Orphaned cougar kittens need a home, and Sarvey center would like to be it

LYNNWOOD – Three orphaned babies are looking for a home.

The babies are cougar kittens who were found and turned over to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society Wildlife Center in Lynnwood recently.

The kittens, then only 5 weeks old, were found by a resident near Duvall in King County on Aug. 22. A female cougar was shot and killed by authorities across the street from a high school near Duvall Aug. 9 after being seen raiding a chicken coop.

It is not known if the female cougar was the mother of the three orphans. The time interval between when the cougar was killed and the kittens were found, combined with the kittens’ relatively good condition, leads authorities to believe she was not the mother.

Officials with PAWS and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife have been looking for a place where the kittens can be cared for in a way that allows them to return to the wild, but so far don’t believe they’ve found it.

The Sarvey Wildlife Center near Arlington, which has been caring for orphaned and injured wild animals for more than 20 years, would like a chance, said Dennis Whitney of the medical staff.

If a place can’t be found, the next option would be a zoo or wildlife refuge, officials said.

Euthanasia would be an “absolute last resort,” said Fish and Wildlife Capt. Bill Hebner, at a Wednesday press conference at PAWS headquarters.

PAWS has been able to rehabilitate orphaned cougars and successfully release them into the wild in the past, said director Kip Parker. But those kittens were old enough to have been taught by their mothers how to hunt and survive, he said.

While the staff is doing everything it can to keep the cougars from associating humans with food, Parker said, it may be too late.

Hebner estimated that there is a 98 percent chance that the cougars would not be able to survive on their own if released into the wild.

Another problem is that young cats continually exposed to humans can become socialized enough to where they appear to be harmless, but are not, Hebner said.

This makes them even more dangerous, and is another consideration in whether they can be released into the wild, he said. Potential liability, either for the state or a rehab center, causes officials to err on the side of caution, he said.

Sarvey has successfully released bobcats into the wild after receiving them as small kittens, Whitney said.

“We have the facilities to at least attempt to do it,” he said. “We’re probably better equipped than anybody else in the state.”

Otherwise, the cougars could be sent to a refuge in Texas, Whitney said.

Parker and Hebner said their search for a rehab facility has extended to other Western states.

Parker estimated that PAWS could keep the cats for another month before they will have to be taken somewhere better equipped for handling large animals for a long period of time.

“We are the best place for the cats to be at this time,” Parker said.

Hebner said officials expect to know what will become of the kittens within a week.