This is a short video of our male bobcat kitten, Caden romping around the house with his buddy Zechius the Shih Tzu. He is six months old, and was born and bottle-raised right here in our home. He is truly a great entertainment and a joy to watch!

Where do I begin? I can still feel the humming of my beater car through the seat as I drove down the endless highway. The wind was smashing through my window and burning my eyes. Of course, my air conditioner was broken. I had a slight ache in my eardrums because the music coming from my stereo system was trying to drown out the howling of the wind that was trying to cool me down. It was the longest trip I had ever taken, and yet the seventeen hour venture to N.O.A.H. Feline Conservation Center had a silver lining. It was only the start of what would become a life-long journey.

Two and a half years later, Kisa (pronounced key-shuh) sleeps on her wooden shelf in her 400 square foot enclosure, oblivious to the snow scattering around her. When I watch her resting peacefully like this, I often try to remember the similar, positive times of her growing up in our home. But most of the time I am consumed with laughter at the negative, yet hilarious moments we have had with her. If I walk away with one thing, at least it will be that when recalling past moments, the not so good times can always be laughed at later in life. For instance, when she was five months old and decided that the towel just used to clean some raw chicken was going to be hers. She strutted around the house dragging it between her legs, but the moment we would approach her to snatch it away, she would cry and growl as if to say “finders keepers”. Or the time Kisa tried scooping the fish out of our aquarium. We quickly learned that bobcats and aquariums don’t mix. Or maybe the numerous times Kisa greeted strangers by sneaking up behind them, springing up and whacking them in the head, and then running off. I remember when Kisa decided my mothers head was going to be her next victim. It just so happened that my mother was on a very important phone call. Or maybe the time Ksia concluded that standing on the balcony rail, reaching out across the foyer, and batting at the chandelier was great entertainment. Although at the moment her antics were a pain in our side, today I can chuckle while reminiscing about such times.

Kisa grew up just like any other household animal. In fact, she might have received more attention then the average pet. I live with my parents while attending college, so that made it slightly easier to raise her because the attention we gave her was dispersed from all of us: my mother, father, brother, sister and me. She had her times when she had full run of the house and times when she was put away for her “naps”. Of course, she hated those times and never slept a wink. On days I knew I was going to be away and no one else would be home to let her have some run-around time, she made a special trip to Aunt Suzy’s house, where she would get some extra love from her and her family, and romp around with the dogs and cats there. My Aunt Suzy had a special place in her heart for wild cats, and I appreciate every moment that she spent with her. I hope that she realizes how grateful I am for that.

One thing is certain: time flies. And here I am sitting outside her enclosure. Although the freezing wind is chilling me to the bone, I cannot help but be still and just soak up every moment I have to watch her. I get chills up and down my spine, not because of the bitter cold sweeping around me, but because of the thought that there are people out there this very instant trying to destroy animals like these. They are trying to destroy how great it feels to see Kisa whistle to me with excitement when I approach her, or how great the brush of her fur feels across my cheek.

What about the people that come to meet Kisa for the first time? For a person who has never before seen a wild cat up close, and run their fingers along her coat, that is the essence of what private conservationist should be striving for. In that brief moment of contact, that person is not only touching the fur of the wild cat, but is touching nature as a whole.

Have you ever thought that maybe it is the disconnection between people and nature that is causing the world to uproar? Perhaps we need to realize that those moments are very important and need to be cherished a little more. Without Kisa being able to share her life with me, those people would never know what it is like to hear and feel the vibration of a bobcat purr. They would never witness the devotion that I have towards her as her caretaker and be inspired to take their own step toward private conservation.

Every question that they ask is so important, just as every answer they receive. And ultimately, if Kisa was not here sharing her life with mine, then the honest questions that are being asked by these earnest people would not be getting their crucial answers. After all, why would I need to know the answers to these questions? I never need to know that even though bobcats are not an endangered species, their hardships in the wild are so tremendous that you wonder how they even survive. Take for instance the bobcats living in the far northern hemisphere. Battling the extremes of the bitter winter, they fight every second against the snow and ice to muster up enough energy to seek out and catch their prey for their daily survival. I never needed to know about the bobcats in the southern parts of our country, endlessly seeking out a drop of water to wet their tongue in the drought that is taking place. Or what about the species in general, continuously searching for undisturbed land to make their home, but never finding it because of our own growing population that is continuously degrading their habitat?

