On Saturday, August 5th the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center received a pair of 1 week old Bobcat kittens. Orphaned by their mother and full of worms, they were in poor health. Although their prognosis is guarded, center staff are seeing signs of improvement and are cautiously optimistic.
Based on their size (400 grams), and the fact that their eyes were still closed on arrival, the center estimates their age to be just over 1 week old. Rehabilitating these 2 will present some very difficult challenges like:
– They currently need to be fed specialized formula every 2 to 3 hours around the clock, just like a newborn baby.
– attendants have to wear a mask, or sometimes a leopard print pillowcase, in order to prevent the two kittens from becoming habituated to humans during feedings. At such a young age they could easily imprint, and once they associate humans with food they could no longer be safely released.
– Given their young age and being so late in the summer the wildlife center will have to overwinter the young cats and they likely won’t be released until sometime next May.
This will be a long and expensive rehab and the center appreciates any donations to help with the cost of their care. Donations can be made by sending a check or by visiting: https://swvawildlifecenter.org/make-a-donation/