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Big Cat Rescue's Siberian Lynx

Most of our Siberian Lynx were rescues from fur farms.  The deal we made with the three fur farms we discovered in the U.S. was that we would pay top dollar for every cat and kitten they had as long as the fur farmer would agree to never buy and breed cats again for slaughter.  It came at a time that the public outcry was against the fur industry.  Many of these animals were purchased at auctions where the uncaring owners were dumping the cats with no concern about their welfare.  There is much controversy over whether we did the right thing by paying the ransom for these cats.  We still accept many unwanted cats each year, but do not pay for them and typically require that their owner surrender their license, in an attempt to keep people from just trading in their cats each year for a newer, cuter model. 

Katmandu

Male Siberian Lynx 

Date of Birth: 4/92 

Katmandu was rescued from the same fur farm as Stalker on 9/19/93. He was too young to breed but was such an exceptional male that it costs us twice as much to get him off the farm and in to Big Cat Rescue. His little sister is Natasha. Sadly, his older brother, who was the fur farm's star breeder, was shot to death when he escaped from the farm in Minnesota. Katmandu was neutered in 1998 and can now often be found snoozing the day away curled up with Kanawha under the trees in their cat-a-tat.  He has learned from Jaguar about living impeccably even though he was the subject of other's greed, envy for his soft fur, manipulation and control.  Katmandu speaks to us to rise above those feelings, in ourselves and in others through forgiveness and living a life of integrity.  Take Katmandu's advice to become impeccable and use integrity and you will thrive. 

 

Kanawha

Female Siberian Lynx Date of Birth: 3/89 

Kanawha was purchased on 9/21/93 because her previous owner could not find a mate for her and she was extremely thin.  Kanawha speaks to us of Alligator medicine which embraces integration.  Sometimes humans become inflexible and judgmental because we do not look at all the facts before taking action.  Kanawha knows that you have to scan both above and below the surface to get the whole truth and you have to let go of preconceived notions that would drown you.  Kanawha urges you to integrate all of the possibilities, potential risks, unexpected outcomes and ultimate rewards and then make your move! 

 

Natasha

Female Siberian Lynx

Date of Birth: 5/5/94 

Natasha was rescued, along with 27 other cats, from a fur farm. She cost more than any of the other cats because she is exquisitely beautiful. She has survived poisoning and a very scary seizure in 1996. She is lovable and fun-loving and considers no one a stranger. She is very special and will always have a home with us. She was diagnosed with heart worms in 1997 and recovered very slowly. We had never seen heartworms in cats, and as a result of her infestation have made it a policy to treat all of Big Cat Rescue 's animals with Ivermectin as a preventative.  Natasha shares a Cat-a-tat with Willow, they love each others company, and are a favorite of guests. 

NOTE: The three Siberian Lynx listed below all came from the same Canadian fur farm. Big Cat Rescue has already bought out every U.S. fur farm known to us and we would like to do the same with this Canadian one. We have determined, however, that in order to purchase the cats remaining at this farm, and build barely adequate caging for them, it would have cost over $95,000. back in 1997.  Since then we have determined that we cannot rescue our way out of this problem and are devoting time and energy to changing laws to protect the animals.  Visit www.CatLaws.com to help.

 

Apollo

Male Siberian Lynx 

Date of Birth:  Spring of 1997

Apollo arrived at Big Cat Rescue, on 6/24/97, with Maverick and Zeus, from a Canadian fur farm.  Although badly parisitized, he was much stronger than Maverick.  Apollo is such a disciple of Deer medicine that he even looks like one with his long, lean form and dappled coat.  Apollo exhibits unconditional love, the powerful medicine of Deer, to his brother but he wants us to know that this sort of gentleness and love is to be expressed to all.  Apollo nudges us to find things to love about ourselves and others and our demons will melt away.  Evil cannot live in the presence of a love that gives while expecting nothing in return. 

 

Zeus

Male Siberian Lynx

Date of Birth: Spring of 1997

Zeus arrived at Big Cat Rescue, on 6/24/97 from the same fur farm as Willow and many of the other Siberian Lynxes. He and Apollo, another fur farm survivor, share a large habitat across from the lake. Although, you would not normally find two adult male Lynxes living together in the wild, in captivity this is actually a form of enrichment. They play together, groom each other, stalk ducks together and even sleep curled up next to each other. They have a habit of puffing air out of their noses when agitated, especially at feeding time. This behavior has earned them the nickname of “The Hufflepuffs.” 

Zeus watches the turtles from his lakeside home and wants to share the Wisdom of the Turtle.  Native people of many cultures view the Turtle as the symbol for Mother Earth.  Zeus speaks to us about the importance of reconnecting to Mother Earth in ways that honor her by using our powers of creativity.  Too many times people try to reconnect with nature by taking animals from the wild and trying to make a pet of them but imprisoning your siblings on this planet only results in angering Mother Earth.  Zeus asks us to take a slow walk with Nature, appreciating her in every life form and leave behind only footprints in the sand. 

 

Willow

Female Siberian Lynx

Date of Birth: Spring, 1994 

Willow was born at a fur farm in Canada. We had bought all of the kittens the farm had and they were shipped here in crates so small that the kittens could not move. The little wire crates appeared to be full of sticky, smelly gray fur. We opened the crates and pulled out the contents, and found a group of soiled, starving, sick and stressed little kittens. None of them died in transit, which was a shock, considering the condition in which they had arrived, but sadly several did not survive long after. Willow was always one of the skinniest and willowiest of the group and thus her name. She was raised with Natasha and Alex and still remains one of the friendliest cats here. She shares her large grassy habitat with another Siberian Lynx named Natasha. Ironically, they are often seen lying in the sun grooming each other’s beautiful fur coats.

 

Anastasia (means Resurrection)

Female Siberian Lynx

Date of Birth: 1992 

Anastasia is contemplating a Butterfly in this photo and has learned that the Butterfly teaches the art of transformation. Anastasia noticed that Butterflies go through distinctly different forms from egg, to larva, to cocoon to butterfly.  From this observation, Anastasia asks us to look at our own cycles so that we can better recognize the beautiful patterns emerging in our lives. She asks us to ask ourselves four questions:

1.  Is this the egg stage:  Is it just an idea or thought?

2.  Is this the larva stage:  Do I need to make a decision?

3.  Is this the cocoon stage:  Am I going into my creative consciousness and reconnecting with Spirit to make my idea a reality?

4.  Is this the birth stage:  Am I sharing my completed idea or creation?

By asking yourself these questions, Anastasia says you will know how Butterfly is relating to you at this very moment.  When you know where you are, then it is simple to see what the next step in the cycle will be.  Life is all about change and if you allow your creativity to transform you then you will share the beauty and freedom of the Butterfly.

Carole's Note April 23, 2006 5:00 pm:  Anastasia was speaking to me of Butterfly's transformation at the moment that Crystal, Howie's 22 year old cat, died peacefully in her sleep.  Just as our lives cycle continuously during this lifetime, our spirits cycle endlessly in infinity.  Crystal just emerged into the spirit realm on glistening wings of light.   

 

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Big Cat Rescue is an educational sanctuary and a home for more than 100 big cats  12802 Easy St. Tampa, FL 33625 813.920.4130 Info@BigCatRescue.org