Unwanted wild cats becoming bigger problem

No one knows for sure how many wild, exotic animals are being kept in Minnesota, but for just large wild cats, it's probably in the hundreds.

That's the estimate by Tammy Quist, director of The Wildcat Sanctuary in Isanti County, which has been receiving, on average, 30 calls each month to take wild cats from people who no longer want them.

Unhappy owners typically have bought cubs from unscrupulous breeders -- who claimed the animals won't act wild as they grew older. But that's often not the case, and owners find they can't afford or handle such large animals, Quist said.

"These people aren't evil. They just have no idea what they are getting into. And most people don't have any idea how strong these animals are, and how expensive they are to care for," Quist said. "And the reason we're seeing more of these is that it's not just a rural issue. We're getting them from Minneapolis, Edina, lots of urban settings."

There are an estimated 10,000 tigers being kept as pets across the United States, Quist said, "far more than there are in the wild. And there are many, many more smaller cats."

All of the cats handled by the Wildcat Sanctuary are spayed or neutered and placed with licensed sanctuaries that agree not to sell the animals.