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Too often merchants who deal in exotic pets and the sales clerks they hire do not educate prospective customers about the proper care and feeding of exotic animals, nor do they warn customers that wild animals are unpredictable and potentially dangerous. We suspect that Nala's owner was assured by the pet store that she would cause no more problems than a tabby cat. Whatever information was offered, it did not dissuade Nala's owner from taking her home.
As Nala grew bigger she began to act more like a wild animal and less like a playful kitten. She shredded the upholstery and left painful scratches on her owner's skin. Friends and family were becoming concerned, so her owner had her declawed. Now unable to defend herself with her claws, it was not long before Nala bit someone. This incident should have made her owner finally accept the fact that she needed to live elsewhere, and to start working on a proper placement. Instead, her owner decided to have her upper and lower canine teeth pulled. This decision had tragic consequences for Nala. Most veterinarians would refuse to defang an animal, but Nala's owner found one who would. During the surgery, a mistake was made. A nerve was damaged which caused Nala to permanently lose sight in her right eye.
So by the time Nala came to Keepers of the Wild, she had no claws, no canine teeth, and was blind in one eye. ON TOP OF ALL THIS, the Keepers of the Wild Veterinarian examined her and found a growth on her left eye which was interfering with the vision in her one good eye! It is not possible to precisely determine what caused the growth, but it is consistent with her having been poked in the eye with a sharp object such as a pin or needle. The veterinarian evaluated her to determine the most appropriate treatment to save her sight.
Despite all she has endured, Nala is a very sweet cat. She had become something of an embassador, and had accompanied our volunteers to school programs and other educational seminars. She was a "poster child" for why wild animals should not be pets. Having a wild animal as a pet causes problems for the owners, but it is the animal who suffers the most. Many exotic pets are simply euthanized when they become too difficult to handle.
Nala had begun experiencing severe seizures. It was very scary for awhile, however they were brought under control with daily medication A really positive thing that came out of the seizures was that Nala's sight seemed to actually improve!
This story is in loving memory of Nala, who passed away 09/07/2002.
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