“When I began to volunteer 5 yrs ago by cleaning cages, Oakey was one of the cats who made an impression on me. I was both captivated and a bit frightened. You see he, being the epitome of Ocelots, lived up to their reputation of having that slinky, striking, and gorgeous coat, but also fiercely ominous guttural growl and purposeful walk. As I got to know him, I thought of him as one part David Copperfield as I observed that he was clever enough to outsmart most of us with his schemey, disappearing and appearing ways in his cat-a-tat, and one part Archie Bunker in a fur coat due to his in-your-face, cranky disposition. But, over time, I realized that the sum of those attributes was just what he was intended to be. His striking looks and beautiful coat were God's gift to him for protection and his coat for his own warmth, not that of hunters. I also came to understand that his crankiness was really just an endless striving to be what he was supposed to be in life....free. However, he was not. So, his eternal purposeful prancing and prowling was meant for the wild and not to scare or impress us. He taught us all that he was never to be tamed or thought of as cuddly because that was not his role. He was a predator trapped in a preyless environment, however much good Samaritans we were to provide for him...it was not his true home. So, I think of him fondly now and miss him, but I think of him most importantly at his passing as.....free. I hope the same for his fellow Ocelots”……Christy, Senior Volunteer Partner
“Oakey was the first cat I fell in love with as a red shirt. He had a great personality and was always ready to help clean his lockout with you. He had a sweet face and was a typical con artist Ocelot. He lived life to the fullest. We can all learn from that”…. Kathryn, Senior Volunteer Keeper
From Oakey's Bio Page
Male Ocelot born in 1987 came to us on 12/20/93 as his retirement fromthe circus. As a circus animal he lived in a small portable cage most of his life, in the back of an ammonia filled trailer. He found happiness here with Samantha where he lived until 11/20/03.