Roscoe's February Report

from CARE to Little Lotus Hearts
Hello friends at Little Lotus Hearts! Happy February from Roscoe at CARE in Texas. February's been a great month. Let me tell you all about it.

It started with a bang on February 1st, when the History Channel came by to study how we big cats eat. We'll be on TV but we don't know when yet!

Were you wondering who does "Research" at the Center for Animal Research and Education? Well, besides the History Channel, we've had National Geographic come by several times to study us in our enclosures. No humans come in contact with us and nothing scary happens, don't worry. They just watch us eat! Silly humans.

Intern Emily Merola joined us for the winter and spring. Here she is with Sampson, her new best friend. Emily studied psychology and sociology in Utah. Originally, she's from New Jersey.

We had visits from past interns this month too. Sarah was a 2006 intern and she came with her mom. Chris was a 2007 intern who missed us and wanted to say hi.

The weather's cold here in February, so caring for us in the winter can be rough. We're grateful to the interns and volunteers who brave the chill for us. Derrick, one of our board members, took the entire month off from the Air Force to work outdoors at CARE. Thanks, Derrick!
If we're going to get snow, February is the month. This year there was no white stuff to play in, but here are some pictures of my friends from years past.

Below left is Solano.

Below right is Sprinkles.
Yawn! Tigger got bored with the snow and wondered if National Geographic might want to admire his teeth. CARE's good diet keeps them strong but whose responsibility is it to brush?  Do they make Crest Strips for tigers?
Meet our new friends Mike and Carl Miller, two local farmers who stepped up when they saw a need, without being asked.

Carl noticed our big pasture when he came by last week. Heidi, our #1 superhuman, explained to him that CARE wants to build better cat enclosures on that land but can't afford the excavation and leveling costs ($5,000 - $10,000).

Since then, Carl and his son Mike have come out every day to remove debris and fix up that pasture. Only a few more days and they'll finish the job, they say. From impossible to DONE in less than two weeks! Thanks to the Millers.
Guess who turned 22 on February 12! Our matriarch Tabby, that's who. Tabby has been diagnosed with kidney failure, but she recently started taking a human drug that helps with her blood pressure and heart, which are often affected by kidney disease (and vice versa). It's made a world of difference and she's her old spunky self again!

On the right above, you see her in the inside our medical center getting a break from the cold and cuddling with her stuffed animal. Heidi couldn't resist and took the picture with her cell phone. Here's to many more, old girl!

Gee, I wonder who else's birthday might be coming up, say, in March.

Around March 24th...
Oh! How did you know? It'll be my Sweet Sixteen. Maybe I'll get a new Safari Ball from Sanctuary Supplies. Or maybe one or two Little Lotus Hearts friends would be willing to donate towards building some new wooden shelters for me and my friends. You can see examples of shelters above in the snow pictures.

Shelters and platforms cost $500 to $1,000 a piece. They're built out of untreated lumber so we don't get sick ingesting poisons when we chew the wood. They keep us warm in the winter and give us shade in the summer. We also love jumping on them and playing, but they get beat up pretty fast.

If you think you might want to help build a shelter in honor of my birthday, click here and specify "shelter" when you donate.  No matter what, I thank you for your goodwishes and reading about CARE.

See you next month when I'll be a year older and a year wiser! Bye!
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