The happy tale of Tallie: Found in Dallas, bobcat kitten airlifted to Wild West Rehab

Nell Williams
·2 min read

In early October, Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (WWWRC) outside Amarillo received a call from a large Wildlife Rehab Center in North Texas and a Good Samaritan regarding a young bobcat kitten.

It seemed that Tallie, named by the folks who found her, was orphaned and thin, tested positive for intestinal parasites and Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). The Rehab Center recommended WWWRC because of their years of experience with bobcats and space to work with her in care as well as release sites, according to Executive Director Stephanie Brady.

Tallie, a bobcat kitten, is recovering at Wild West Rehab Center outside of Amarillo. She was found orphaned at a homeless encampment in Dallas and needed Amarillo's wide open spaces for her rehab.
Tallie, a bobcat kitten, is recovering at Wild West Rehab Center outside of Amarillo. She was found orphaned at a homeless encampment in Dallas and needed Amarillo's wide open spaces for her rehab.

The Wild West Rehab Center reached out to Brenda Walsh with Friends of Texas Panhandle Shelter Pets to see if there might be a pilot with Pilots N Paws that might be willing to help. Time was of the essence to start treatment to reverse the bobcat's MBD.

A Denton pilot and his daughter answered Walsh’s message right away and took off from Denton with the kitten and flew her to Amarillo, where she was placed at Canyon Road Animal Hospital under the care of Dr. Ryan McKnight. He said that a lot of the treatment will be dietary changes and getting her on the proper diet.

Tallie, a bobcat kitten, is recovering at Wild West Rehab Center outside of Amarillo. She was found orphaned at a homeless encampment in Dallas and needed Amarillo's wide open spaces for her rehab.
Tallie, a bobcat kitten, is recovering at Wild West Rehab Center outside of Amarillo. She was found orphaned at a homeless encampment in Dallas and needed Amarillo's wide open spaces for her rehab.

“It will take some time for her to strengthen up and continue to grow, but I don’t see any reason why she shouldn’t be back to normal again,” he said. She has an over-production of calcium built up in her back feet, which has caused them to curve, but she is on a calcium/phosphorus supplement, a special diet, and given light from a UV bulb six hours out of the day to help her body stimulate the production of D3, which helps the body absorb the calcium and phosphorus.

According to McKnight, her prognosis is good and she is staying wild, which they love to see. Brady said that she is a stinker and likes to hide in her hideaway pet bed. She is curious but not friendly, as she should be.

Tallie, a bobcat kitten, is recovering at Wild West Rehab Center outside of Amarillo. She was found orphaned at a homeless encampment in Dallas and needed Amarillo's wide open spaces for her rehab.
Tallie, a bobcat kitten, is recovering at Wild West Rehab Center outside of Amarillo. She was found orphaned at a homeless encampment in Dallas and needed Amarillo's wide open spaces for her rehab.

Currently there are no pilots in Amarillo who volunteer their time to transport for Pilots N Paws. If someone is in need of extra flight time or wants to help, please contact Walsh at 806-570-1234.

Anyone wishing to donate to Tallie's care can go to the Facebook link or donate via Venmo, Apple or debit card at https://give.wildwestwildlife.com/ive/392646/#!/donation/checkout .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Tallie bobcat kitten found abandoned in Dallas, airlifted to Amarillo