Tabitha
Female Ocelot
Born in 1983 - Died 2/2/04
Arrived here 6/17/97
Her story is repeated all too often by greedy people looking to make a profit off an animal. She supplied kittens to the pet trade until she was 13 and quit producing. She was unceremoniously dumped at an auction where she was in the company of pigs and goats and people with even less attractive manners. She only brought $100.00 because of her age, but her new owner thought it was worth a shot to get just one more kitten out of her. A year later, when they had been unsuccessful they decided to sell her.
When we arrived, she was living in a small wire crate that would not enable her to get out of her own urine and feces. As a result of living this way for a year, the fur had been burned off her underbelly and the backside of her haunches were burned past the flesh, into the muscle. Untreated ear mites had caused her to scratch her own ears off trying to alleviate the itching. She was bony and listless and looked like she would die any day, but she wasn't going to die in those conditions, so our Co-Founder paid the $1700.00 demanded for her ransom and brought her home to live her last days on Easy Street.
That was in 1997 and now she is fully furred and has a huge cat-a-tat with an underground cave, logs, bushes and flowers and gets special treatment due to her advanced years and incurable heart worm condition. This photo was taken in December of 2000. We no longer buy animals to save them because we now have to turn away more than 300 unwanted exotic "pets" each year. Tabitha was found curled up in a ball where she had been warming in the sun on 2/2/04.
Tributes to Tabitha Ocelot
Carole Baskin Oct 15, 2014 Tabitha; You were more special to me then you know. You were a remarkable ocelot whose life is both a heartbreaking reflection of the cruelty animals endure and a shining testament to resilience and the power of love.
For 13 long years, Tabitha was treated not as the beautiful, sentient being she was, but as a means to an end—a breeder for the exotic pet trade. When her value was spent, she was discarded like trash, sold at auction among livestock and people with no care for her suffering. She fetched only $100—a cruel price for a life so precious.
Her new owner saw her only as a gamble, a chance to squeeze out one last kitten. But when she could no longer meet those demands, she was left to languish in a tiny wire crate, forced to live in her own waste. By the time we found her, her underbelly was burned bare, her haunches scarred to the muscle, and her ears were mutilated from desperate scratching caused by untreated mites. She was skeletal, weak, and seemingly at death's door.
Yet, even in her darkest hour, Tabitha's spirit clung to life. We paid the ransom for her freedom, determined to give her the peace and care she so desperately deserved.
From the moment she arrived at Big Cat Rescue in 1997, her life transformed. Tabitha traded the wire crate for a spacious, natural habitat where she could climb logs, nap in her underground cave, and bask in the sun surrounded by flowers and love. Despite the damage done to her body, she recovered beautifully, her coat regaining its lush brilliance, a symbol of her incredible strength and resilience.
For over six years, Tabitha lived out her golden years in dignity and peace, her every need met with love and care. Though her heartworm condition was incurable, she showed us daily what it meant to live fully in the present, soaking up the sun and the joy of freedom.
On February 2, 2004, Tabitha left this world on her own terms, peacefully curled up in a sunny spot she had claimed as her own.
Tabitha’s story is a call to action, a reminder of the injustices suffered by so many exotic animals exploited for profit. But it is also a story of hope—of a life transformed by compassion and a sanctuary that allowed her to live her final years surrounded by respect and love.
Rest now, Tabitha, in eternal sunshine. You were brave. You were beautiful. And you will forever remain in our hearts.
More Memorials at https://bigcatrescue.org/memorials
