Big Cat Rescue - Jade Leopard Paw Print Canvas 2

Description

Auction includes Jade Leopard original paw print impressions on 4x6 canvas taken during her final medical exam on 9/25/2017 along with a matted 4x6 photo of Jade and a BONUS matted 4x6 photo of her sister Armani by Jamie Veronica.
Jade - Female Leopard
DOB
6/17/1997
Came to Big Cat Rescue 6/27/1997
Died
9/27/2017
Jade arrived at Big Cat Rescue with her sister, Armani. Jade was definitely the more mischievous of the two, but they were both keepers favorites for their sisterly antics. Like all leopards, she loved to jump up in the branches of the trees in her enclosure, they loved playing with enrichment and showing off for guests. Most people had a very hard time telling the two sisters apart, they looked so much alike.  But, if you looked closely, you could tell Jade from Armani by the V-shaped row of spots on her forehead that look like a tiara. They lived happily together for 20 years at Big Cat Rescue until sadly Jade began feeling poorly and stopped eating the weekend of 9/23/17, she was sedated on that Monday for an exam. Nothing too abnormal was found other than she had a stomach full of food despite having not eaten for two days. She never fully recovered from sedation and was re-examined again 9/27/17. The food in her stomach still had not digested. She passed away shortly after she was sedated.  We were very worried about Armani being alone but she continued to thrive and was spoiled by her keepers until she passed away 5/4/2020 at 24 years old.  Now the sisters are together, never to be caged again.
Why do we make pawprints?
Big Cat Rescue has a state of the art hospital on property to help give the best medical care possible to our residents of the sanctuary.  When we have a medical procedure all of the people you see in the hospital are volunteer keepers, vets and staff.  They work day in and day out taking care of the cats and running Big Cat Rescue’s tours, gift shop, operations, etc.  The paw print paintings are made to reward those who have chosen that particular cat as their favorite.
Sedation is dangerous for big cats so we don’t do it unless the cat’s medical need is something we cannot assess or fix using Operant Conditioning and visual exams.  Once a cat is sedated, they have to be kept asleep for at least 45 minutes before it is safe to administer the reversal drug to wake them back up.  We use that time to do all of the diagnostics we can, such as blood work, X-rays, urinalysis, eye exams, etc. If there is still time, we take imprints of their paws.
We only use non toxic children’s finger paints and we wash it off before the cat wakes up.  The paw is painted and then touched to a canvas, to capture the imprint.  Those paintings are then given to the volunteers who have named that cat as their favorite cat and who helped with the procedure.  Historically,  we have never offered the originals for sale but we do create tees, mugs, jewelry, bags and other items from an image of the prints. This is the first time we are offering the originals to the public in order to fundraise for the care of the cats.  Big Cat Rescue is a GFAS accredited sanctuary in Tampa, Florida. Your purchase helps Big Cat Rescue provide rehab care of native bobcats and permanent care of over 50 abandoned and abused big cats.