The Cats at the Cat Survival Trust

Tikana (male), and Tara (female) arrived at the Cat Survival Trust during 1996. Both are on breeding loan and they are living together in complete harmony. In the third week of February 1998 mating was observed for the first time and although snow leopards tend to need several attempts before cubs result we were cautiously optimistic.
They had just moved into the first half of the new Snow Leopard Complex where they are enjoying a larger run and the chance to view their surroundings from a high shelf which is actually the roof of their inside quarters.

At the end of May 1998 three cubs (1m, 2f) were born. Unfortunately one of the females did not survive beyond a few days but the others did well although Cato (male) received damage to his left eye, probably while playing with his sister, Tammarind. At first it seemed likely that he would lose the eye, but it responded slowly to treatment and he now appears to have regained some sight in that eye although it is still cloudy.
November 1997 saw the arrival of two more snow leopards, this time from Jersey Zoo. They were Stasik, an eighteen year old male who was partially-sighted and his three year old granddaughter, Irena. Both settled well into their temporary quarters and should have been in the new Snow Leopard Complex early in the New Year. They were originally intended to stay with the Trust while Jersey carried out some redevelopment work on their enclosure there. It was later agreed that in view of the age of the male the cats would stay with the Trust indefinitely.
Unfortunately the male died suddenly in the third week of March 1998. Despite a history of minor veterinary problems he had shown no sign that anything was wrong and ate well the day before he died. Next day he had a series of minor fits and then, while the female was being isolated so that he could be given treatment, a major one from which he did not recover. Both Terry Moore and Robert Martin were with him when he died but they were unable to help him.
On November 8th 1998 another female arrived to be a companion for Irena. She was Bulgan, a 14-year old who had been living at Banham Zoo. She quickly settled into the new snow leopard complex next to Tara and Tikana and is still with us at the ripe old age of eighteen.
It is an indication of the inter-relatedness of British snow leopards that Stasik was the maternal grandfather of Tikana, our young male, as well as of Irena (by different daughters), while Bulgan is both Irena's and Tikana's paternal grandmother (by different sons).
On Feb. 1st 2000 Tara and Tikana were seen enthusiastically mating again. This went on for some time and three cubs were born in May. Unfortunately once again only two, a male and a female, survived. They are still living with their parents until another pen can be completed.
At the beginning of May, 2002, a single female cub was born. Unfortunately it was very weak and did not survive its first day.

Bob (male) at 26 was our oldest cat and surprised us all when six years ago he fathered kittens. He was the last surviving cat from the very early days of the Trust when it was based in Stevenage. He had come to us from Calgary Zoo via quarantine at Ravensden. He died peacefully on 24th August 1999 having shown no sign that his end was near.
The others live in two single-sex groups because we have no room for any kittens that might otherwise result.
On Saturday, November 28th 1998 Florence, one of our older bobcats, died suddenly. She was seen to be unwell and was isolated for treatment but before anything could be done for her she died. It is believed that she had a heart attack.

Czar, Our big neutered male, died suddenly at the beginning of May, 2002. We are not sure of his age, but he must have been around 18 which is a good age for any cat. He was in excellent condition and we believe that he had a heart attack.
Arriving in December 1997, three male European lynxes from Erkheim Zoo in Germany (which has closed) brought our total for this species to four.
Although Felix was 21 years old, he survived the road journey well. He, Max and Moritz settled into their quarantine quarters where they shared a run for the first time.
Unfortunately the harmonious relationship between the three did not last, and it was found necessary to separate Felix from the two younger cats. He lived on in separate quarters until late October 1998 when he died, apparently from old age.
Recently arrived is Bodie, who had been taken from an unlicenced zoo by the local authority. Notified to us as a female, the cat appeared to be another neutered male!
In Spring 2001 a female arrived, having been confiscated by the authorities in Yorkshire. She was introduced to Bodie, and although the vet had pronounced him neutered, a male kitten, Loofi, was born during the Summer. The three are still living happily together.

Ear'oles (male) was, for a while, our only caracal. A mate was found for him and four kittens resulted in 1992. One of them was not strong enough to survive, but the other three grew well and are still with us.
Latest arrival among the caracals is Mischa, a three-months old female kitten when she arrived on 20th April 1997. She had been hand-reared from the age of two weeks and remains a very friendly cat, although she now prefers to approach her visitors when she is ready rather than being approached by them.
She has recently been introduced to our younger male, whom she dominates, and on 29th February, 2000 she produced two kittens.
Mother, our old female, died recently. Her age was unknown but she was certainly a teenager and her end was not unexpected.
In the Spring of 2001 two more kittens were born but unfortunately both died within the first two weeks.
Two more kittens have arrived very early in 2002. These are a male and a female and so far they are doing well.

Zachariah (male) came to us with an unfortunate reputation for attacking potential mates, so he has to live alone. True to his species, he enjoys an occasional treat of fish.

The three very elderly cats remaining from our old breeding stock are now reduced to two by the death of Jangle (male) in January 1999.
Two refugees from another closed collection brought the total to four, recently reduced to one by the death of three more very old cats.
At the end of April, 2002 we received another jungle cat. He seems to have settled with our other jungle cat, from whom he differs in having a paler, more reddish coat.

Two ocelots arrived with the Trust in 1994. They came from Glasgow Zoo. Lotto, a male and Lotty, a female are still with us and doing well.
Little is known about the two cats, their ages are uncertain and we have no idea which subspecies they are. Many zoo cats are of mixed lineage, and it may be that these are among them.

On 8th October, 1998 two male Amur Leopard Cats arrived from Banham Zoo. These are bigger than the leopard cats which lived here a few years ago and have different coat patterns. They resemble miniature fishing cats and are classified as subspecies euptilura. Details of their ages and lineage will not be known intil the full data are received from Banham Zoo, but it is hoped that one of them can be exchanged for a suitable female from another source.

Still happily with us is Sprogget, our first second-generation Geoffroy’s kitten, born in 1985 and fostered by Liliput, our three-legged domestic female who herself lived to an estimated age of eighteen.
We were very sorry to lose Poppet, a female who had been with us since 1977 and is believed to have been wild-caught. She died peacefully on the last day of September, 1998

Ess, a seven-year-old male, arrived from Chester Zoo on 29th July 1999. He is a very beautifully-marked cat and we are hoping to find him a mate in the not-too-distant future.

In April, 2002 five Scottish wildcats arrived. They are two males, a female and two juveniles which are also a pair.
By coincidence they are living in the same pens that our previous (alleged) Scottish wildcats occupied many years ago.
On 24th April, 2002 three kittens were born. Unfortunately they were not strong and despite all attempts to hand-rear them the last one died on May 29th.