I think he/cougars have a very pleasing shape to their head & a nicely complementry colouration and fine whiskers which remind me of a bristle nose catfish.

Is the spray for spraying him when he does bad things?

To say I'm horribly biased towards cougars is probably putting it mildly! I find them (and the other great cats) to be some of the most magnificent creatures on Earth.

The spray bottle is my little safety net. As a rule, I don't care for "negative reinforcement" training, but when you're in the middle of getting mauled, or even just normal cat-play that can quickly escalate as they're much stronger and tougher than we are, it's always good to have a non-lethal/non-injuring but yet effective method to get them off of you. The bottle is half white vinegar and half water, and as cats have a very good sense of smell, a blast of it anywhere around the schnoz is a total nuclear blast for them.

Drifter has always been a very gentle and social kitty, so I've never come close to needing it with him, but as they say: better to have it not need it than need it and not have it. Macumba, being the Evil Spotted Thing that he is, is the one that the bottle's really for. He's always had this thing for biting, although it's never been very hard. :)

Heh, heh... As y'know a purr to melt the heart is part of the coug's weaponry to create such a positive bias.

*nodnods*. Somewhere around the schnoz but nowhere near the eyes... Good to hear that he's never needed that and kudos for the positive thinking that's never led to that being used "preemptively".

Mhmm... those kitties talk with their mouths, too; thankfully they /know/ how to be gentle with us fragile-skinned humans.

Awww.... no camera today please; http://www.staugustinewildreserve.o.....s/Drifter2.jpg
He is a gorgeous coug, though. And you're looking justifiably happy, too. :)

Best wishes to y'both & y'all,
David.

Both Drifter and Macumba are still housed at the Wild Reserve. I was the former Head Curator there.

I'm slowly working on getting my own place set up for them - I have ten acres for my own territory - and then I'll bring them home to stay with me. :) Unfortunately, my employment and other Real Life (TM, pat pend) issues tend to get in the way of the things most important to us, so I have to be patient and have some faith.

You have some truly fine pictures in your gallery, and I am admittedly curious as to many of the stories behind them. :)

My best wishes to you and your own endeavors.

Thanks for the backstory, SC.

Sounds like you've gotten things planned pretty well there. Very happy that that can work out for some felines & humans. :)
Heh, heh... Can empathise deeply with RL issues getting in the way of what /is/ important and good luck balancing all that. There's only so much that can be done, though. And longer feline lifespans would be good, too... :/

Thanks for the compliment on the pics. I was never a particular fan of "waving" cameras around any cats (mostly a personal choice) and most of those I took deliberately taken, then given away as ref. pics for an artist who required those. (Am sure you might be able to help people with those, too... no imposition, of course ;)
Those online are/were zoo felines, although y'might've noticed that Haakon leopard for one at least is (was) a rather interactive lep. Very good natured, playful and calm: definitely needed a /lot/ more quality time than the staff there could give. :(

Have done my share of hands-off/hands-on work with the cats (I missed jags on the latter, alas) along with a good few years of research/networking/writing etc. backscenes.
Unfortunately, living in the UK, everything was tied into my previous employment and good $ from that to help bankroll various projects. Having the company try to kill me and others didn't really help and took a few years to recover from that with any cat-side plans rather gone now and no possibility to shift US-side.
Kinda difficult to keep away from the felines though, I guess, and helping run a place like this probably don't assist in that either!

Heh... apols. for the ramble and thank you again for the best wishes. :)

Very happy to know you're here in the community as a positive encouragement for /good/ ownership done /properly/... Education, always education. ;)

Yay, the spray is actually a good idea. It doesn't really harm them but I'm sure, they gonna be pissed for a while. *giggles* I sometimes thought about getting a spray and filling it just with water for paying back the moments I got sprayed at by our tigers. :P But then again, tigers and water... ;)

Well, you "spray" with what you got! As far as the kitties tho, I'd say, you work with them for any length of time, you're gonna get sprayed in their own version. Tis the nature of the beast (no pun intended). :)

Those paws are so gorgeous! I am just in love with the entire anatomy of felines, so eloquent..powerful..purrfect!

Glad you decided to upload a few pics :) to share with folks!

I'll probably go through and look for some other of my favorites to post as well. There are so many! I think I have about 45,000+ to choose from, so finding the "best" is really difficult. But hey... If they can be an inspiration to others, then it's something I should do!

