PENNS CREEK, Pa. — There are all kinds of critters at T & D's Cats of the World, but the animal rescue near Middleburg is mostly known for its big cats. Ten new tigers were brought in right before Christmas, nearly doubling the rescue's tiger population.
For the safety of the animals, T and D's owner Jennifer Mattive did not say where the tigers came from.
"They were really well fed and seem to be really well treated," Mattive said. "I think the place just needed a home for them. It wasn't closing or anything. I think they just needed to find a home for them."
When it comes to big cats, they can't just be thrown together. Mattive says they were able to take in so many because the tigers were already in groups. Five males are in temporary housing at T and D's while they adjust.
"That's kind of unheard of, having that many males together, but they're doing well."
Mattive says another group of two males is taking longer to adjust; they are a bit skittish.
"I don't know if they were from that facility or they were from somewhere else and then went to that facility and then came here. So I'm not sure how many moves those two made before they came here, which you have to take that into consideration, how they're adjusting."
There are now 22 tigers at T & D's Cats of the World, the most the rescue has had at one time.
"It's a lot, yeah, but we had the room, and that's what we do," Mattive said. "We'll figure out how to make it work."
Tigers eat between 20 and 40 pounds of meat per day. With ten new tigers, that's around 400 pounds of meat per day.
If you'd like to sponsor a tiger, you can get more information here.
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