Morgan

Female South American Cougar

Date of Birth 4/1/91

Date of Death 8/24/07
Morgan came to Big Cat Rescue on August 26, 1994 from Hayes Paradise, where she had also been abandoned by her former owner. She and Sylvester were to stay here temporarily while their owner built them a new pen. Many  years later, the owner has not returned and we have been unable to locate him. Morgan is fully clawed, but very sweet and playful.

TRIBUTES FOR MORGAN

Morgan was the epitome of a beautiful Florida panther with her muscular and sleek, but smaller frame. Her coat was beautiful and her eyes stunning. She had a cute chirping voice but it never fooled me that underneath, there was an incredibly fierce predator in her heart. I know that if she had had the chance to run free and roam, that she would have been very successful as a hunter and a mom in the wild. I’ll miss her eagerness to greet people and be alert to her surroundings, but celebrate her freedom from her cage. It was an honor to cross paths with her……Christy, Senior Volunteer Partner

Morgan was the first cougar girl that I met at BCR… Another sad goodbye!
When I was a red shirt, little back was always my favorite cleaning section… and she was one of the reasons… the biggest reason!
What a treat to watch Morgan play…She was so playful…
And to the end, she made us all smile whenever she would chase that ball or grab that tree… “my tree”! That was our game!
You had Sylvester’s sad and tired look in your eyes these last days of your life with us…
We knew you were preparing for that long trip…
You must be with him by now… We already miss you so much!
Please Morgan, tell Sylvester, Squeaker and all the others that we will always miss them, and will never forget them!
Oh also, tell Squeak that you kept his habitat always very nice and clean!
We love you!! Goodbye Morgan!….Marie, Senior Volunteer Keeper

What a sweet beautiful soul she is…she never minded that I called her “Cameron” and he “Morgan” when I first arrived!  Everyday, I feel we are gifted to be able to enhance the lives of these animals even in very small ways.  I know they are all eternally grateful (in their own ways) to have been found by BCR.
She will certainly be missed……Merrill, Volunteer Partner

She was very special, whenever I had to clean the back section, I would look forward to hearing her purr and talk while I would clean all the bobcats. She always had this look of great wonder / surprise and I will miss her terribly…..Margi, BCR Intern

During my internship I did a lot of tours, and I could always count on Morgan to come out.  She was always a little shy at first, but if you waited a couple minutes she would show herself.  Batting around her bowling pin, or just rolling on the ground, it was always nice to see her having fun – and the visitors would respond in kind.  Similarly, while cleaning “Little Back” as it is called, Morgan would always be interested in the blue and red shirts – maybe a little too interested – amazing creatures, cougars.

I haven’t been to Big Cat since January, and since December as an official intern, but I want to let every volunteer and staff member (and anyone else reading this that supports BCR) know that my thoughts are with you often.  Every time I hear of a cat’s passing, a little part of me passes too – because I will never see them again – and by the next time I get to Big Cat Rescue – even if it was tomorrow – it will be such a different place, though still one at which I would like to spend every day.  To Cleo, Atlas, Scratch, Squeaker, Sylvester, Sarabi, Saber and Morgan, I will miss each one of you in a unique way, and I will always remember how you made my time at BCR special and forever memorable…..Sean, BCR Intern (Sept. 2006 to Dec. 2006)

One thing I remember about Morgan is how happy she was to participate in a research project that Brian and I were helping out with. I don’t remember the details, only that some researchers in South America were doing tracking studies on Jaguars and trying to distinguish between Jaguar and Cougar tracks so they wanted measurements and photos of tracks of captive cougars to compare their tracks in the wild with. Brian and I wetted down the dirt in one part of Morgan’s enclosure and asked her to walk through it, leaving tracks, then shifted her to the other side of her cage and went in and photographed, measured and plotted the stride and pad sizes on a chart we had been given.  Then we flattened the mud out again and did it over and over several times. Morgan was happy to comply each time and not at all phased by shifting endlessly back and forth. She was always a real trooper. She will be missed…..Anissa, Senior Volunteer Keeper

