Rescue never sleeps, even in this crazy time of lockdown and social distancing. We got an email in April 2020 from a woman who knew someone that had an F1 Bengal that needed placement. The cat’s history is pretty sordid, listed on Craigslist, passed around to three different owners and now hoped we could make room. Of course, we said yes . . .

We were shocked when we saw Bo. He weighed 4.5 lbs. The tape from the IV line that was placed four weeks ago during a blood transfusion was still on. He was shaky and seemed to have trouble chewing. A complete vet exam from Dr. Connolly at Compass Vet Clinic showed he was four paws declawed, anemic from flea infestation, had been defanged on his bottom jaw, and at some point, someone had pierced his ear for an earring! Dr. Connolly gave him a bath and the water was red and filthy from the dirt and blood.

Now at WCR, Bo has gained weight and lives in SC3 with other hybrids and domestic cats. Because of your generous donations, we are saving lives and creating a New Beginning for the animals that have no voice. It’s great to see him out exploring despite annoying Little Leo following him around. 😉 Good boy Bo, welcome to your new life. ❤️

In the summer of 2020 we were contacted by a rescue who needed to place an F2 Bengal. This is what they wrote about him:

“As most of you know, we recently took on a large project of saving an F2 Bengal named Morpheus who came from a breeder who never socialized him as a kitten to a home that was abusive and couldn’t handle him properly, then rehomed him to somebody who thought they could turn him around to be a loving lap kitty and in the six months he had him, Morpheus did not budge and matters became worse.
The owner then decided to purchase another Bengal kitten to become Morpheus’ friend, hoping it would turn him around. Alas, the attempt failed, and instead of turning Morpheus into a loving cat, Morpheus, in turn, made the kitten start turning hissy and scared and running from the owner.

Morpheus was also having issues with using a litterbox and decided that the couch and the carpets were his best choice of a potty box. The owner had taken him to the vet, who said there were no medical issues causing it and told the owner to try different litters. The owner did try several different litters and was unsuccessful. That’s when the owner decided that he didn’t want two cats acting the same way and wanted the baby to be a loving lap kitty, so he turned Morpheus over to our rescue. In the six weeks we have had him in our possession, we have worked with him daily in order to help him transition to trusting humans again, as well as attempting to litterbox train him properly, and he won’t have any part of it.

After working with him, we were able to gain his trust enough to eat out of the bowl right in front of us; however, if we flinch, blink too much, or move in the slightest, he cringes, hisses, growls, then runs to hide and won’t come back out. Anytime there is a change, whether it be cleaning, moving cat trees around, adding new items, etc. Morpheus will hide, hiss, and growl for days without coming out to eat or drink, and the process of trying to tame him starts all over again from the beginning. He will not be able to live inside of a home with humans due to him refusing to use the several different types of litterboxes provided and because of his wild nature that was brought out due to past abuse.

After carefully considering the situation, For the Love of Savannah has searched nationwide for the perfect wildcat sanctuary for Morpheus to live out the remainder of his life in a natural environment suited to his needs.

We have been working closely with the Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary in Oregon which is willing and able to take this boy in and give him the life he deserves, happy and free-roaming as he pleases without the interaction of humans in a completely protected indoor/outdoor environment to protect him of all ailments.”

How could we say no? The rescue drove him here from Las Vegas and took great care of him, worrying about the perfect home, and they were thrilled that we could make room! Fast forward, and we now have a confident, handsome cat who is loving life! We couldn’t be happier to see the change in Morpheus since he arrived! Welcome to your new lifetime home, gorgeous boy; we love having you!

(From his first visit to Compass Vet Clinic) * Morpheus: Definitely a neutered male cat. Based on his teeth, he is around 7 years old (5-10 years). As a kitten, he was kicked/hit in the lower back and pelvis – the growth plate of L7 closed early on the left side,  the disc between L6 and L7 is collapsed, and his pelvis is slightly twisted. He also has a collapsed disc in his neck. Bloodwork was perfect. He looks like a terrified but potentially very nice cat. 

