Bobcat, #10-2123

Bobcat Patient
Species Name (EN): 
Bobcat
Species Name (LA): 
Lynx rufus
Admission Date: 
October 15, 2010
Location of Rescue: 
Prince George County, Virginia
Cause of Admission / Condition: 
Found by the side of the road
Prognosis: 
Died March 18, 2011
Patient Status: 
Patient Archive

On Friday, October 15, the Wildlife Center admitted a rather feisty young patient -- a juvenile Bobcat. The bobcat was found in early September by the side of the road in Prince George County.  Her rescuers picked her up and took her to Joyce Bulls, a permitted rehabilitator in Sussex County.  Joyce became concerned about the bobcat's ability to hear, so she arranged to transfer the cat to the Wildlife Center.

Upon admission, the veterinary team sedated the very alert and aggressive bobcat so they could perform a complete physical exam.  The young bobcat -- a female -- is smaller than expected for one seen at this time of year; however, this could be a young cat from a second litter, or could just be naturally small in size. Weighing in at a little more than seven pounds, the bobcat is in good body condition, though several types of parasites were found when a fecal examination was performed. The veterinarians started the bobcat on medications to kill off the parasites and also treated for fleas. The bobcat was also found to be slightly anemic, which could be due to the parasites or her diet. 

Currently the young bobcat is being housed in an outdoor isolation pen until her parasites are gone. Follow- up bloodwork and a fecal analysis will be performed on October 22. So far, the bobcat doesn't seem to have trouble hearing, though further assessment will be needed. 

Your special donation will help the Center to provide state-of-the-art medical care to this Bobcat ... and to the 2,500 other patients the Center will admit this year. Please help!

Updates

September 17, 2012

The bobcat was kept at the Wildlife Center through the winter to allow it extra time to gain hunting skills. The plan was to release the bobcat in the spring, at a time when food sources would be abundant.

On March 17, the bobcat was anesthetized for a final physical exam and blood work. Unfortunately, there were anesthetic complications during the examination, and the bobcat did not wake up from the anesthesia.

September 17, 2012

For the past two and half weeks, the rehabilitation staff have been putting this bobcat through “live prey school” to ensure that she is adequately able to hunt and kill her own food. While the cat is fairly secretive, occasionally one of the rehabilitators have observed her hunting practices. Unfortunately, she was seen “toying” with her food more than expertly stalking it; this raises some concerns as to how much practice she requires. To ensure the best outcome for this bobcat, the rehabilitation staff have been consulting with bobcat experts throughout the country on their rehabilitation techniques and protocols for release. While this information is being compiled, the bobcat continues to receive as much hunting practice as possible.

September 17, 2012

Earlier this week, the Bobcat began “chick school” so that the rehabilitation staff can assess how well the cat can hunt on her own. Being a first-year cat that has been in captivity for a few months, it’s likely that this Bobcat has never had to catch food for herself. Thus far, she is doing quite well and proving that she can catch her own food. Additional testing will be performed, but it’s likely that this patient will be released within the next two weeks.

September 17, 2012

On November 4 Center veterinarians took the Bobcat to the Animal Hospital of Waynesboro for dental radiographs and for a consultation with a veterinary dentist. The veterinarians have concluded that the jaw misalignment will not be a long-term problem for the cat. Her canines are adult teeth and, unlike rodent teeth, won’t continue to grow. To reduce the risk of infection, the dentist did extract part of a broken incisor.

On November 9 Center vets re-examined the Bobcat and gave her another injection for parasites. Results from her bloodtest were fine; the Bobcat is no longer anemic and now weighs in at 4.2 kgs.

The rehabilitation staff will now assess whether the Bobcat can hunt on her own. If she can, the Bobcat will be ready for release.     

September 17, 2012

After Drs. Dave McRuer, Miranda Sadar, and Kelly Flaminio reviewed the bobcat’s radiographs from last week, they decided that further consultation was needed before making any decisions about the bobcat’s fate. The misalignment of the lower jaw may mean that the bobcat could not survive on her own in the wild.

In the meantime, the bobcat seems to be enjoying living in the bear pen; with more space in quieter location, she appears to be less stressed. She continues to eat well.

September 17, 2012

The mild disorientation of the bobcat that was noted last week has been improving; the bobcat is now maneuvering around her cage while focusing her attention on the humans who are present. This lack of coordination is puzzling – it could simply be stress, or perhaps something more serious. Dr. Miranda Sadar did some extensive journal research and identified another possibility – a protozoan parasite that can cause some serious problems for felines – including bobcats and domestic house cats. While this parasite is difficult to pinpoint, to be on the safe side, special medications were ordered last week to treat this particular parasite.

On Monday, October 25, the veterinary team anesthetized the bobcat so that they could perform a thorough physical exam as well as deliver the new medication through an injection. Dr. Kelly Flaminio led the team through this examination and found the bobcat to be in even better body condition than when she first arrived. The cat has been eating well and gained more than a half a pound since admission. No fleas were found, though some internal parasites were found when another fecal examination was performed.

Dr. Kelly and the veterinary extern students paid special attention to the bobcat’s teeth during this physical exam so that they could more accurately guesstimate her age,which they think is about six months. While examining her teeth, however, they identified another issue – the bobcat’s lower jaw is asymmetric and her canines and incisors are growing in incorrectly. Radiographs of her jaw were taken and a spot was seen that could indicate an old fracture, perhaps one that occurred when she was originally rescued from the roadside.

While the bobcat’s teeth and jaw do not seem to be causing her any problems now, additional consultation is needed before making decisions about her future.

After her physical exam and treatment, the bobcat was moved to the Center’s bear pen, to allow her more room to move around.

September 17, 2012

When veterinary extern students checked on the bobcat on Tuesday, October 19th, they noted that the feline was mildly disoriented. After observation, the students noted that the bobcat exhibited slight head tremors and seemed most uncoordinated when trying to localize a sound or person. The bobcat can turn around quickly though and can make calculated movements. This disorientation could be related to the anemia, an infectious disease, or a number of other things. Additional monitoring is needed, and the veterinary team may decide to anesthetize her earlier than the end of the week for a more thorough check-up.

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