As a Tour Guide, every time I would bring a group of people to Morgan’s old cat-a-tat, she would always have something to say.  The group was always surprised at what a sweet, non-threatening, sound this beautiful cougar would make.  When I would ask Morgan a question like, “How are you feeling today?” she would reply.  It was as if we rehearsed it.  The Tour loved it… every time I would ask her a question, she would answer.  No other cat ever communicated with me, on queue when I talked to them, like Morgan.  I will certainly miss our conversations……Pat , Senior Volunteer Partner
I had always heard the story of how Morgan came to Big Cat Rescue on August 26, 1994 when her former owner had abandoned her. Though fully clawed, she was very sweet and playful. She and Sylvester were only meant to stay at Big Cat Rescue temporarily while their owner built them a new pen. Many years later, the owner had not returned and no one could locate him – a story we hear so often.  How sad that this person missed what we all got to enjoy – years and years of sharing our lives with Morgan and Sylvester. I will always remember bringing tours around the path towards Morgan’s enclosure and hearing a racket.  It would be her tossing around the bowling pins in her cat-a-tat.  How coincidental that I would hear the same playful antics whenever we approached Sylvester’s cat-a-tat. But with him, he would be throwing around the plastic balls we put in his enclosure.  They both had such personality, yet in totally different ways.  Morgan was a genteel eater, Sylvester was voracious one.  Morgan was petite and sweet looking, Sylvester was big and all about power.  So opposite, yet they both left us within months of each other.  Though I’ve been told they really didn’t care much for each other, is it just a coincidence that once he was gone, she followed so soon afterwards?  Even in her last days, she would sit close to us and purr as we had long talks about the wonderful places she would be going to soon.  I made her promise to tell Sylvester and all the others what a permanent place they hold in our hearts.  I know she understood, I could see it in her eyes.  I have to believe that she is happily running around with all her Big Cat Rescue alumni as free as they all should have been in this life……Julie, Senior Volunteer Keeper

I Ask You Not To Mourn For Me
Emily Stuparyk

I ask you not to mourn for me,
For many long, sad days;
My tired body’s gone to rest,
Kept warm by sun’s soft rays.

I pray, don’t long for me, my dear,
Our souls are bound with twine,
By love that knows no end in sight,
A hope, forever mine.

And finally, please do live your life,
My love surrounds your soul;
For when you cry those wretched tears,
Gold memories will take hold.

So think of me, my tearful friend,
Who loved me, loved me so,
My life with you was so complete,
It took God, to make me go.

Dedicated to Morgan by Dr. Deborah, Volunteer Partner

“I Ask You Not to Mourn for Me”
(Excerpted from the book “When Only the Love Remains:
The Pain of Pet Loss” by Emily Margaret Stuparyk (c) 1999

My deepest sympathy on the loss of your beloved friend, Morgan…….Regards from Emily Margaret Stuparyk & Raggylug Rabbit, Canada, http://www.mts.net/~stuparyk

Sometimes you meet someone who touches your life and you know your life will never be the same again Morgan was one of those someones for me. She and I had a special bond from the day I met her. When ever I was in the vicinity of her cage, she was always there talking to me, watching me, sharing her antics and just being Morgan. She was very smart and loved to please, particularly when we were doing operant conditioning though, sometimes, she seemed more interested in rubbing against the side of the cage rather then eating her treat. Cinnamon was her catnip. Even towards the end, she always would come over to say hello. I know she is romping around with Sylvester, Sq u eaker and Scratch now and I made her promise me that she would be waiting on the other side of the rainbow when my time comes. Morgan, I love and miss you. You will always be in my thoughts so you will never be forgotten as long as I can tell your story. Goodbye my beautiful girl. …..Susan, Volunteer Senior Keeper

More Memorials at http://bigcatrescue.org/category/memorials/