Summer is our busiest time of year at the sanctuary. And this year is definitely no different. Our transition to the new site is almost complete. I don't think we could have ever estimated the number of man hours it would take to tear down the old facility and begin habitat building at the new one, but we are making progress. With the new site comes rescue after rescue. We will be welcoming two new bobcats this month that were wild born, but due to circumstances cannot be released. In addition, there are 37 more cats on our waiting list that need sanctuary.

The sanctuary cats receive several forms of enrichment, and most recently got to try out their very own big cat toy compliments of DuckyWorld Products. The toy will be named in Meme's honor and bring joy to many cats in captivity.

With so much work to do, we thought it was a perfect year to begin our summer internship program. With all the expenses for the new site and rescues, the position will be unpaid, but will be an invaluable experience.

Progress at the new site is not as fast as we would like, but things are happening. We needed to put our energy into tearing down the old site and a huge thank you goes to Sonja Lien who spearheaded this process. Over the last several months, volunteers and staff focused their time on tearing down the old site. All of the fence panels, dens and perches have been moved to Sandstone. With that now behind us, thanks to so many dedicated individuals, we can begin to focus on building a wild place for our wild at heart.

The 10ft perimeter fence around the habitat area is complete, along with the 8ft property line fence that encompasses all of our 40 acres. The food prep building is also finished. The temperature controlled African cat building is underway and will include indoor and outdoor areas along with a 4ft lean-to for those rainy days when they cats would still like to be outside. Poles have been set for Misha and Max's new area as well as Jasper and Otis. Construction has also begun on Titan's new free roaming habitat.

The next stage will be the free roaming cougar habitats as well as the outdoor enclosures for the servals once the building is complete. We are excited to see the new areas and buildings being erected and can't wait until we can release the cats into their truly wild habitats.

Visit http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/newSite/newsitephotos.htm to see our progress and photos as we build the new sanctuary.

All of TWS' residents are wild at heart, but our most recent rescues were really wild. Many wild born animals fall victim to tragedy. Two of the new bobcats that will call TWS' home both were born to be free, but fate intervened. A one-year-old male bobcat was found impaled on a fence. Efforts to repair his leg were not successful and the rear leg was amputated making him unreleasable. The rehabber wanted to see the next best thing - him in a natural environment and asked if TWS could accommodate him. The second bobcat, which the rehab staffed named Benson, was just a kitten when his mother was killed. Rehabbers attempted to nurture the boy's wild instincts so that he could one day be released. When that day did arrive, this boy refused to leave the release site and kept returning. After several tries, the rehabbers felt it was time to place him in a sanctuary where he could be safe.

To donate towards habitats for the new bobcats that will be arriving soon, please visit our online store at http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/NewStore/TWSStore.htm . You can click on the general donation button and write 'bobcats' in the notes section.

Of course, the first bobcat needs a name just like the rest of our sanctuary residents. Nicole Erdmann, one of our supporters, won the live auction bid at Jungle Boogie last year to name our first rescue that arrived without a name. Nicole has chosen to name the bobcat 'Claud' after her wonderful aunt, Claudia, who passed away. Claudia had an extreme love and compassion for animals.

DuckyWorld Products is making a natural catnip filled toy just for big cats. But their company also makes great, catnip toys for our companion felines. Visit http://www.duckyworld.com/ to learn more. We asked Kevin Duck how he came up with this concept and here was his reply:

'It is a curious challenge. I know how our regular type house cats are affected by our Yeowww! brand toys and I get a lot of satisfaction out of the fact that by using the best catnip I could have grown for us and using a lot of it in toys, it was what people around the world have been wanting. Catnip toys, when I started DuckyWorld 10 years ago, were all fuzz filled and a sprinkle of catnip or mix. It is not so expensive to fill a toy and it is just a good healthy treat for them.

I was curious to see if it would work on big cats as I knew know one was making toys for them. I first approached the Minnesota Zoo who said to test a toy on a big cat, it would first have to go before a review board for approval. If approved, a fee would be attached for testing. I understand that as they have costs and liabilities. We are a small company and while we do sell globally, we are now responsible for a small number of humans that make all those toys available. I could not afford to test this big cat toy in this arena. I was talking with my good friend Trisha, owner of Urbanimal in Minneapolis on Lyndale Ave. Trisha told me about Tammy Quist and her efforts with the big cats.

What a great idea, that day I contacted Tammy. The rest is more than I could have ever asked for. We have more than enough big cats now who not only love but look like they are deriving great pleasure from our original big cat toy. Remember, I get great satisfaction from that. They do not seem to bunny kick in the first tests but instead...and sometimes in groups of 3, rubbing all over the toy. It is really unbelievable. Maybe bunny kicking comes on the second date! Wheeeee...

The toy is still in development but is natural, safe, and it keeps them entertained and thinking dreamy thoughts. It is substantial in size for the big cats. We will be naming the first toys Meme's toy. The final name will be up to Tammy. We will tell you more soon.

I like the fact that anything we can do as humans to help these cats be happy is a small price to pay. These cats have needed rescue. Tammy is there to save them. She loves them so much and any person lucky enough to go out there can see it. We do this because we thought of it. The pain of not doing anything would be greater. 

For crying out loud...Let the kitties have a little YEOWWW! back in their lives. Also, catnip is not intoxicating. Just good ol' fun. They need to be safe, pain free and happy...we all do!'

TWS is offering four structured unpaid internships for students. This program is individualized for each student. It gives interns an opportunity to learn first hand the many aspects of wild animal husbandry and the functions of a sanctuary. Summer internships require at least a 4-6 week commitment. Please email cat@wildcatsanctuary.org to receive more information and the requirements.