As many of you know - there are always things going on behind the scenes. While we try to share most of our stories with you - good or bad...at times, for whatever reason, we have to keep some things quiet - just for a little while. Many, many times I wanted to share Dakotas story with you, but couldnt...because I could not chance losing him - I had to keep him safe and make sure that he was well on his way to a new and happy life. I would now like to share his story with you. His name is Dakota. He is an F3/F4 Savannah Hybrid Cat. Through no fault of his own, this 6 year old boy ended up in a rural shelter in Jackson, Mississippi. Although the shelter wanted to help him, they did not have the resources to do so. Dakota was dumped in this shelter because he did not get along with the boyfriend of his owner. The same owner who had been Dakotas caretaker since he was a small kitten. She did emphasize on his surrender papers that she paid $5,000 for him - so please find him a good home. It is always about the money. I paid a lot of money for him, so find him a good home. Dakota was a very angry cat. He could not be handled or touched. He lashed out at anyone that tried to come near his cage, whether it be human or other cat. He was isolated in a small kennel with a small shelf, a litterbox and food. Then an angel stepped in to try and get help for Dakota. Margaret Andrews Pearson asked Second Hand Siamese (Flowery Branch, Georgia) to help. She wanted to do what she could to get Dakota out of the shelter and to safety. She would have taken him in herself, but was not quite set up for the task, and Dakota was out of time. Margaret made sure that Dakota had good, premium food with plenty of protein and nutrition and brought it to the shelter herself - she even brought him fresh meat. :-) So....I had a choice to make. Did I let him die there, never knowing love again...or was I going to help him? I made the decision MY HEART told me to. I drove to Jackson, Mississippi, and with the help of the amazing shelter workers there, Dakota started his journey home with me. NOTE: Savannahs are illegal in the State of Georgia. Yes, I knew this. My only other choice was to walk away knowing he would die. So, Dakota has been here with me for a few months now. The angry, untouchable boy has made remarkable progress. He has been hurt though. He is not fond of men, and he is scared of brooms - which tells me the boyfriends weapon of choice was apparently a broom. I have learned Dakotas moods - and yes, he has many. He literally tried to eat me the first couple of days he was here...but then he learned that I was not going away...and I certainly was not going to hurt him. We actually had several long conversations, and every once in a while, quite a vocal argument. New sounds started to emerge from our big boy. A series of trills and chirps...and sometimes he was a little whiney, lol. If he became agitated, he could cry like a Mountain Lion. Fast forward several months. Dakota has made even more progress. However, for safety reasons, I still have to keep him kenneled; albeit in the largest kennel that Kong made, it was still not a fresh air enclosure that he could enjoy at his leisure. I had looked into several sanctuaries for Dakota. However, due to the sheer number of hybrids being bred in the United States, and then dumped - the Wild Cat rescues are full and no longer have room for hybrid cats. I also wanted Dakota to have more personal attention than a sanctuary or preserve could offer. He wanted love...he was just scared to give his heart away again. I reached out....I had to give him fresh air and play time...but I had to keep him safe. He needs trees and running and romping room - but in a safe, controlled environment. Suzys Zoo has offered Dakota that home. Suzy and I have spoken at length and Dakota will become a part of her personal family. She and her husband Patrick are so excited and while there is already an enclosure ready and waiting for him, Patrick is already thinking out Dakotas next resort area. :-) Like many - I have always been infatuated with these beautiful creatures...but now I see why so many great organizations are trying to ban the breeding of hybrid cats. Dakota could have died. He was one of the lucky ones. How many more are not? How many more are abandoned to fend for themselves because the owner that wanted a novelty wildcat decided they could not handle them when they became larger? Carole Baskin and Big Cat Rescue of Tampa have a tremendous amount of information available on this subject. I respect their organization greatly and the work that they do. So, if everyone would please take a moment to thank Suzy and Patrick...and send love to Dakota, I certainly would appreciate it. I love him. I want him to have the long and happy life that was nearly denied him. The pictures below (the first two) are of when he first came - he was angry. The last two are recent. Dakota leaves today for his new life. When I was getting him ready, he was headbutting me and purring. I sent him with plenty of his favorite toy, real Peacock feathers. Dakota - I love you baby boy....
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 17:25:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015