Spring 2018
Crazy for cougars! Their habitat is shrinking but our rescued cougars are living large
Meet our new cats! Leo and Violet are home at last
Tiger update! Thanks to you, the boys are loving their huge new enclosures!
Hybrid house #3! A new place to play and snuggle.
What’s up
at WildCat Ridge?
Bigger, better enclosures for tigers! Since we moved to our new location in 2015, our goal has always been to give the cats the biggest, best enclosures possible. We want them to have room the run and feel free.
Shirley
Thanks to your support, some tiger dreams came true in 2017! See your donations in action on page 5.
Plus a new house and outdoor habitat for the hybrids. A hybrid is a result of crossbreeding a domestic cat with a small wild cat like a jungle cat or Asian Leopard Cat. Breeders sell them as exotic pets or “lap leopards” but, the fact is, they cannot breed the wild out of these animals. Hybrids are often danger-
Dear friends, 2017 was a very busy year at WildCat Ridge! We welcomed new rescues, built new habitats and expanded others, plus kept up with the day-to-day needs of more than 80 cats. But we couldn’t do any of it without your generous support. So from all of us and all the cats... Thank you! Cheryl Tuller Co-founder, Exec. Director
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ous, seldom use a litter box, urinate everywhere and have a slew of health problems from inbreeding. Once owners realize that they cannot keep these cats as pets, they have few good options. WildCat Ridge provides a safe haven for as many hybrids as we can. See the full
Tosh
story on page 6.
A legacy of compassion. In 2017, we received an unexpected and absolutely amazing gift. WildCat Ridge Sanctuary was named as one of five non-profit beneficiaries in a donor’s will! Her extraordinary generosity allowed us to pay off the sanctuary property so we own it free and clear. This means that all of your donations can go directly to the feeding and care of the cats! WildCat Ridge Sanctuary is a 501c3 non-profit, accredited by the American Sanctuary Association, Tigers in America, The Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance, and verified by The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, following strict guidelines and standards. WCR receives no state or federal funding, relying on our generous donors and sponsors to help us with our mission of hope and compassion.
PO Box 280 • Scotts Mills, OR. 97375 • 503-873-2309
For Violet and Leo, it was rough road to their
happily ever after. Violet
is the newest addition to our WildCat Ridge family. She’s a nine-year-old, 20-pound F1 Savannah (a serval and domestic cat cross) with an unusual coat color. She came from an out-of-state breeder who had grown very afraid of her. The breeder had already been attacked and was concerned about her small children. Her husband even threatened to shoot Violet if she bit anyone again! So when we got the call, we did all we could to get her here as quickly as possible! Two of our wonderful volunteers drove to Boise to pick her up and bring her back safely. When we took her to the vet for a check-up and spay, we discovered that Violet had wires poking through her skin from a surgery to mend a broken leg back in 2014. She must have been in constant pain. Violet has recovered nicely but may always have a bit of a limp. But she seems very content exploring her new cat house and Wire removed from Violet’s leg habitat and making friends with her fellow hybrids.
Violet
Leo was born in Ohio at a breeding facility. He is an F1 Bengal kitten. That means his father is an Asian Leopard Cat and his
mother is a domestic cat. Hybrid kittens like Leo sell for up to $5,000. They are advertised as great pets for someone who wants an exotic looking animal with the temperament of a domestic cat. Sadly, this is not true. Breeding and selling hybrid cats is only good for the breeders, who make huge amounts of money with no regard for the animals, especially the domestic mama cats.
When Leo was shipped to his new owner at nine weeks old, he weighed less than two pounds, was sickly, completely unsocialized, didn’t use a cat box and wouldn’t eat. She rushed him to her vet and he was treated with fluids and force fed. Despite all of her efforts, she realized that this was not what she signed up for. When she contacted the breeder to take him back, that’s when communication stopped. Frantic, she started looking Leo for options and that’s when she called WildCat Ridge Sanctuary. We are often the last resort for hybrid cats. Today, Leo is happy and healthy, getting into all kinds of mischief with his best buddy, Mouse (a domestic kitten we adopted from a rescue so Leo would have a friend his own age). Thanks to you, we are able to give these hybrid cats a safe, lifetime home and the specialized care they need. See our newest Hybrid Habitat being built on page 6.
Mouse & Leo
Make your tax-deductible donation today at WildCatRidgeSanctuary.org!
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Calvin is a very outgoing tiger, who loves to play and enjoys his natural habitat. Because Because of their extensive of an improperrange, diet as a cub, he has lingering issues of from CanadaMetabolic to South Disease. America,We have him on special supplements cougars are known the “cat and he’sasdoing muchofbetter!
many names.” But whether they are called mountain lion, puma, panther, ghost cat or shadow cat, these magnificent and mysterious animals are gravely threatened. In the wild, habitat loss and hunting have eradicated them in many parts of the U.S. Just as tragically, it is still legal in many states to keep a pet cougar. This is both cruel to the animal and dangerous to the humans.
Puma concolor
“Pet” cougars are often brutally declawed, confined in small cages, fed an improper diet and suffer from debilitating medical conditions. A lucky few have found their way to WildCat Ridge Sanctuary.
Leo
The next best thing to wild.
Caden & Cody
While captive-born cougars can never be set free (they would not know how to survive), we do everything we can to make them feel free. Our eight resident cougars live two by two in large enclosures and we provide a variety of enrichment, from climbing platforms and scratching posts, to balls, boxes and more. But we want to give them even more. With your support, we will be able to expand their habitats dramatically, just as we’ve done for our tigers. They’ll have even more room to run and play and feel like the wild and powerful creatures they are.
