Today, I read on Facebook the very sad and disappointing news that Nugget from a Texas sanctuary was "given peace last night" because his health took a turn for the worse.
I'm afraid I have some very sad news this morning. Our little coati, Nugget, has been struggling with a skin infection for quite some time. We have been administering daily injections, in an effort to fight the progression of the infectio...n, but he took a rapid turn for the worse. After consulting with our veterinarians, it was determined that we were no longer able to keep Nugget comfortable, and that we were quickly losing the battle. We made the decision to give Nugget peace last night. Nugget was such a character, and was loved by many. When he was happy (getting his back scratched, eating a tasty treat, or seeing his beloved caretaker Kate), he would squeak so happily! He was very curious, checking things out with his agile little hands, and loved checking out strong smells. He also didn’t hesitate to let you know if he was displeased in any way, and couldn’t stand it if anyone touched his stuff. “His stuff” pretty much included anything in his vicinity. He never seemed to be at all concerned about the fact that he was surrounded by large predators, and seemed to have no idea that he was actually a pretty small little guy. We will always remember this spunky, squeaky little guy with such a big personality.
One of the reasons why I no longer want to help sanctuaries is the disproportion of care and attention I've seen given to big cats and not to the little exotics or domestic animals (when housed at the same location).
At the WAO, the workers only wanted to lavish care on the big cats (tigers, lions, etc) and not on the littlest cats (bobcat, serval, domestic/feral cats). I saw the same thing at this sanctuary.
When I first met Nugget, I was very disappointed to see him housed in an area that really was not suitable for a Coatimundi and his "house" was filled with feces.
As the result of his inept care by the animal care takers and volunteers, Nugget contracted a severe infection on his backside from sleeping on bedding covered with his own feces. The infection was so severe that he really never recovered completely from the experience (he had been given a clean bill of health - August 2012). Had the workers provided Nugget the same loving attention provided to the big cats, throughout his time at the sanctuary, he may very well be alive today.
The sanctuary director kept telling me she wanted to either (1) put Nugget down because he wasn't getting better fast enough or (2) rehome him because he didn't have any other Coaties to play with (never mind that Nugget called this facility home). In an effort to keep him in the forefront, I wrote several sanctuary blog stories in the hopes of focusing attention to this little guy. I was able to talk the director out of getting rid of Nugget, to give the little guy a chance at life, but I guess now that I'm not helping this sanctuary anymore, Nugget's time was up.
I'm saddened that this little guy didn't receive the same love and attention from all the care staff that the big cats receive. Now I wish Nugget had been rehomed elsewhere after all...
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| March 4, 2004 - March 18, 2013 |
May the Lord walk with you always in Heaven, little Nugget...
Later:
So far no mention of a memorial for Nugget. I guess he's not going to get a memorial service like the other cats?
Much Later:
I noticed that on the same day, Tuesday, March 19th, a picture, taken at the pet cremation place, was posted on Facebook before 3:00pm. At least his ashes rests in the pretty urn shown below.
No special memorial for Nugget... figures.
Later:
So far no mention of a memorial for Nugget. I guess he's not going to get a memorial service like the other cats?
Much Later:
I noticed that on the same day, Tuesday, March 19th, a picture, taken at the pet cremation place, was posted on Facebook before 3:00pm. At least his ashes rests in the pretty urn shown below.
No special memorial for Nugget... figures.
Later:
In-Sync Exotics went to extreme measures to save Aramis, a lion who died shortly after Nugget. Sadly, the same life-saving attempts were never given to little Nugget. Is Nugget not as worthy as Aramis? I'm just asking...
May God Bless Aramis in Heaven with little Nugget.
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