Cloud Dancin' (Aka Silver Cloud) (Deceased Bobcat)

Cloud Dancin'  was purchased for $160 on 6-6-95 from Patricia Bodenstedt, a Nebraska fur farm, along with 16 other bobcats and Canadian Lynx the same day, many who were then sold. Carole and her husband usually bought only kittens. Cloud Dancin' was an exception in that although an adult, he was very tame and loving with a sweet temperament ..qualities any breeder of pet bobcats would want in a cat; and make no mistake, Carole and Don were prolific breeders. 

USDA papers list the bobcats as Crazy Horse, Selena, Levi, Cloud Dancin', Apache, 2 Tiger Lilly's, one of several Cleo-Cat-Tras, Two Toes, and 2 unnamed bobcats. Of these, 4 were sold. Of the 6 Canadian Lynx bought that day, 1 died, 4 were sold, and one named Picasso was also probably sold as he does not appear on her 1997 inventory. 

Carole says, "Don had driven to Omaha Nebraska to purchase some Canadian Lynx kittens and wanted some bobcat kits as well....". They obviously purchased the lynx kittens to sell and sold 4 of the bobcat kittens as well.  If the intention was to rescue cats, they would have come home with the older cats about to be killed for their fur, not tiny kittens. Unless you believe that you purchase cats to sell them or raise them in your house and make pets of them, these 17 cats were not rescued.

The Evolving Stories

Wildlife On Easy Street 1997

"a male Bobcat born 1991 came with the ten Bobcat kittens in June 1995. He was the biggest Bobcat we've every seen and has no spots and mesmerizing eyes. Coming from what turned out to be a fur farm, we did not expect him to be so tame and loving. He immediately took to our girls, Raindance and Little Dove although Little Feather is still making him keep his distance. We suspect that there was some Canadian Lynx in his family tree which would explain his eyes, color and and sweet temperament."

Wildlife On Easy Street 1999

"Cloud Dancin’ came with the ten Bobcat kittens in June 1995. We later discovered from some other "cat people" that he was actually on the table to be slaughtered when Don walked in to the farm and purchased every Bobcat in the place. He was the biggest Bobcat we had ever seen. He has no spots and mesmerizing eyes. We did not expect him to be so tame and loving, coming from what turned out to be a fur farm.  It is probable that there was some Canadian Lynx in his family tree which would explain his eyes, color and and sweet temperament."

Big Cat Rescue (present)

"Cloud Dancin’ came to Big Cat Rescue with the ten Bobcat kittens in June 1995. He was actually on the table to be slaughtered when our co-founder walked in to the farm and purchased every Bobcat in the place. He was the biggest Bobcat we had ever seen. He has virtually no spots and mesmerizing eyes.  It is probable that there was some Canadian Lynx in his family tree which would explain his eyes, color and and  temperament."