When most people think of adopting a cat, they usually mean domesticated breeds, not the wild ones. While lions, pumas, tigers, and cheetahs are all part of the same cat family, these breeds can’t be domesticated. They share some of the treats with domesticated felines, but due to the size and animal instinct, no one’s keen on taking them home.
Well, not everyone, at least. A Bronx resident certainly didn’t mind taking a puma home which was rescued from his apartment with a joint effort by the NYPD and the Humane Society of the United States.
A Shocking Discovery
The case was reported by the owners themselves as soon as they realized that the 11-month cougar is not fit to live in an apartment in the Bronx. He surrendered the cat willingly and was with her during the removal. The puma called Sasha was then taken to the Bronx Zoo and then to the Turpentine Creek animal sanctuary in Arkansas which cares for neglected animals.
More information was not released by the NYPD. The case is officially under investigation and the motives for adopting such a large cat are unclear. While it’s a rare case of exotic pets in apartments, this isn’t the first time a big cat was removed from an NY home.
In 2003, the police removed a male adult tiger from a Harlem apartment, while a year later, a boy was attacked by his father’s pet leopard. Animal rights activists are doing whatever they can to convince the government to pass a law against exotic pet trade, but so far, nothing has materialized.
