Our EXOTIC furbabies

Your cats are all amazing. Aurora must be quite the cat to be so beautiful and still be able to keep 3 bobcats and a cougar in line. Carmelo is my favorite of your pack though. Give him a big hug and kiss for me (if you can still get your arms around him haha)

Your Cats are BEAUTIFUL They seem like they would be really fun to be around! How many all together do you have?

Originally Posted by TigerOnTheProwl

Your cats are all amazing. Aurora must be quite the cat to be so beautiful and still be able to keep 3 bobcats and a cougar in line. Carmelo is my favorite of your pack though. Give him a big hug and kiss for me (if you can still get your arms around him haha)

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Awwww, Carmelo is a big baby and will love his hugs and kisses from you

Your Cats are BEAUTIFUL They seem like they would be really fun to be around! How many all together do you have?

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They are a joy to be around We have 9 cats total. 5 domestics and 4 exotics (3 bobcats and 1 cougar cub)

I am in love with all your cats... How I wish I could be in your shoes, and have the land and facilities to care for cats like that.... We live in nebraska, we always go out to the river to walk, and we have seen lots of big cat tracks, with little ones too. How I wish I could see one of those cats in the wild...

I lived in Colorado 26 years and spent lots of time in the mountains. I never had the pleasure of seeing a mountain lion. There have been Puma sightings in my area in Nebraska too. Some of those paw prints we see are pretty big!!


Your cats are awsome!! Thanks for the pictures!!!

Well, it is a lot of work to care for these guys, but I would not have it any other way. I feel I am very fortunate to be able to share my life with them. I hope that with the many pictures and stories that I post, that all of you here can share in my experience with me.

I just read one of your posts where you said that Carmelo will have to go in an outside enclosure when he gets too big. Does that mean he won't be able to come inside again and sleep with you and your wife? Won't he be lonely? He just seems like such a lovebug -- I would think it would be difficult for everyone if he couldn't sleep with you anymore.

BTW, how old is Carmelo and how much does he weigh? When will he reach his maximum weight and what will that be?

P.S. My favorite photo is of your wife snuggling with Carmelo. He looks SOOOOO comfy and happy!

Your cats are so beautiful and its wonderful that you love and care for them so well. I must confess I have fallen madly in love with Carmelo after seeing that adorable close up of his beautiful face.

Originally Posted by SnowLeop

I just read one of your posts where you said that Carmelo will have to go in an outside enclosure when he gets too big. Does that mean he won't be able to come inside again and sleep with you and your wife? Won't he be lonely? He just seems like such a lovebug -- I would think it would be difficult for everyone if he couldn't sleep with you anymore.

BTW, how old is Carmelo and how much does he weigh? When will he reach his maximum weight and what will that be?

P.S. My favorite photo is of your wife snuggling with Carmelo. He looks SOOOOO comfy and happy!

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As Carmelo grows, he will spend more and more time outside, so he will slowly get used to being out there all the time. Will he be able to come inside and sleep with us? That will depend. We will have to see how his mannerisms will be as he reaches adulthood. Most cougars, when raised right in a loving caring home with good human socialization, become very loving big cats. But, due to his size, you must make sure that there is no way for him to escape out of the home. A cat of this size, as an adult, can fall through a window if he should push on it too hard. What I am thinking of doing is this. I can also build an enclosed area inside our home that he can come in to socialize with us. There, we will also be able to be with him without having to sit outside. If we so desire, we can even take a nap with him there, which I am sure he will enjoy very much. He LOVES sleeping with us.
Carmel is now 9 1/2 months old and weighs approx 65 pounds. (I have not weighed him in a while) It takes these cats about 2-3 years to fully mature. Carmelo is an eastern cougar and when mature, can weigh 140-180 pounds. Females are smaller by approx 1/3. Western cougars are even larger and can weigh up to or over 200 pounds. Southern cougars, like the Florida panther, are smaller. Up to 120 pounds, give or take a few.
Yes, that picture of my wife and Carmelo shows just how much he loves his bedtime cuddles My wife took some pictures last night of Carmelo and I doing the same thing, I will post them soon.

Your cats are so beautiful and its wonderful that you love and care for them so well. I must confess I have fallen madly in love with Carmelo after seeing that adorable close up of his beautiful face.

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Awww, Carmelo says thank you

Your animals are absolutely gorgeous. And obviously well loved and cared for - you can just see it in their eyes. Please give them a little smush for me!

Originally Posted by adymarie

Your animals are absolutely gorgeous. And obviously well loved and cared for - you can just see it in their eyes. Please give them a little smush for me!

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Thank you They all got big smushes for you. I have a few pictures of Carmelo
Bed Hog

Holding my hand

Ok, these next 3, please don't mind my mug in the picture


Sorry this one is a little blurred.

Oh my goodness! That is just the definition of bliss!

I thought the idea of an indoor area where you could meet Carmelo when he gets older -- esp. so you could take naps with him -- is a good idea. He's going to miss that bed and his personal snugglers!

I love these photos where you show you and your wife interacting with Carmelo -- they show how incredibly loving he is with you. It's just beautiful!

I love those cougar paws!!!

Carmelo is absolutely adorable!! It's impossible not to fall in love with that face

Originally Posted by SnowLeop

Oh my goodness! That is just the definition of bliss!

