If you were asking Nikita, a tiger who fought to survive being used as a photo prop by a notorious criminal, she’d choose rescue
.
But, if you were to ask a legislator trying to shut down rampant breeding in a state with no exotic laws, he or she would say education.
Luckily, we don’t have to choose. We can do both – thanks to the millions of fans we have in over 46 countries around the world!
Hitting 2.8 million Facebook fans hasn’t been easy. It takes a lot of hard work. But, with the help of our regular Facebook followers who we count as part of our educational team, we did it!
Each day, we share photos and videos to show the difference we’re making in the lives of the cats we’ve rescued. But, what about the difference we’re making through our educational efforts for wild cats all over the world?
Here’s just a small sampling of the hundreds and hundreds of comments we receive showing how important education is in saving lives, too:
Janet Wildcat Sanctuary I had always wanted to hold and pet a baby lion and tiger etc… It was actually on my bucket list! But now, through the education of your site, and efforts there, I have learned different and how bad that would be for the animals. Thank you for educating me and so many others… And for giving all these incredibly beautiful creatures a forever home, with great care and much love! ♥
Ellie I wanted one these cats so bad for a while but now after doing more research on them and everything, I will never get one. Thanks for putting these kinda stories up. Helped my perspective a lot.
Deanna I want to take a moment to thank The Wildcat Sanctuary for providing a comfortable, safe and dignified home for these majestic cats and for doing so much to raise awareness of cats in crisis through the No More Wild Pets campaign. The care and love you provide is beyond excellent, and I have no doubt that everyone at TWS has these cats’ best interests at heart. Please keep up the amazing work and know that you have many admirers and supporters who are with you!
Michael I just wanted a big cat and thought Bengal and Savannah. They don’t tell you about the wild side when you want to purchase one. I’m glad I did research and thank the Wildcat Sanctuary for informing people. I’m going to get a Maine Coon cat instead. The “original” domestic cat in the US and extremely social. They still like water and sing and chirp. You can trim them to look like a lion if you want to, lol! (Keep them indoors if you alter their hair)
Rebekah I’m going to be honest. I wanted a Savannah for quite a while. Now, thanks to you guys, I realize I was wrong. They are beautiful, stunning cats but they are not meant to be pets. So thank you for changing my mind about an important issue. I try to make others aware of it, too.
Linda Keep educating us TWS. We got a Bengal before I was aware of your website and have learned so much. Fortunately, we didn’t pay much for our Fergie, and she’s pretty far away from an F1. She’s the most unique cat – smart, funny, adventurous and loving. She loves being outside (she has a gps unit on her collar so we know where she is). We live in northern Michigan – she doesn’t think much of the snow and gets stir crazy inside, so we play a lot. As much as I love her, we won’t ever get another hybrid. We don’t want to be part of the exploitation of the breed. Thinking of a rescued Siamese when it’s time. Hopefully, it will be a long time coming though.
Paula Before my kitty cats found me I wanted a Bengal cat. The markings are just beautiful but I found your page and learned better. Then I wanted to rescue a black cat from my local shelter but my first kitty cat found me and I feel he was God sent. He’s fat and lazy (working on the fat part) and I love him.
Jackie I rescued an F4 Bengal. She is very much a wild cat. Her personality is so different than my domestic shorthair rescue. I love her dearly and try to make life as comfortable as possible for her but caring for her is not easy. I love that TWS educates people on this. Yes, she is beautiful but is also very high maintenance.
In the past, some of our educational posts have reached as many as 14.3 million people around the world! The reach is something we never could have imagined a couple of years ago.
As most users know, Facebook changes things every day, so we’re constantly adapting the way we reach out. It’s gotten a lot harder to grow our audience, but we still are. Here are some statistics from this week showing our continued impact with millions around the world:
Social media is but one piece of our educational program. We have thousands of followers receiving our newsletter by email (sign up HERE) and our UPROAR! Magazine by mail. We do outreach events, conduct educational symposiums with nationally recognized expert speakers, and host booths throughout the state of Minnesota.
We know we can’t rescue our way out of the captive wildlife crisis we’re facing. There are only so many wild cats we can take in. But – with your help – we can decrease the number of cats in need and continue to educate millions around the world.
For that, we thank YOU!
Cats (clockwise from top left corner): Tonka tiger, Raja cougar, Phoenix serval, Nikko bobcat, Storm cougar kitten, Shanti Deva lioness, Shadow leopard and Jeremy tiger
