Sam
It’s been said bad things happen in threes ???? Losing our residents is always painful but three in the last month have been very hard to process. Sadly, we lost Sam, another one of the servals at WildCat Ridge Sanctuary ????
Sam had been showing signs of renal failure over the past year and we were monitoring it. He’d been in for an exam this past April, however last week when we took him in again to see Dr. Connolly at Compass Vet Clinic the change was so dramatic that we had no choice but to let him go. He was eighteen years old and had been with us since 2011 ????
Sam was a beautiful boy who originally came from a woman who had purchased him to use as a breeder. He was declawed on all four feet and lived in a 200 square foot cage. That was his life for nine years until his owner contacted us. She was in failing health and could no longer care for him. We made arrangements immediately to go pick him up. Sam was a very sweet and social cat who was one of the most talkative servals. He lived with Rasta and I know she misses him as much as we do.
The thought of never hearing him talk to us again is so sad but knowing that he’s no longer in pain eases the sadness at least a little. Safe travels beautiful boy, we miss you very much and thinking about you will always make us smile through the tears ????
Once again we have to share the sad news that we lost one of our precious wildcats ????
Morocco, a thirteen-year-old serval had been slowing down and becoming less mobile over the past few months, and with only three legs, it was a big concern. We increased his medication but when that didn’t make much difference we scheduled a visit to Compass Vet Clinic. Dr. Connolly did an exam and when we saw the X-rays it showed debilitating arthritis on all three legs. There was nothing more we could do for his pain so we made the tough decision not to wake him up.
We picked up Morocco and his sister from a private owner in Nevada. They were approximately two years old and had been sold from a roadside zoo. When the new owner went to pick the cats up they were already in crates and when she got home and let them out she saw that Morocco had a broken back leg ????
Upset, she contacted the Zoo director and he said it would heal on its own. When we picked them up two years later in 2009 Morocco had never had any type of vet care and his leg had healed four inches shorter than the other. We scheduled orthopedic surgery as soon as we got back and despite the difficult surgery and a long tough recovery, we managed to save his leg. He was doing great until four years later when he snapped his Achilles’s tendon and we had to amputate it. However this time the recovery was much easier and he could run and play on three legs with no problem.
He and his sister Tanzi lived together the entire time at WildCat Ridge Sanctuary and Morocco let her run the show. They were very bonded and spent most of their time playing and napping together. We know that Tanzi feels the loss even more than we do, but as time goes by, we hope she will adjust. Morocco was such a calm, quiet boy, who enjoyed boxes, different scents for enrichment, and living his life with Tanzi. Although it was the right thing to do, we’re still so sad to have lost him. Safe travels beautiful boy, we miss you so much and will take good care of Tanzi for you ❤️
Jett
Every loss is difficult and heartbreaking, made even more so when it’s unexpected. I’m so sad to share that we lost sweet Jett, one of the newest servals to come to WildCat Ridge Sanctuary. Jett wasn’t eating very well so after two days we did an exam, gave him fluids, medication and brought him inside to watch. He perked up the next morning had a great breakfast and we thought we were on the road to recovery. The following day he crashed and despite doing all we could we had to let him go.
It happened so quickly and out of the blue that we’re still reeling from it. A necropsy showed a bacterial infection that had gone into his bloodstream. Jett was a young serval and to lose him after such a short period of time is so difficult to come to peace with.
Safe travels sweet boy, your time with us was much too short.
We are heartbroken to share that we lost our precious Ariel in November 2023. In May of this year, she was diagnosed with IBD after a complete physical exam. She had been eating and taking her meds well, and we kept a close eye on her. Over the past few weeks, we started seeing a change, nothing dramatic, but she didn’t seem to be herself. Her appetite was still good, and there was nothing we could put a finger on, but we decided to take her to the clinic. After bloodwork, radiographs, and consultation with other vets, nothing much had changed, so it was decided to wake her up and bring her home.
When the intubation tube was removed, it was covered in blood and clots. The decision was made not to wake her up. Necropsy results showed cancer had settled in her lungs, and there was nothing that could have been done. At 13 years of age, she was considered a geriatric cheetah, but we never expected to lose her.
Ariel came to WCR in 2020 on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. She was smart, sassy, opinionated, and we fell madly in love. Her days consisted of fussing at the keepers when she thought they were late with breakfast, napping in the grass and talking with chirps or hisses, depending on her mood. She was a joy to care for, and we can’t believe she’s gone.
Losing any of our residents is painful, but when it’s unexpected, it’s so much harder. We never imagined yesterday would be our last day with her. Safe travels, beautiful girl. You leave us with memories we will hold close forever . . . ????
As much as we had hoped things would be different we are devastated to share that our precious Addison has lost her battle with kidney disease. ????
We are all reeling from this and our only consolation is that we were with her to help her move on. ????
Addison’s History
In a project that we started over a year ago, WCR has been working together with the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) Cheetah Survival Species Plan. Our goal is to provide lifetime homes for Cheetahs no longer used in the SSP.
We were thrilled to be able to bring Addison here in January of 2020. She was born in 2007 and now is a permanent resident of WildCat Ridge Sanctuary and doing great. Addison made news in November of 2015 when she had 6 cubs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It was the largest litter ever delivered there. She was the perfect mother and all cubs thrived. We are proud of her contribution to the SSP (Species Survival Program) but so happy she’s here now enjoying her much-deserved retirement at WildCat Ridge Sanctuary.
Here is Addison with her cubs in 2016.
