Santa Claws

A Petsmart Santa was posing with a very large cat when the cat got scared by some dogs. Now it has come to light that the cat, is actually a bobcat!

http://news.aol.com/article/santa-cl...t-store/273789

Hmmmm.... Our rescue does the Pet photo with Santa thing. Never seen an exotic there. but when we do get cats they are usually really scared b/c of the barking dogs... so I am not surprised this bobcat did a number on Santa.

It does look like it could be a bobcat! I hope they owner comes forward with vaccine records so poor Santa doesn't have to get rabies shots.

Maybe they should make owners show proof of rabies shot before they are allowed to have the picture taken?

I have to say, I've gotten worse bites/scratches from my 12lb donestic kitty! I do hope the owner comes forward with vax proof though.

I have had worse bites from kittens as well as my own cats but then I also know that all of the shelter cats and my own have up to date rabies vaccs.

Animal Control found the cat, seemingly it is a PixieBob and has up to date shots so he doesn't have to go through the Rabies shots himself.

They showed footage of the cat wandering in a cage. It looks an AWFUL lot like Amber and Boris!

They claim it was a pixie-bob, but I wasn't aware they had the white ear spots that the bobs do.

Hubby definitely got worse bites when an 8 week old kitten went nuts at him...

I think it's silly to have dogs and cats at the same time anyway!

Originally Posted by gemlady

They claim it was a pixie-bob, but I wasn't aware they had the white ear spots that the bobs do.

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I've seen pictures of John's Bobcats and his pixie bobs and it looked like a bob to me. Regardless, if the cat's been vaxed and it's owner has permits it should be a non-issue. Of course, I can't think of any responsible exotic owner who would take an exotic to PetSmart for Santa pictures. If you really want Santa pictures have a friend dress up and do them at home.

they are from south jersey so this does not surprise me one bit. those 609 area coders are a different breed....anybody from jersey understands this. But anyways what person brings an exotic cat to a petsmart and then disappears without seeing if the guy was ok or even let anybody know that vaccine history on the animal. Common sense, some people just shouldnt be allowed to own certain animals. Sorry this woman has me soo peeved, makes a bad name for responsible owners.

I have to say. . For what its worth, Santa takes a risk by doing what he's doing at Pet Smart. It could have been a lot worse!!

Originally Posted by twstychik

I have to say, I've gotten worse bites/scratches from my 12lb donestic kitty! I do hope the owner comes forward with vax proof though.

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I was going to say I've had worse scratches from 2 month old kittens

That's a little crazy though that someone would take a bobcat there, unless it's totally legal to take a bobcat to petsmart The owner shouldn't have run off though. They could have used that day to educate everyone about bobcats..... sigh

Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

I was going to say I've had worse scratches from 2 month old kittens

That's a little crazy though that someone would take a bobcat there, unless it's totally legal to take a bobcat to petsmart

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"all pets welcome if on a leash", I believe...

Includes rats, ought to include bobcats... providing the state qualifies the cat as a 'pet'.

ai feel for the guy but I have to say, I've had worse scratches and bites from putting my hands between Twig and Rocket when they decided to fight one day. But I guess if you're not sure if the cat's up to date with shots, it could be a concern...
And honestly, who would take a pixiebob or any exotic to get their pics taken anyway? Isn't that asking for trouble??

Originally Posted by twstychik

I have to say, I've gotten worse bites/scratches from my 12lb donestic kitty! I do hope the owner comes forward with vax proof though.

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This is waht I was thinking. Freya did far worse to my arm when she fell into the bathtub and I tried to catch her.

Looking at that pic, though, I can't believe no one noticed it was an exotic -> that cat looks convincingly bobcat-ish.

The cat in question is a Bobcat and not a PixieBob. The ears are one thing that give it away. I have never seen a Pixiebob with the white markings on the back of the ears, that is truly a wild cat mark. Petsmart and anyone posing as Santa for these pictures are taking a risk with ANY animal. Any dog or domestic cat could have done the same thing. Yes, Petsmart should require that all animal owners bring vaccine records in with them. As for the Bobcat owner, shame on her for being so irresponsible. I teach responsible exotic ownership and this lady does something stupid like this. I have to say though, the scratch and bite marks do not look bad.

Amber: What is going to happen with the cat, now that it has been caught by Animal Control? It is not going to bps because it bit someone, right?? The cat is my only concern... Now the was not only irresponsible to take the cat in there, but she also fled the place and left everybody behind!

Originally Posted by carolinalima

Amber: What is going to happen with the cat, now that it has been caught by Animal Control? It is not going to bps because it bit someone, right?? The cat is my only concern... Now the was not only irresponsible to take the cat in there, but she also fled the place and left everybody behind!

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From what I understood, Bobcats are illegal in NJ (at least one article stated that), so it could be very likely that it is pts, just because it's illegal.

I hope they find a way to get it to a rescue organization instead. The cat shouldn't be punished because its owner was dumb.

Originally Posted by carolinalima

Amber: What is going to happen with the cat, now that it has been caught by Animal Control? It is not going to bps because it bit someone, right?? The cat is my only concern... Now the was not only irresponsible to take the cat in there, but she also fled the place and left everybody behind!

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I haven't seen any more about this incident. Did they locate the cat and owner? Last I heard, the owner was stating the cat was a Pixiebob. If she has vet records and the cat is up to date on the vaccines, it shouldn't be pts. In most cases, animal control will try to place the cat in a sanctuary or a legal home.

John, I posted on the IMO thread, but the lady did come forward with Benny's records, though this time she was claiming he was a bobcat hybrid.