Tut is a Chausie cat which means he’s a hybrid cat that is created by breeding a Jungle Cat (Felis Chaus) to a domestic female cat. He is one of the eight wildcats we took from Wildlife Waystation and has been here since August 2019. He’s a very social cat who enjoys interaction with our keepers but is not a pet. He doesn’t use a litter box so he lives out with the other domestic and hybrid cats. Confident and curious, he’s a fun boy and we are happy to be able to provide him with a lifetime home.

Taji, born in 2007, is an F1 Savannah cat that came to WildCat Ridge Sanctuary from Wildlife Waystation when they were shut down. The history we have is that he came from a private owner who declawed him on all four and keep him in a closet in their home 😟It’s hard to imagine what he’s gone through in his life. He is the largest Savannah cat we have ever seen weighing almost 28 pounds. Taji is very shy but  doing well, we’ve noticed him out exploring much more and we’re happy to be able to give him a lifetime home.

Dexter, an F1 Bengal came to WCR in October of 2016. Dexter is a very handsome boy who’s owners love him, but because of work issues, they would be traveling extensively for the next few years. WCR is only one of a very few sanctuaries that take in hybrid cats and his owners reached out to see if we had room for him.

Dexter has had some struggles that have made it harder for him to relax and adjust. He came to us very overweight and when Dr. Lipanovich did his vet workup, found he was diabetic. As a cat we can’t touch, our only chance was to change his diet and restrict his calories.

Thankfully our hard work paid off and he has lost weight and is no longer diabetic! It took a bit of time for Dexter to come out of his shell but he loves his indoor-outdoor space and living a wild life.

Jersey is an F2 Savannah that came to WildCat Ridge from Denville Animal Control in New Jersey. Their agent had reached out via Facebook asking for help when they were able to trap him after months of tracking. He was emaciated and terrified but finally safe. In the weeks that followed it was learned that he had been purchased as a pet and somehow escaped. It’s hard to imagine that this cat had been on the run since he was only 5 months old! Against all odds he was able to survive!

He received a complete veterinary work up, was neutered and added some much needed weight in preparation for his trip to WildCat Ridge. Arrangements were finalized and he arrived in Oregon, August 2012. Today, Jersey is doing great! He lives with the other hybrid cats in Hybrid Haven and is thriving! He has lots of friends and will never have to worry about being on the run again!

Sometimes social media can be a wonderful thing. We were contacted by a woman back east who had trapped a feral cat out of a colony that she was feeding. She thought the cat could possibly be a Savannah and wanted our opinion. We were shocked to see that the cat was indeed a Savannah cat!

Working together her rescue group vetted the cat, spayed her and then Sarah flew out with the little girl, she named Lea. She hasn’t warmed up to people but lives in SC3 a new building for hybrids and domestics. There she has her best friend Leo, an F1 Bengal and the other cats. We are thrilled to be able to provide a lifetime home for Lea and can’t thank Sarah enough for caring about this feral girl.

Leo, an F1 Bengal kitten was purchased from a breeder at nine weeks old. He weighed less than 2 lbs, was completely unsocialized, didn’t use a cat box and wouldn’t eat. His new owner rushed him to her vet and he was treated with fluids and force-fed. She realized that this was not what she signed up for. But when she contacted the breeder to take him back, all communication stopped. Frantic, she started looking for options and that’s when she called WildCat Ridge Sanctuary.

He arrived at WCR the next day! He was so small and completely feral.  We decided he should have a buddy to grow up with and adopted a domestic kitten from Salem Friends of Felines so he would have a companion. Now they are both grown up and Leo lives outside with other domestic and hybrid cats. He loves it and is a great hunter! He is still the smallest cat but he is very brave and spends his days playing and enjoying his natural space.

Leo is just another example why we don’t support the breeding and selling of hybrid cats. Please read what Leo’s owner wrote about her experience.