In 2010, someone dumped Bella the bobcat off at the Tucson Wildlife Center in Arizona after realizing owning a bobcat was illegal. She was four years old at the time.
This happens so often. People will buy an exotic animal, thinking it’s a great idea for an unusual “pet.” They don’t bother to check local or state regulations, sometimes believing the breeder that it won’t be a problem.
Since the Tucson Wildlife Center was a rehabilitation center, they couldn’t keep Bella permanently. When they contacted us, we were happy to provide a home for her here at The Wildcat Sanctuary.
Life at the Sanctuary
Bella had severe infections in both ears that caused tissue damage. That’s why both her ears don’t stand up as much as those of
other bobcats.
Bella’s a bobcat living in a big cat world. She doesn’t mind at all living with cougars or bobcats as neighbors since she’s such a confident girl. But she doesn’t want to live with another cat.
She’ll put on her curmudgeon face, hiss and grumble, walking away like she’s the biggest, baddest bobcat around.
Then, you’ll see her playing with paper bags and boxes, or rolling in catnip, until a bird or bug catches her eye and she’s off!
Bella always makes sure she lets caretakers know when it’s lunch time by calling out to them with cute, little mews.
Her strength and confidence never fails to impress us. Bella means “beautiful” in Spanish and that’s exactly what she is!
How You Can Help
Even a medium sized bobcat can be expensive to care for. Our sponsorship program helps us support cats like Bella from year to year. Would you consider becoming Bella’s sponsor parent?
Or even a one time donation toward her care would be very helpful. It’s easy to do using the buttons at the top of this page. Thank you so much for considering helping this extra special way!
