Autumn
You can find Autumn LIVE on her nest cam at BigCatTV.com!
Autumn was found while still of nursing age, about 6 weeks old, by a hunter. The hunter claimed a bear was after the kitten. He fired off a shot which spooked the bear and rescued the kitten. He also reported he saw the momma bobcat run off but appeared to be injured. Autumn was then taken to a rehabber local to the area she was found in Titusville FL. The rehabber cared for her for approximately two months. One day when the rehabber came to feed Autumn she noticed the little kitten was limping badly. She called Big Cat Rescue to help and we made arrangements to take over the rehabilitation of Autumn. Upon her arrival we observed poor little Autumn to be suffering from both physical and neurological impairments. She was also very thin and her grown was severely stunted. Our hearts broke for this little one as she could barely walk across the room shuffling her back feet as she went. She also had several fainting episodes where she would be scooting along and then fall over paralyzed for several seconds. The following day after her arrival Autumn was sedated for an exam. X-rays and the physical exam indicated she had a broken rear leg, curved and deformed spine, a narrowed pelvis, misshapen shoulder blades and thin malleable bones all a result of poor nutrition. Thankfully with a proper diet she has grown into a strong and agile young adult. We plan to include Autumn in our collaring research project in a collaborative effort with the FWC to study the behaviors and kitten rearing of native Florida bobcats. Once she reaches optimal weight to be collared we will sedate her for her final exam and to fit her with a radio telemetry and GPS collar then off she will go back into the wild.
Autumn Rehab Bobcat
Date of Birth: approx. July 20, 2021
Date of Rescue: November 1, 2021
Date of Release: August 20, 2022
Approximate Date of Death: October 11, 2022
Autumn arrived to Big Cat Rescue on November 1, 2021.
Today Lauren and Brittany drove to Titusville Florida to pick up an injured orphaned bobcat kitten approximately three months old. She has been under the care of another rehabber for approximately two months. The kitten was found while it was still of nursing age by a hunter who claims a bear was after the kitten. He fired off a shot which spooked the bear and rescued the kitten. He also reported he saw the momma bobcat run off but appeared to be injured. This little girl has been named Autumn. Autumn is displaying both neurological and physical impairments. We are unsure at this time what exactly is wrong with her so she will be monitored closely and started on a course of medication to help with pain and inflammation. Once she is stable enough she will be sedated for an exam. Today was a big day for her and she is quite scared. The good news is she did eat some food upon her arrival. Stay tuned for updates.
https://vimeo.com/643683896
November 2, 2021
Autumn’s first vet exam: Dr. Justin came to see Autumn. She had blood work and x-rays done and it seems most of her health issues are related to poor nutrition. Her bones are very soft, her pelvis is very narrow and she has a broken back leg that is healing on its own. She also has a curved spine as well. Her blood work was sent out for analysis. She will be put on medication for pain management for now until the lab work comes back.
https://vimeo.com/643177135
November 8 update:
Autumn is eating, peeing and pooping (yay)! She has finished her first course of de-wormer, will have a follow-up in 2 weeks and then a fecal test to be sure she is clear of parasites. She is on lactulose to help her poop as she has a narrowed pelvis and there is concern she will not be able to process food without it. She started playing with toys yesterday and her new room addition with an outdoor area so she can get sunlight (Vitamin D) should be done tomorrow, November 9, 2021.
https://youtu.be/yqhCQDvouCEhttps://youtu.be/F_78q09zvUE
November 30, 2021 Update:
Autumn was a naughty girl today. She got spooked and leapt over the plexiglass and climbed up the wire wall of her outdoor porch. Once at the top she held herself up in a corner and was unsure about getting down. Thankfully Victor and I were both there at the time and after a tense yet quiet and slow moving stand-off we were able to get her down safely using a net. (We feared if she jumped she would further injure her broken leg.) In the process of her antics she cut her paw. The wound is minor and she has been started on a course of antibiotics. We will monitor her closely over the next few days. In the meantime she will not have access to her porch until we can make some adjustments to prevent climbing
Autumn Vet Recheck 12/31/2021
Autumn was sedated for a follow up exam. Her broken leg has healed. She still has misshapened shoulder blades and a narrowed pelvis. Neither seem to affect her agility. She will be moving outside next week. We will be starting her on a whole prey diet and monitoring her closely to ensure she can pass whole foods.
https://youtu.be/nd0IYhAQLX8
January 10, 2022 update
Autumn the rehab bobcat has moved to the outdoor enclosures. She has access to both small sections of Rehab Enclosure 1. She shares a protected (mesh covered) wall with Summer. We hope the two will hit it off and be able to be friends for a while. Autumn weighed in at 8 pounds today. Summer has been sitting at right around 5.5 pounds for some time now. Hopefully the size difference will not be an issue as we would love for these two to have some bobcat companionship for a while.