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From cougars to tigers, your donations make all this possible.
10,000 square feet of fun!
Thanks to your generous support, we were able to expand our tiger enclosures and give the cats lots and lots of room to run, play, climb and swim. Our incredible volunteers spent countless hours putting up the “walls,” building platforms, creating tiger “bunkers,” installing giant scratching posts and swimming pools. Now, every day is play day for the tigers!
The enclosure walls are made out of 20’ cattle panels with the top 4’ bent inward and the bottom two feet buried/ cemented in the ground Calvin & Hobbes
Unlike house cats, tigers love to swim! Our new enclosures have pools to splash around in.
We buried enormous PVC pipe to create bunkers for the tigers to hide in and play on.
Hobbes
Atticus & Scout
Just like your cat at home, tigers love to bat toys around – but theirs are made of heavy duty rope and woven fire hose.
Please give at WildCatRidgeSanctuary.org
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Hybrid heaven! Cole
Thanks to one very generous donor who funded this project, we began construction on our third small cat house. It features a heated 12x24-square foot house filled with climbing platforms and perches, places to snooze and snuggle, and an 1,800-sqare foot, fully-fenced, escape-proof outdoor habitat! Construction on the new Hybrid House will be completed this year and will allow us to rescue even more abused and unwanted hybrid cats.
Sephora
Volunteers working on the outdoor hybrid habitat
ZuZu
Poultry paradise!
WildCat Ridge is home to two tom turkeys and two little roosters. The turkeys, Jake and Elwood, came from a family who had raised them to eat but then couldn’t bear to kill them. The roosters, Lewis and Clark, were found abandoned in a park in Portland. They have found a safe haven here at WildCat Ridge, where they live with the rest of the herd: two cows (Betty and Curly), two wee donkeys (Max and Paco) and two sheep (Rumor and Zeppo). Lewis, Clark and Jake confer
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Be a wildcat warrior (or a poultry patron)! Donate
Q&A
with Mike Newman, Project Manager
Q & A Mike has been with us from the ground up – literally! He came on board to oversee the construction of our new location and we’ve been keeping him busy ever since. Mike handles everything from designing and building enclosures to scheduling and supervising volunteers. As well as being a skilled builder, Mike is also a big animal lover! He has volunteered his time and skills for dog rescues but this is the first time he’s ever worked around big cats. Q. What do you enjoy most about your job?
A. I genuinely feel I’m helping animals have a better life. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true.
Q. What are some of the biggest challenges in building safe enclosures for predators that can weigh up to 400 pounds? A. Number one priority is keeping our volunteers safe while working. Number two, I’d have to say, is funding. Our donors are incredibly supportive and generous but, the truth is, we can always use more money. Building enclosures for tigers is expensive. Q. What is one of the most memorable moments you’ve had at WCR?
A. It’s either the day all the cats arrived from the old place and watching 15 months of work finally be put to use. Or the day Calvin and Hobbes (two Bengal tigers) got released in their new 10,000-sq. ft. expansion. They were running around like puppies! Q. Do you have a favorite cat?
A. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Nora (a white tiger) is a sweetie, and Kennewick (a cougar) is a badass... love them both. I don’t spend much time around the cats, really, so there are lots of personalities I’ve yet to learn. Q. How many volunteers does WCR have?
A. Technically, close to 90, both on- and off-site. At least half of them are pretty regular in their participation. Q. What are some things that the volunteers do?
A. They do it all! We’ve got volunteers working on grants, and we’ve got volunteers on top of ladders helping me build enclosures. They also are a huge asset when it comes to keeping up the property: planting trees, weed whacking, mowing, clearing debris, etc. Q. Were you a cat person before you started working at WCR?
A. I’ve always been an animal person but the last time I had a cat, I didn’t know how to walk yet! It’s been interesting to see the similarities in behavior between all the cats, domestics to tiger, and everyone in between. Q. What is your proudest achievement at WCR to date?
A. Being able to build the sanctuary with so much volunteer help feels like a pretty big accomplishment. It’s one thing to lead a crew of professional builders, but making use of individuals of varying ages and abilities is very different. Q. What are some things in the works?
A. That’s a big list! We are close to finishing a new house and enclosure for the hybrids. But a big goal is to complete our infrastructure, to get the sanctuary to a point where we’re as efficient as possible. A high level of efficiency equates to the best possible life we can provide our cats.
today at WildCatRidgeSanctuary.org
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Join our
Big Cat Club! Wouldn’t it be great to know that these beautiful cats will be cared for month after month? When you join the Big Cat Club, that’s exactly what happens! Your monthly commitment (in any amount you choose) helps us provide the quality food, ongoing vet care and enrichment they need to live happy, healthy lives. If you’re donating on line just go to WildCatRidgeSanctuary.org, choose How to Help at the top and then Big Cat Club! It’s so easy to do! From all the big cats, a roaring big
thank you!
Your donation goes directly to the care of these wildcats and many others.
Scout (tiger)
Keida (serval)
Noni (cougar)
Calvin (tiger)
Carrie (caracal)
Howie (bobcat)
WildCat Ridge is the only true big cat sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest. We never breed, sell or exhibit our cats. We receive no federal or state funding and rely on our donors to help give these beautiful animals the care they deserve.
Please donate today at WildCatRidgeSanctuary.org!