For a wild animal, living in captivity is nothing but sad and tragic. These creatures need a lot of space to roam, not to be kept in tiny cages.But, unfortunately, there are so many heartbreaking stories about animals that have been forced to live caged. This cougar’s story is no different, but luckily for him, it has a happy ending!
For Mickey, an adorable cougar, life was far from easy. The majestic feline was kept in a tiny, rusty cage, in a backyard zoo in Alabama. Always hungry and thirsty, and not even able to walk, let alone run, Mickey was damned to the saddest life. But all seemed to come to an end, when Big Cat Rescue learned about Mickey, and they were more than determined to save him.
Since the cougar was part of an unlicensed zoo, rescuing him wasn’t easy. Fortunately, he eventually had the chance to leave that uncomfortable place. Though free (finally), Mickey’s condition was deplorable. The cougar was so weak, he could barely stand on his feet, let alone to walk. Even worst, after further medical investigation, the vets discovered his knee ligaments and cartilage were entirely destroyed, so the chances to walk again, were very slim.
“It had to be incredibly painful,” Susan Bass, fonder of Big Cat Rescue, told The Dodo, “He’s such a sweetheart, he never even let on that he was in pain.”
But neither the vest, nor Mickey gave up. The rescued cat undergone surgery, and the vest replaced his broken ligaments with artificial ones. The surgery went pretty well, and Mickey was now on his road to learn walking again.
“He’s never going to walk perfectly but he’s doing incredibly well, and he’s able to get around on his own,” Susan said. “We’re so happy to be able to give him a home for the rest of his life.”
Watch the video detailing the cougar’s recovery, here:
Update: Sadly, Mickey passed away meantime, but his inspiring story will never die!