February 1, 2022 Update:
Cuteness overload 
Summer and Autumn have been introduced
https://youtu.be/h-vgbmfofgYhttps://youtu.be/sz5AyDlJujkhttps://youtu.be/dkim3LMh5nQhttps://youtu.be/q4I-YjZzdJAhttps://youtu.be/U-cIKslZ3aQhttps://youtu.be/QqnU0f3zGj8https://youtu.be/VEaHTXgZtA0https://youtu.be/zfUZ3YM2nzwhttps://youtu.be/D8q7Cpftpzw
April 2, 2022 Update:
Autumn the rehab bobcat is ready for breakfast.
April 21, 2022 Update:
Follow the rest of Summer's journey at her bio page: https://bigcatrescue.org/summer-bobcat/
June 28, 2022
Autumn moved to cage 2 of rehab today so Makani the baby rehab can be moved to the small sections of cage 1. During the move Autumn was weighed and weighed in at 10 pounds! You can watch her on her nest cams at BigCatCams.com
July 14, 2022
So nice to see Autumn at full speed. She has come so far in her rehab journey from the tiny crippled kitten she once was. Supporters like you make these success stories possible 
Now we just need her to pack on a few more pounds so she can be collared and released.
https://youtu.be/g-jvM1ibM34
August 11, 2022
Today Autumn bobcat was caught, weighed, collared, tagged and micro-chipped for release back to the wild in conjunction with the FWC. She will go back to the wild very soon!
https://youtu.be/pXjUVeY0jkQ
August 16, 2022
Autumn has adjusted quickly to her collar. It is very lightweight, 0.5 pounds and flexible. It does not seem to bother her at all. It is made to fall off after a year or so or will break away should she get tangled in brush. This collar will allow the FWC to track Autumn and her movements to learn more about the Florida bobcat and hopefully aide in finding out the cause of FLM that is affecting so many of the Florida bobcats and panthers.
August 20, 2022
Autumn bobcat goes back to the wild!
Today is a good day. These two beautiful babies Autumn and Orpheus are going home. They are being released at two separate locations in South Florida. They have been fitted with tracking collars so we can gain insight into their natural behaviors. This is part of an ongoing partnership with the FWC Panther Project Team. Autumn and Orpheus are the 5th and 6th collared cats we have released. Their release also marks the 49th and 50th bobcat release we have done.
https://youtu.be/PZdMLQKKX78
August 20, 2022 ~ What a day! 
Two bobcats, five rehabbers, hundreds of miles travelled and thousands of acres of pristine habitat. Today we successfully released rehab bobcats Autumn and Orpheus. Orpheus was released first at a beautiful location where he can be closely monitored by the FWC Panther Project Team. After a few minutes of uncertainty he bolted from the transport crate into the palmetto thickets. He will thrive in tens of thousands acres of protected lands. Autumn was released at a second location of preservation lands that span more than 5,000 acres surrounded by the never ending Everglades. She was quick to go. As soon as the door was opened she was off! She bounded towards freedom, but then she stopped. Autumn looked at the great wide open ahead of her then looked back at us as if to say ”thank you for bringing me home” then just like that she galloped towards the forest edge disappearing into the cover. Couldn’t be more proud of my team that helps put these cats back in the wild and more appreciative of the supporters and land owners that give us the means to do such important work. Today we celebrate our 49th and 50th bobcat returning to the wild.
Autumn bobcat was Big Cat Rescue's 50th release back to the wild!
August 22, 2022
Update from the field: As of this morning Autumn has remained in the forest along the meadow she was released in. Orpheus has moved a half a mile from his release site.
Update October 21,2022
We are so very saddened to share this news that Autumn, the rehab bobcat who was released back to the wild on August 20, 2022 has passed away. Autumn was rescued on November 1, 2021, nursed back to health by the rehab team before being sent back to the wild. She had been collared in conjunction with the FWC prior to release so they could study native Florida bobcats in the wild. According to the scene it appears as though she was attacked and killed by a Florida panther. Her body was collected and will be returning to the sanctuary. Thank you to everyone on the rehab team who helped take care of her during her time she was in the rehab program. Although a tragic ending please take comfort in knowing that the rehab team took a frail broken kitten with no chance of survival and gave her a few months of total freedom. Autumn was the 50th release back to the wild for the rehab program. Run free Autumn over rainbow bridge. Your time on earth was short but you were loved by many as we followed your journey from rescue to release back to the wild. Please keep the rehab team in your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this tragic loss. Read Autumns complete story at: BigCatRescue.org/Autumn. Read more about the rehab program at BigCatRescue.org/bobcat-rehab.
