In August of 2021, Texas Parks & Wildlife asked us to come to Dallas to pick up a young cougar that had just been discovered. He was privately owned by a resident of Dallas and was kept in a 3×5 cage. He had no visible access to water in the cage and just some old dog food. Tallula was also missing some hair, had red, irritated skin, and was covered in fleas. Tallula was so malnourished when we first met him. We took home this little boy and immediately started treating him. We had to introduce him to real, cougar-appropriate food and with proper nutrition and care, Tallula visibly improved and his fur started coming in shiny and beautiful.
We originally thought he was a female cougar (hence the name “Tallula”) but turns out, he was just an underdeveloped male. Soon after we discovered his condition we had Tallula neutered which due to his condition was a bit more involved which Tallula handled with ease.
Not too long after Tallula arrived, his voracious appetite suddenly decreased. We ran some tests and determined that he had an intestinal blockage. We sedated him and performed surgery to remove a fist-sized amount of rubber and string from his stomach. When we rescued him, there was rubber matting in his tiny crate. Most likely, Tallula chewed and swallowed this rubber matting in his previous home. Although the stomach acids of a wild big cat are quite acidic, it is not acidic enough to digest the rubber and sting he had swallowed. The rubber in his stomach could have proven fatal and we are so thankful that we rescued him so that he could receive the treatment he desperately needed
Tallula recovered well from surgery and all the love, nutrition, and space to run and play that we have to offer has improved his condition beautifully. Tallula has grown into a gorgeous, healthy cougar who definitely has a mischievous side. He is super playful and has numerous toys that he loves to kick around his playground. While Tallula is still a bit shy around new people, he has warmed up to his keepers and the volunteers that care for him regularly and is very sweet to those he trusts. We are so happy this beautiful boy has a second chance at life with us.
