JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When I arrived at Catty Shack Ranch in Jacksonville, I had no idea just how much I would see and learn.
I’d heard of Catty Shack, but I didn’t know what all it had to offer. First, there’s the interaction you get with the beautiful rescue cats.
“They’re just awesome animals, and they’re so well taken care of here,” visitor Rick Tillett said.
Groups come in one after another, and have been for years. The ranch does birthday celebrations, group tours, individual tours and each one gets a lesson about how the ranch got their big cats.
“We go to zoos that close or have permanently downsized. You’ll see zoos that had damage from storms and couldn’t recover from that, so we look out for the animals safety and long term care,” Curt LoGiudice, the Catty Shack Executive Director, said.
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They are able to give the animals top of the line care, so they can live comfortably throughout the rest of their years.
“We have a great team of doctors that work with us and that’s what makes this so successful for the animals,” LoGiudice said.
Guests come from all over the world during their travels to Florida and the ranch treats each guest like family.
“I’ve been coming out here for 20 years, it’s a fun place to come to,” Tillett said.
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And each cat will have a home here until their last day.
“We’re gonna take care of them, the won’t get moved around, they won’t be shuffled, they’ll be here for the rest of their lives,” LoGiudice said.
The animals are fed a mix of chicken and beef twice a day. Each cat eats between 10-20 pounds of meat per meal depending on their size.
“It’s not cooked and it’s not seasoned,” LoGiudice said.
If you want to visit Catty Shack Ranch and learn about their cats while also having the time of your life, they’re located at 1860 Starratt Rd. on Jacksonville’s Northside. Enjoy this GEM and make sure to share your tiger photos with us on SnapJAX!