Update November 22, 2022
Tragically Autumn's new found freedom was short lived. This came as a devastating blow. After just two months Autumn's collar gave off a mortality signal and FWC biologists tracked her down and collected her remains. At first glance it appeared as though she had been killed by a Florida panther as there were tracks throughout the scene. Upon further examination no bite marks or scratches were found on her body. The examining vet did discover she had sustained blunt trauma to her head, but she was found nowhere near any roads and a collision with a vehicle seemed unlikely. She had no broken bones either which is typical of a car strike. Her case is still under investigation and we will share any future details as we get them, but for now we mourn the loss of this beautiful bobcat taken way too early.
Update:
After further investigation it is believed that Autumn suffered a car strike due to her injuries.
Follow Orpheus bobcat's rescue, rehab and release back to the wild at https://bigcatrescue.org/orpheus/
Wild bobcats come to Big Cat Rescue for two reasons:
Injuries such as having been hit by cars or disease, illness, birth defects.
Kittens that have been separated from their mothers or orphaned and are too young to survive in the wild.
Upon arrival, the cats receive a full exam and given whatever medical care is needed for their injuries or illness. Blood is drawn and tested for infectious diseases. They are vaccinated, dewormed, and flea treated.
Injured cats are given the time and supportive care they need to heal. They must prove they can hunt and survive before being released. Our six rehab pens are 230 feet long by 20 feet wide giving the cats 4600 square feet of natural space to learn their skills.
When possible kittens are given a domestic surrogate mother. When a surrogate is not available the kittens are bottle fed but weaned from the bottle as soon as possible. They are then raised with as little human contact as possible and given opportunities to learn to hunt.
Rehabbing and releasing bobcats is much more difficult than the rehabilitation of most wildlife. These magnificent little wildcats need every opportunity to fulfill their role in nature and Big Cat Rescue is here to give them that second chance.
While we do bobcat rescue, rehab and release in Florida, we will not relocate bobcats as state law requires that they are released very near where they were captured. They must be released on at least 40 acres and we must get written permission from the owner/manager of the property.
Big Cat Rescue has decades of experience rehabbing and releasing bobcats back to the wild where they belong. We provide huge, naturalistic enclosures where these cats can learn or perfect their hunting skills before being released back to the wild. We have trained staff who are experts at capturing an injured bobcat or hand-rearing orphaned bobcats until a surrogate can be found.
We go to great lengths to keep these wild cats from imprinting on humans and monitor their care via surveillance cameras to make sure they are thriving. When they are healed, or old enough for release (about 18 months of age) we find the best habitat possible for sustaining them and set them free to live out the life that nature intended.
Support The Bobcat Rehab Program
Will YOU Help us Rehab & Release more wild bobcats?
This rehab and release program is made possible by donations from friends like you. Your donation is tax deductible.
Did You Know? Here at Big Cat Rescue, literally 100% of your donations are spent directly FOR THE CATS!!! We are able to adhere to that strict policy because the other sanctuary expenses, administrative expenses, salaries etc come out of tour fees and other sources of income. We are extremely serious about donations being used JUST FOR THE CATS!
Because of adhering to that strict policy regarding donations, and all of the other ways Big Cat Rescue is transparent in our operations, we have earned Charity Navigator‘s highest 4-star rating for “sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency” EVERY YEAR since we were first evaluated by them in 2010. CharityNavigator.org
Donate towards the rehabilitation and care of a native Florida bobcat at Big Cat Rescue. Donors who contribute $500 and up to support the bobcats will receive a beautiful ceramic tile with a color image of the most recent rehab bobcat and the donor name that will be displayed in the tour waiting area for a year and then permanently installed at the sanctuary.
If you are interested in supporting the rehab bobcats go to https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/bobcat-rehab/products/bobcat-rehabilitation-program
Bobcat Rehab Gear
You can find shirts, tote bags, mugs, necklaces, mousepads and so many more fun items featuring Rehab Bobcats in our online gift shops. Go to reach gift shop linked below and search “Rehab bobcat.” Your PURRchases of Rehab bobcat Gear helps us provide for all the cats at Big Cat Rescue and work toward ending the abuse and exploitation of big cats.
https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/bobcat-rehab or
Donating at NO COST to YOU!!
You can donate to the cats at NO COST TO YOU when you select BCR as your charity on Amazon Smile and shop Smile.Amazon.com instead of Amazon.com. It is exactly the same as regular Amazon EXCEPT when you use the Smile URL Amazon donates .5% of your purchase to BCR. It’s added up to over $396,000 for the cats!
Please visit BigCatRescue.org/amazon-smile for how to sign up and let us know you did so we can thank you.
Have you Sponsored one of the Bobcats in REHAB yet??
BRAND NEW SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY!!!
You can now sponsor a specific Rehab Bobcat with our Downloadable Sponsorship kits and get the same benefits we offer for our permanent residents!
https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/sponsor-a-cat/products/download-rehab-bobcat-sponsorship
Your sponsorship helps us to provide these cats with large natural enclosures, a healthy diet, exceptional veterinary care, and toys and enrichment during their time in rehab. Thank you for helping us care for them!
