Sassy

Female Caracal
12/6/94 – 3/23/17

Sassy Caracal was born here in 1994 because we were told by those in the industry that caracals were rare and should be bred for future generations because there weren’t many in zoos.  What we didn’t know at the time, as it was before we had access to the Internet, was that they weren’t common in zoos because they had become so common as pets.  Zoos don’t devote cage space to animals that are considered so common that they are kept as pets.  The problem was that even though they were often bred and sold as pets, they didn’t last long in pet homes, and would be abandoned when they grew up and began spraying urine all over the house.

We bred some of the smaller cat species, from ’94 – ’97, but once we learned than none of these cats could ever be returned to the wild we stopped.  Caracals aren’t often seen in zoos, or pet homes any more, but that’s fine with us because they belong in the wild and that’s where we should be protecting them and their habitat.

Though Sassy is small she certainly calls the shots at feeding time. Despite living among cat-a-tats of lions, tigers, and leopards, the feeders always make sure Sassy is fed first or she will cause quite a ruckus.

The saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” certainly applies to this little spitfire at feeding time. She is as feisty as they come.

 See More About Sassy:

Rusty and Sassy Caracals are snuggled in the bush in this Wildcat Walkabout Video on May 1, 2014 – http://bigcatrescue.org/now-big-cat-rescue-may-2-2014/

3/22/17 Sassy is vomiting and refusing to eat much so Dr. Justin came to try one last thing before letting her go.  He gave her fluids and some injections for nausea and then OK’d her going into the outside recovery cage to see if maybe she needs more room to move around to help with her constipation.  Yesterday was the last day of her antibiotics, which can stop her up and make her feel pukey, so now that she’s off them, and has been better hydrated she’ll start feeling better.

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