I'd still love to have them all, like the enormous geek I am! But hey, you can never have enough kitty pictures no?

such a wonderful cat

I will probably always bleed cougar blood. I started working with cougars in the early 80's, and to say they turned my life completely upsidedown is probably putting it so mildly as to be absurd. :)

Shasta, my first cougar-kitty was a housecat. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone, as you'll fine that nothing in the house is sacred. They're cats afterall, and they act like cats. In many ways, a cat is a cat is a cat. House-cougars will try to scale the curtains, only to pull them down. They'll try to walk on shelves, but most shelves aren't designed for that much weight. The vault-off-the-walls sometimes ends up as vault-through-the-walls, as sheetrock sometimes has trouble with full, frontal, big-cat assault.

All things considered, my perspective of the univers is delightfully askew because of the cats (and other animals, as I've also been pet to a German Shepherd and a Boarder Collie), but truly, my life has been so much richer by their presence.

Okay, nuff babble from me... (for now) :)

i can only imagine o_o....i have 3 house cats myself and i know how painful it can be when they decide to 'gallop' full speed across the house chasing easch other and run into me along the way....one time i was laying on the couch and my cat ran out of the kitchen at full speed and jump directly into my stomach-using it to propell themselves off in the other direction....i can only imagine having a big cat try the same :P....your very lucky to be able to be a part of their lives...:3

Cats have this very unique way of sneaking up on you and totally invading your soul! They are the ultimate predators, even if it's just to become a part of your life.

Drifter is a very mellow kitty for the most part, althought like just about every cougar I've ever met, had a deviant streak about a mile wide! He's a very social kitty, which has made if very difficult for me to get good pictures of him, as he's always more interested in me giving him attention than pose for photos.

In any case, Drifter is my buddy, and I love him like a son. Keep watching, as I want to pose a few more pix of the cats I've worked with, starting with Drifter and Macumba, and a few of Dagger here and there (who passed away almost two years ago).

I have a Question.. ?
How Much for a DNS Test..?

I have not inquired recently, but about two years ago, it was about $1200. While I think it would be worth it in the end, as then the age-old quandary would be solved, I don't really have that much moo-lah sitting around. Most of my money goes to a little more important things for them like food, care, enrichment, cage maintenance, etc.

All things considered, doing the DNA test is somewhat vanity on my part, as Drifter could give a flying frisbee as to what sub-species he is, and in truth, I would love him the same, even were he a mutt. :)

My guess is that today, as the DNA techniques become more refined and more practically applicable to a broader variety of uses, the expenses will drop, and probably have already. For human DNA testing, it’s down into the $500-range (paternity testing and the like). I would guess that this particular DNA test, besides being in the realm of "animal testing" would still be in the $800-range, as it’s more "discovery" rather than "comparative".

Anyway, forgive me: you asked a short question, and I gave you a dissertation for an answer. :)

Well at least it getting cheaper..
HEHE yea a little long ...
But it be good in the Future If thing go Wrong GOD for Bid..
But for the Cats Bread and other info you'll never know about..Few year the DNA maps will be done..
hehe.. Wonder if you can have like a little 50/50 on guess the Breed .. there is a Idea..

Or even Better You learn how to do a DNA test and I'll find dome used Equipment..

Someday, I'll have the test done. For now, I'm having to relocate for a little bit for the job. :( I'll have to put the important aspects of life on hold for a bit.

Ouch hope it not Far for you to travel for you...
OK what Work sucker you into..
Just hope it turns out fun..

BOTH of you are beautiful gents. *purrs*

(Shasta bows politely) Thank you, Lady Melody. Such a fine compliment indeed, to be placed on the same scale as Drifter. I am most flattered.

It would be grand indeed, to be as handsome and dignified as Drifter. :)

I don't know who's eyes are wilder. Your's or Drifter's. I still feel you're very fortunate to be able to have an understanding of these big cats.

There are just so many Priceless Moments when working with the animals. It's always fun to have them captured onto film, so you can keep them, and /share/ then, forever. :)

Tell your older "Son" he's a nice looking boy, and your very lucky to know these large cats...

When I see him next, I'll pass it along. I'm sure he'll have a smile on his face, knowing that I'm not the only one that thinks he's a handsome kitty. :)

That's really just a beautiful animal. :3

(much belated comment) I quite agree. The only thing taking away from the picture is /me/! Oh well. Maybe some of Drifter's handsomeness will rub off on me, huh? Well, I can fantasize anyway! :)

But all jesting aside, the sheer beauty of cougars - and all of the various cat species and many other species as well - still me with a sense of awesome wonder. They, in my humble opinion, are truly the essence of beauty. Of course, I might be accused of bias. :)

oh my god.. so gorgeous. ;_;

(Shasta nods) Oh yes. I've always found cougars to be very beautiful animals. They were my "first love" of the big cats, and I've been hooked ever since. Probably explains why I've been owned by more cougars than any other species so far. :)