Tasha, a female jaguar, is 14 1/2 years old
and only weighs 86 pounds.
She is a very endangered species. When she was confiscated by state
authorities she only weighed 55 pounds. She had been confined to a
medium-sized dog carrier for the first 8 years of her life which led
to her growth being stunted. Her owners would leave her locked in
the kennel for days at a time in her own waste with no food or
water. Cats like to stay clean and Tasha would try to hold her
urine which led to major kidney problems.
 Her
owner cut her canine teeth off 'for safety reasons'. He said, "In
case she bit him." She suffered a great deal of pain when her
canines were cut down level with her incisors leaving the nerves
exposed.
Tasha was found wondering the
streets of Brownfield, Texas and brought to the Refuge. When she
arrived, she was in terrific pain, kidney failure and malnourished.
Because of the dental assaults by her owners, she has had a number
of root canals and dental work performed by Dr. David Olson, DDS,
and Dr. Albert S. Pugh, DVM both of Bridge City, Texas. Due to the
early abuse, Tasha has needed a lot of antibiotics and still needs
medication for her kidneys as well as more dental work.
Tasha has been at the Refuge for 6 years
now. She will never grow any larger and will always have health
problems due to her early abuse and long term confinement. Tasha is
a very happy, docile cat who enjoys sharing her habitat with Khan
and CheraKhan, two other jaguars.
|
