King Tut

Male Savannah Cat
1/1/2009 – 5/3/2022
Arrived 10/16/2012

King Tut has long dealt with a neurological condition that we were never able to treat fully.  In the end, his lab reports showed a thyroid condition that we tried to treat, but by May of 2022 he had lost his will to fight the underlying issues and stopped eating.  Hybrid cats should never be bred as they almost always have lives full of digestion distress that are ultimately cut short by factors that veterinary medicine is incapable of diagnosing or treating.  Nature never intended servals to be bred to house cats.  If people had any idea what a miserable life that is for the cats, and how heartbreaking it ends up to be for the cat’s caregivers, surely they would stop buying fancy designer cats.  Learn more at BigCatRescue.org/hybrid-facts.

For those who knew and loved King Tut, please leave your tributes to him in the comments below.

King Tut’s Vet Visit 4/12/2022

King Tut Goes Back Home 4/21/2022

King Tut’s Medical Issues

CSF Tap 2015

Results if inflammation is present are consistent with a mild neutrophilic pleocytosis, which can be seen with a variety of conditions, including acute non-inflammatory diseases (intervertebral disc disease, spinal trauma, cervical spondylomyelopathy, fibrocartilaginous embolism), infectious diseases (septic meningoencephalitis or discospondylitis, fungal diseases, rickettsial diseases, FIP, canine distemper, protozoa), other inflammatory/degenerative conditions (steroid-responsive meningitis, necrotizing vasculitis, CNS necrosis, granulomatous meningoencephalitis) or neoplasia.

Fluid Analysis from Mass on Hip 2018

Keratin debris and anucleate squamous cells can accumulate in many lesions including epidermal inclusion and sebaceous cysts and follicular neoplasms. Although no neoplastic cells are observed in these smears, some neoplasms may have extensive areas where only keratinized material is found. These include trichofolliculoma, infundibular keratinizing acanthoma, trichoepithelioma, pilomatricoma, and inverted squamous papilloma. When keratin debris is released into the surrounding dermis or subcutis, it invokes a significant inflammatory reaction. Sometimes these become secondarily infected. Although the inflammation may subside on its own, the cysts or neoplasms often continue to produce keratin, inciting further inflammation. Although likely a benign lesion, removal and histopathology may be advisable both for treatment and to more fully classify the lesion.

Hybrid Cat Rescue

We didn’t plan it this way, but on NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY we were asked to rescue two exotic cat hybrids who had been dumped by their owners and were now starving to death…..
The cats had been trapped by Animal Control and no one had claimed them, so the Audubon Society drove them to us to see if they could get a second chance here.

One of the cats was a very sweet bengal cat who was adopted by one of our Big Cat Rescuers. The second is an unknown mix but closely resembles a Jungle Cat. He is not as friendly and because of this, he will remain a permanent resident here at the sanctuary. His caregivers have grown quite close to him over the past couple of weeks and have given him the name King Tut.

When Tut arrived he was very underweight and had a wound on one of his feet. His wound was cleaned and sutured by Dr. Wynn and he was neutered.  King Tut has finally been moved outdoors to a large natural enclosure.

Update 4/15/2019

King Tut Savannah Cat was seen by Dr. Justin Boorstein today. He has been observed limping and got X-Rays and a full exam. We are consulting with other vets but think he may have a torn ligament. He also had a mass removed from his side which is being sent out for testing. He is waking up well and will be in the recovery hospital for several days to heal from the removal and for observation. Supporters like you make this type of medical care possible so THANK YOU!!