Makani was found orphaned in the Daytona area at just 6 weeks of age following a severe thunderstorm. He most likely was separated from his mom and was unable to reunite with her. His finder took him to a wildlife rehab facility in the area, however they did not have the space or resources to care for him and sought help from Big Cat Rescue. We happily made the trip to pick up this feisty little boy and bring him back to the sanctuary where he will be rehabilitated until he is old enough to survive on his own. Makani is a Hawaiian name that refers to the wind in all of its power which is appropriate considering this little one braved a violent storm all on his own. Makani is in great health and loves to play, especially with his own feet! He is currently living in the great outdoors in our 4,600 square foot rehab enclosures and spends his days stalking lizards and birds, playing with all of his favorite toys and napping in all the high places in his enclosure.
Makani Bobcat
Male
Date of birth: April 12, 2022
Date of rescue: May 24, 2022
Date of release back to the wild: December 8, 2022
Incoming rescue!
Jamie and Victor are on their way to pick up a new bobcat rehab rescue!
Victor and Jamie are on the way back to the sanctuary with a new rehab bobcat rescue. This approximately six week old male kitten was found orphaned following some severe weather about a week ago in the Daytona area.
We have a name! Meet Makani a Hawaiian name that refers to the wind in all of its power is appropriate considering this little one braved a violent storm all on his own.
Makani’s nest cam
You can watch Makani on Explore at BigCatCams.com
Makani our newest baby bobcat rescue being a naughty boy 
Makani was found orphaned about a week ago following a very bad storm in the Daytona area. He has been brought to Big Cat Rescue to be rehabilitated for release back into the wild. He weighed in a 2 pounds 9 ounces and we estimate his age at about 6 weeks.
Makani the newest rehab bobcat has arrived at Big Cat Rescue!
We are unloading him now and getting him set up in the Kitten Room of the Rehab Hospital.
May 26, 2022
Hey bitty kitty. Time for your first vaccine….Kitty says nope…Keeper says too bad #catchmeifyoucan #fiesty #wildlife rehab
May 27, 2022
Makani is such a little rascal lol. Initial lab reports showed he was positive for hookworms and roundworms. He is eating great and taking his meds, we will we test him in two weeks.
June 1, 2022 Update
Today Makani was seen by Dr. Justin Boorstein for his initial intake exam and blood draw. He has gained 1/2 pound since his rescue one week ago. He has a veracious appetite!
June 8, 2022
More fun with Makani!
June 28, 2022
Makani moved to his outside enclosure today. He will spend the rest of his rehab time learning to hunt and survive in the wild. You can watch him on his Explore and Nest cams at BigCatCams.com
July 28, 2022
Makani says toys are down here. Silly Kekoa. These two bobcat boys were introduced today. So far everything is going very well. They will be raised and released together.
Follow Kekoa’s rehab story
September 4, 2022
Kekoa and Makani rehab bobcats, snuggle buddies in a bobcat cuddle puddle!
December 8, 2022
Makani and Kekoa bobcats day of freedom!
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.
Support The Bobcat Rehab Program
Will YOU Help us Rehab & Release more wild bobcats?
This rehab and release program is made possible by donations from friends like you. Your donation is tax deductible.
Did You Know? Here at Big Cat Rescue, literally 100% of your donations are spent directly FOR THE CATS!!! We are able to adhere to that strict policy because the other sanctuary expenses, administrative expenses, salaries etc come out of tour fees and other sources of income. We are extremely serious about donations being used JUST FOR THE CATS!
Because of adhering to that strict policy regarding donations, and all of the other ways Big Cat Rescue is transparent in our operations, we have earned Charity Navigator‘s highest 4-star rating for “sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency” EVERY YEAR since we were first evaluated by them in 2010. CharityNavigator.org
Donate towards the rehabilitation and care of a native Florida bobcat at Big Cat Rescue. Donors who contribute $500 and up to support the bobcats will receive a beautiful ceramic tile with a color image of the most recent rehab bobcat and the donor name that will be displayed in the tour waiting area for a year and then permanently installed at the sanctuary.
If you are interested in supporting the rehab bobcats go to https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/bobcat-rehab/products/bobcat-rehabilitation-program
Bobcat Rehab Gear
You can find shirts, tote bags, mugs, necklaces, mousepads and so many more fun items featuring Rehab Bobcats in our online gift shops. Go to reach gift shop linked below and search “Rehab bobcat.” Your PURRchases of Rehab bobcat Gear helps us provide for all the cats at Big Cat Rescue and work toward ending the abuse and exploitation of big cats.
https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/bobcat-rehab or
Donating at NO COST to YOU!!
You can donate to the cats at NO COST TO YOU when you select BCR as your charity on Amazon Smile and shop Smile.Amazon.com instead of Amazon.com. It is exactly the same as regular Amazon EXCEPT when you use the Smile URL Amazon donates .5% of your purchase to BCR. It’s added up to over $396,000 for the cats!
Please visit BigCatRescue.org/amazon-smile for how to sign up and let us know you did so we can thank you.
Have you Sponsored one of the Bobcats in REHAB yet??
BRAND NEW SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY!!!
You can now sponsor a specific Rehab Bobcat with our Downloadable Sponsorship kits and get the same benefits we offer for our permanent residents!
https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/sponsor-a-cat/products/download-rehab-bobcat-sponsorship
Your sponsorship helps us to provide these cats with large natural enclosures, a healthy diet, exceptional veterinary care, and toys and enrichment during their time in rehab. Thank you for helping us care for them!
