Here are two of WildCat Haven's cougars.  These guys are brothers who used to live in an apartment in Indiana (not unlike a certain feline we know - minus the Indiana part).

Unlike Sandusky, however, they were both declawed at a very young age.  As I mentioned in a post elsewhere, declawing a cat is a very mean thing to do, and many vets simply refuse to do it nowadays.  While these guys are extremely happy now, you can still see the ill effects of their declawing.  Their paws are flat and floppy, and putting a lot of weight on them at times seems quite uncomfortable.

Of course, without claws, I won't hesitate to shake their paws through the fencing.  I'm much more careful when they're eating ground meat off of my bare hands, though.  ;)

They're beautiful cats.

Ahhh, Noni and Neko.  If you check your 2007 Wildcat Haven calendar, they are Mr. September and Mr. October, respectively.

Now, this may be sacreligious on this forum, but, John, when you visit Wildcat Haven, do you also get to check out some of the non-cougar residents?  as in Bobby, Cleo, and Bailey Rae -- bobcats?  Just from their pics, I have fallen head over heels for Bobby and Cleo.  I'd love the opportunity to visit WCH and see them.

I'm actually looking at Mr. September right now.  

And, yes, I always enjoy my visits with the rest of the gang (even the humans) up at WildCat Haven.  While I do pet and scratch some of the cougars through the enclosures from time to time, the smaller cats are definitely much more hands on.

Sir Lynxalot (usually just called "Sir" or "Sir Sir" in a high falsetto) is just a big, sweet ball of fluff who wants you to scratch his cheek for hours on end.  And then he'll slobber all over your shoes.  When people don't pay enough attention to him, he'll ask for it with owl-like hoots and calls from up on the hill.

Josie has a habit of climbing up and posing for pictures on people's backs (no claws involved).  She also knows how to use the toilet, but she doesn't have one in her enclosure.

Back in May, due to a broken down rental car (and subsequent missed flight), I had to got to spend the night with a few of the "indoor cats" (domestic and hybrid rescues).  At that time, those indoor cats included a full grown serval.  And the day bed was truly her bed.  I didn't sleep a whole lot, but it didn't really matter.  ;)

Bobby and Cleo are wonderful, as well.  They aren't quite as attention-seeking as Sir and Josie, but they're still great cats.  Needless to say, a wild born bobcat who needed to have one of his legs amputated and a "domestic" bobcat whose tendons were cut to prevent her from using her claws around the house will tend to be a bit more skiddish than the rest.

Suffice it to say, I'm never really bored while I'm up there.  

'skiddish?' They like to slide around? ;-)

Did I mention that I'm an officer with the pedant squad?

I see whad happenet here.  Some tufus has swidchet my "T" ant "D" keys.  Whad a basdart!

that sometimes happens to me if i leave my office for lunch.  especially those lunches in which turkey sandwiches play a part (that durn tryptophan!)  i just finished rearranging the keys some tufus switched up on me during lunch.

It's so cool to hear about the cats firsthand.  

I agree with you Kristina, especially since I can picture the cats about whom John writes, having seen their photos many times on the WCH website and in the WCH calendar.  Although I must admit, I would never have imagined Sir Lynxalot to be such a drooler.

Quote :

I would never have imagined Sir Lynxalot to be such a drooler.

Sir does, in his defense, keep the drool contained primarily to your shoes.  

That's better than some dogs I know.  I know a Golden Retriever who likes to put his drooly head in my lap.  Yuck!  (But he's a sweet dog.)

Josie and Sir Lynxalot are so cute!  I love the video on Sir Lynxalot's page.

http://www.wildcathaven.org/Meet/josie/josie.html

http://www.wildcathaven.org/Meet/Sir/sir.html

Have you checked out http://stuffonmycat.com/
They're showing big cats, too.