of the Hills

Feeding Time at Spirit of the Hills

3/8/17  Josie Cougar is not doing well.  Dr. Justin Boorstein came in to see her yesterday because she didn’t eat for two mornings and was staying in her den.  Her blood work shows that she has advanced kidney disease.  It’s probably chronic, and if so, there isn’t anything we can do to restore kidney function in a 17+ year old cat.  (That’s like being 102 if she were a person)  It could be the result of an infection from bad teeth, so she’s getting lots of fluids and antibiotics, to see if she rebounds any.  If so, we can pull the teeth and maybe give her a couple more years.  If she doesn’t respond, then we know it isn’t the teeth and she will have to be humanely euthanized.  We are keeping her inside the West Boensch Cat Hospital for observation.  There is a nest cam on her, but it isn’t public due to her critical condition.  We have staff monitoring her closely.

Josie just arrived here in Oct. 2016 and we don’t know what kind of medical care, if any, she has gotten before her arrival.  Since she came from South Dakota, we suspect that freezing temperatures there probably meant there were many days when access to water wasn’t available.  Kidneys need plenty of water to function and we see a lot of kidney issues in younger cats who have been deprived of fresh water in their previous circumstances.  Many of our cats live into their late teens and early twenties.  One cougar lived to be one month shy of 30, but that only happens when they come to us relatively young.  When they come to us late in life, the damage is often irreversible.

/**/

3/7/17  Josie was lethargic and not eating. She was examined by Dr. Justin Boorstein, DVM. She has severe kidney disease as well as some dental issues and a mild infection. She was treated with fluids and medications in case her kidney disease is acute and not chronic (which is a slim chance). She will be observed throughout the day for improvement. However, if she does not respond to the therapies we will know it is her time.

3/9/17  Dr. Justin came out in the evening and we sedated Josie to run her labs again.  Even after getting lots of antibiotics and fluids she was continuing to spiral downward.  She refused to eat or drink and was not a cat we could give fluids without sedating every day, which would kill her too.  We made the sad decision to euthanize her as there was no prospect of her recovering and we did not want her to suffer.  The only solace was that she didn’t have to freeze to death over another brutal South Dakota winter.  Her last season was spent in the sun, surrounded by people who loved her.

If you knew and loved Josie, you can leave your tributes to her in the comments below.

Tags: rescue
Previous Post

2017 Annual Report

Next Post

Moses The Two Toed Bobcat?

Related Posts

Sudsy Meow Savannah Cat
Rescues

Sudsy Meow Savannah Cat

May 31, 2023

DOB: UnknownAge: UnknownRescued: May 31, 2023 Urgent and Incredible Rescue Alert! Prepare...

BCR and TCWR
FAQs

Moving

May 17, 2023

Combining of Big Cat Rescue’s Cat Population with Turpentine Creek’sBy Howard BaskinBig...

4 baby bobcats
Bobcats-Rehab

Dutton-Kaye-Loo-Mare-rehab-bobcats

April 29, 2023

Dutton-Kaye-Loo-Mare rehab bobcats Approx. date of birth: April 15, 2023Date of rescue:...

Next Post
Moses The Two Toed Bobcat?

Moses The Two Toed Bobcat?

Leave a Reply

  • Facebook Comments
  • Default Comments (0)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help Feed Big Cats

Save exotic cats from extinction! Donate now to help us move our cats so we can protect wild cats from the threats of the pet trade and wildlife trafficking.

Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

Recent Articles

  • Sudsy Meow Savannah Cat May 31, 2023
  • No Zoo Cats May 29, 2023
  • Protect-Pallas-Cats May 28, 2023

Recent Comments

  • Robyn Enos on Dutton-Kaye-Loo-Mare-rehab-bobcats
  • R N on Dutton-Kaye-Loo-Mare-rehab-bobcats
  • Di Fleming on Manny
  • Sandra Reed on Manny
  • Audra on Manny

Protect Wild Cats!

Give to Big Cat Rescue Check out conservation projects Big Cat Rescue funds! Florida panthers, fishing cats, Pallas cats, jaguars, leopards, cheetahs, sandcats, mountain lions, oncilla, margay, geoffroy cats and more.

Sanctuary Cats

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Big Cat Rescue News

  • Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams
  • Rescue Missions
  • About Big Cat Rescue
  • Big Cat Rescue News
  • Reviews
  • Our Recent Work
  • Sanctuary FAQs
  • Big Cat TV

Save Wild Cats!

Save exotic cats from extinction! Donate now to help us move our cats so we can protect wild cats from the threats of the pet trade and wildlife trafficking. Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

© Copyright 2023 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • About BCR
  • Videos
  • Big Cat Facts
  • Cub Facts
  • Our Cat Stories
  • Sanctuary Cats
  • Shop and Save Cats
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Abuse Issues
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2023 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Cleantalk Pixel

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.