I thought the idea of an indoor area where you could meet Carmelo when he gets older -- esp. so you could take naps with him -- is a good idea. He's going to miss that bed and his personal snugglers!

I love these photos where you show you and your wife interacting with Carmelo -- they show how incredibly loving he is with you. It's just beautiful!

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Yes, he loves his snuggle times. Today, before I went to work, I had to let him groom me. He had his big paws around me, like a huge hug and licked my head until my hair was soaked Of course, I had to shower before I went to work, because I couldn't go in with my head wet from cougar spit

I love those cougar paws!!!

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So do I, they are so warm and soft too

Carmelo is absolutely adorable!! It's impossible not to fall in love with that face

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I know, I just love those eyes

My wife and I spent this Sunday at our friends wildcat sanctuary and education center. We worked on enclosures, cleaned, socialized with and fed the cats and had a great cookout after. Carmelo went on this road trip as well and got to visit other cougars I have some pictures. There are bobcats there, but just how bobcats are, they were very uncooperative with the camera and every picture was blurred, because they kept moving They also have 3 foxes, but to get a picture of them is almost impossible. They run around like crazy. The next time we go down there, hopefully I can get some of the foxes. They are so beautiful I will be going down again in 2 weeks.Well, I did get some pictures of the Lynxes and a couple cougars. Enjoy!!
This is Montana, a male Eurasian lynx. He is awesome. A Lynx may be our next addition to our family

Montana.

One more of Montana. I just love the large ear tipping

This is Kisa Marie, female Eurasion lynx.

Kisa Marie.

This is Shawnee, a female western cougar.

Shawnee

Close up of another cougar, but I can't remember this ones name. There are 3 more cougars there as well.

There are also approx 20 domestic cats that live here as well. All of whom were abandoned and rescued.
I forgot to mention, Carmelo lost his first baby tooth the other day. He is growing so fast, he won't be our little cougar cub for too long

Did Carmelo get a visit from the tooth fairy? Yes, our babies grow so fast. Give all the gang a skritch from me.

Well, one idea really and you may have already thought of it. Since, Carmelo already has his own bedroom, maybe you could build/attach his enclosure outside his window and just install a large doggie/kitty door in the window for him. Just a thought so he wouldn't have to give up his bed.

First question - do the exotics ever get into disputes with each other or the domestics? And what are the outcomes?

Second question - do you ever feed them live prey like pet shops sell mice and rats for snakes?

Third (and final) question - do you plan to breed your exotics or do breeders have agreements like other purebred breeders do to reserve breeding rights?

Sorry to trouble you but you seem so knowledgable and interested in promoting goodwill for these beautiful animals, I just can't help be interested. Thank you in advance.

Originally Posted by gemlady

Did Carmelo get a visit from the tooth fairy?

Yes, our babies grow so fast. Give all the gang a skritch from me.

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Oh no, I forgot!! I'll have to put the tooth under his pillow tonight

Well, one idea really and you may have already thought of it. Since, Carmelo already has his own bedroom, maybe you could build/attach his enclosure outside his window and just install a large doggie/kitty door in the window for him. Just a thought so he wouldn't have to give up his bed.

First question - do the exotics ever get into disputes with each other or the domestics? And what are the outcomes?

Second question - do you ever feed them live prey like pet shops sell mice and rats for snakes?

Third (and final) question - do you plan to breed your exotics or do breeders have agreements like other purebred breeders do to reserve breeding rights?

Sorry to trouble you but you seem so knowledgable and interested in promoting goodwill for these beautiful animals, I just can't help be interested. Thank you in advance.
Today 01:29 PM

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Not a bad idea about the enclosure attached to his bedroom. However, his room faces the front of the house and it wouldn't be such a good idea of having the enclosure at the front of the house and in the front yard.
As for your questions about the disputes. Actually, they all get along very well. You may think there are times when they are trying to kill each other, Amber, Boris and Carmelo, but that is just how they play. These cats can and do play rough with each other. They do not get to rough with the domestics however. It's like they know they are much smaller, so they are gentle. But Aurora has tought them well too. As I have stated in the past, Aurora is the king and queen in this house
As for the live prey. No, I do not feed it to them live. Yes, they would eventually kill it and eat it, but not after playing with it for a while. They do not have the hunting skills that they would have learned from their mother in the wild, so it would be cruel for the live prey. In the wild, they kill their food quickly, so the prey animal does not have much time to suffer.
No, I do not breed. All our exotics are spayed and neutered, except for Nakoma. Nakoma was adopted and was never neutered by the original owner. I would like to let Nakoma breed, he is such a beutiful large bobcat, but I do not have a breeder's license/permit. However, I would not like to breed, because I would have such a hard time letting the kittens go. I would be extremely strict as to who purchased a cat. They would have to prove to me that they were going to be responsible and that it is legal for them to have the cat where they live. I would not want any of my cats going to someone who would not be responsible.
By the way, you are not troubling me with the questions. Ask anything you like

Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat

By the way, you are not troubling me with the questions. Ask anything you like

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Thank you for the reply. Your friends are beautiful and I wish you the best with finding a happy solution to Carmelo's outgrowing the house problem. I'm sure that you will find a good fit for him and you.