Dear Supporter,

As we approach Giving Tuesday, the annual 24-hour global online fundraising event to kick off the holiday season of giving, which is just a week away on Tuesday, November 28th, what comes to my mind is this line from the famous inspirational poem Desiderata: “they too have their story.” With all the attention that the big, “iconic,” cats like tigers, lions, and jaguars get, I have to wonder if there are times when our beloved small cats like bobcats, servals, caracals, and hybrids feel they are playing second fiddle to the big guys. 

While it is said that a mother should never pick favorites among her children, I have to confess that bobcats have always been my favorite species. When Howie asked me why, I told him, “They are the most fierce – despite their small size they don’t let anything intimidate them. They have been an inspiration to me as we have taken on the battle against the big cat abusers.”

 

We continue to care for these cats in Tampa and will fund their care until the end of their lives. That is our commitment to them. What does that care include? The most obvious care is that they each eat a few pounds of expensive raw meat each day (think of size of 8-12 McDonald's quarter pounders per day).

But the care goes far beyond that. All of them require regular periodic medical treatment. In addition, since a large percentage of them either came to us with chronic medical conditions or developed them as they aged, many require other periodic ongoing medications for acute or chronic conditions. Applying these medications is much more involved than with your domestic pets and very labor intensive.

For instance, we administer Ivermectin monthly to prevent heartworms. We administer Bravecto and Panacur for quarterly for flea and intestinal parasite prevention. As needed we administer Praziquantel or Marquis for Spirometra tapeworms when one of the cats eats one of the wild animals that wander into the enclosures and Metronidazole for Guardia. A few of the oldest cats receive Gabapentin for pain for joint or spinal pain, Prednisone for arthritis, and Amlodipine for high blood pressure.

 

To help make your donations have even more impact, this year two of our supporters have offered a total of $7,000 in matching funds available to the earliest donors. And you don’t need to wait until the big day to make a much-appreciated gift; early online donations can be made on our secure website starting TODAY. Early donations qualify for the matching funds, a good reason to donate early.

Sincerely,
Carole Baskin and the Big Cat Rescue team

While the biggest cats do tend to get more attention, we so appreciate the many of you who love and support our smaller big cats. Every dollar really does add up and help, so we hope you will use national Giving Tuesday as an opportunity to donate whatever you can to help us continue to give them the best care possible.

 

THANK YOU and best wishes for a peacful, joyous, prosperous, and most important, SAFE season and 2024!

P.O. Box 260429 | Tampa, Florida 33685
Question? Email us at carole.baskin@bigcatrescue.org or call 8134934564

Big Cat Rescue is a 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

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