Wildcat Sanctuary Welcomes 2 Boy Bobcats, Seeks Name Suggestions

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – One bobcat suffered burns following a barn fire, the other was kept as a pet thousands of miles away.

Now, two young bobcat boys have found a new home at the Wildcat Sanctuary. The Sandstone-based shelter is seeking help naming its new residents. Name suggestions can be shared at WildcatSanctuary.org through March 17.

"We help those that should be wild, but sadly can't," Wildcat Sanctuary director Tammy Thies said. "We can give them the next best thing – a natural place to live wild at heart, and happy."

The central Minnesota big cat sanctuary says the bobcats were born more than 2,000 miles apart.

One hails from the Midwest and was found after a barn fire in Iowa. The bobcat was just four weeks old and had suffered burns on his mouth, paws and belly.

Now 2 years old, he has a damaged right eye that weeps and requires on-going care. As such, he can't be released back into the wild, the sanctuary says.

The Iowan's new companion at the sanctuary was from across the country, the sanctuary said. While born in the wild, he was taken in by a family that tried to raise him as a pet.

After biting a family member, the bobcat was given up to be put down. However, someone reached out to the sanctuary, and a road trip was planned.

"Our dedicated team sprang into action and drove over 2,000 miles in two days to pick up the second bobcat and bring him to the sanctuary," Thies said. "Saving lives. It's what we do."

The sanctuary hopes to get the two bobcats acquainted with each other over the course of a few play dates. In the meantime, they'll undergo exams, vaccinations and get fixed.

The Wildcat Sanctuary is a nonprofit rescue organization, not open to the public. Its habitats are home to more than 100 big cats that were previously kept as pets or that can no longer live in the wild.