NAKOA
Male Bobcat Appx. DOB 4/9/2021 Rescued 7/1/2021
The new bobcat kitten is approximately 13 weeks old and is a boy. He had a large open wound on the top of his right front wrist and two broken toes. The wound was cleaned and closed this evening and he will be cage rested for 3-4 weeks. Then he will have a follow up exam to re x-ray. He will be starting meds tomorrow so please see the med chart (I also wrote them down for the weekend on a dry erase board in the kitchen). Please give a half meal with meds at first in AM to see how he is going to do. If he is a good eater then he can just get meds on his whole meal AM and PM. If not we will need to do a small amount, wait for him to finish that then feed the rest of the meals. Let’s start with 3 oz mush AM and PM tomorrow. If hungry we can bump up to 4 oz each meal. He is on quarantine for two weeks – only rabies vaccinated keepers can care for him. We also need to follow regular quarantine protocols; gloves when handling his things, separate laundry and cleaning tools.
Nakoa had been crouching under a plant at a nursery in Eustis, FL when a worker there, thinking he was a skinny domestic cat, tried to pet him. Nakoa ran under a shed and on the way he was observed limping. The workers dug him out, brought him inside and saw the extent of the injury, and then put him in a pet carrier while they tried to figure out what to do next. Thankfully they called Big Cat Rescue and now he will get the best rehab experience available and be released back to the wild as soon as he is big enough to fend for himself.
The next day Nick called to tell us they had found the remains of a bobcat shredded by coyotes, so Nakoa was saved just in time!
Update:
July 15, 2021 Nakoa has another two weeks of cage rest to allow his broken toe bones to heal.
Hopefully we can keep entertained adequately during that time.
After that he will go into the kitten room where Byrdie was for another two weeks.
Then he will get a follow up exam with x-rays to see how his foot is healing.
Otherwise the surgery site has closed nicely and he is using the paw that was injured.
Update:
July 21, 2021
Nakoa is quite the wild boy!
Update:
July 25, 2021
Nakoa was vaccinated with his second dose of FVRCP and received his rabies vaccination. He has been reported as having an elevated respiratory rate. He was visually examined today and does not appear to have any discharge from his eyes or nose. We will continue to monitor but may start him on some antibiotics as a proactive measure.
Update:
July 29, 2021
Nakoa was moved to the rehab kitten room today!