Before my bobcat came into my life, the answers to these questions were simply nonessential. But now, when people experience first-hand the charm of a wildcat and fire out their questions, I can rest knowing that my answers are not only the key to a great start in education, but as well as the beginnings of conservation as a whole. Whether we are educators, propagators, or simply private conservationists,. it is up to us to ensure that every species of these great cats continue to survive.

So how does one summarize two and a half years of life with a certain being? I believe that the answer is simple: you don’t. And as Kisa peacefully sleeps on her wooden shelf in her enclosure, I think of how futile it would be to try and compress all of those precious moments into one. For me, I can’t describe how thankful I am to have one day stumbled upon an old, tattered book with a short story of a little girl who had a pet ocelot, which sparked my interests, and has now led me to this point in my journey with such a magnificent animal. And do I say “led me to the END of my journey”? No, because the journey has just started.

As the summer season comes to an end and the fall season slowly begins to arise, we here at The PaKaHouse still seem to think it’s spring. After another two month gestation period, Kisa the bobcat had her second litter of three, male bobcats. Of course we hope for a smooth delivery with any birth, but sometimes complications or surprises arise. While doing my morning check, I thought it a bit odd to see Kisa curled up in the middle of her enclosure where no shade kept her out of the blistering sun. But as I peered closer, I found the answer to my question. She had delivered her babies three days early, on the hottest day of the summer. She lay there panting while trying her best to curl her body over her babies to protect them from the heat of the sun. I hesitated to go into her pen, not knowing how she would react to my presence. After talking calmly to her, I slowly slipped in and knelt down, and as usual, she called to me and then immediately started purring. So, I proceeded to take her babies one by one to the birthing pen and check them over. Then after coaxing Kisa into her crate, carried her in to be re-united with her babies.

The bobcat kittens have since then been brought into the house and are now being bottle raised to provide constant human contact and socialization. We are very excited to see them develop into the beautiful cats that they are.

The PaKaHouse Cattery would like to welcome our newest addition to the household, JungleSpots Little Sita of The PaKaHouse Cattery. Sita is a 75% F1 Jungle Cat Hybrid, and her father is a full blood Jungle Cat. Her look is very wild, yet prestigious, and we have the highest hopes of her growing into a beautiful cat.

Truffles and Tai have re-bred and her pregnancy is confirmed. Her due date is September 14th and we are very anxious to see how their first litter together turns out.

But, we are still looking forward to Kisa’s second delivery expected somewhere in the middle of August. She did so well with her first litter, we are hoping that everything goes just as smooth.

Kyra is a continuous terror in our household, but we are greatful that she is catching on to the customs of cat behavior while living in a house. Her and Zechius, the family Shih Tzu, are the best of friends. One day, close to the time we had made the decision to give her free rein of the house, she disappeared. I started searching for her, then pulled my entire family into an immediate and thorough track down. We looked everywhere. It wasn’t until an hour later I went into the laundry room to get a toy she liked and found her snoozing away with Zechius in his dog crate! I couldn’t help but laugh!

So much has happened here at The PaKaHouse Cattery. After two whole months of anticipation, our female bobcat Kisa had her first litter of four beautiful bobcat kittens. After waiting up all night, cradling her in my arms to soothe her as she panted through the final steps of labor, I was so proud to see her groom her babies clean in that tender manner only a mother could posess. It was truly an awesome moment to witness!

At the beginning of June, JungleSpots “Kyra” of The PaKaHouse became the newest addition to the family. She is an F1 Jungle Cat hybrid, meaning her father is a pure Jungle Cat (a wild cat that is native to Asia) and her mother is a Maine Coon.

Kyra has proven to be a little ball of fire. Her feet never seem to touch the ground as she zips from one place to another. No toes are safe in her presence, and the moment she spots our Shih Tzu, Zechius, she pounces on his back and then proceeds to pretend she is the boss.

Kyra is an awesome addition to the cattery and we are looking forward to the entertaining moments she will surely provide us.

Sweet Truffles, our adult F1 Jungle Cat hybrid, and Tai, our Jungle-Bob male, are expecting their first litter of F2 Jungle-Bob kittens Sunday, and we can hardly contain ourselves! We will keep you updated as soon as the event takes place.