Illithia's Story

Illithia was privately owned and purchased from a Missouri breeder in 2016. Her previous owners had received a Class II permit from the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission and permission from their Home Owner’s Association to own Illithia. Illithia had been four-paw declawed at the age of 12 weeks. Despite her declaw procedure, her previous owners provided proper veterinary care, which included preventative vaccinations, micro-chipping, and spaying Illithia. Additionally, they provided her with a raw meat diet despite the over-the-counter cat food the breeder had suggested. Illithia became more aggressive and dangerous, as did the concerns of her owner’s neighbors. Due to the widespread complaints, Illithia’s owners opted out of renewing their permits and placed her in an accredited sanctuary in Florida.

In early 2023, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) agreed to take 33 wild cats from the Florida sanctuary accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). Illithia was one of those cats and now calls Freedom Field her forever home. Illithia’s habitat has a slight, natural indentation in the ground that she loves to curl up and sleep in. Unlike other cats at the Refuge, Illithia is less active and spends most of her days napping away and waiting for nighttime. When the animal care trucks drive by, she perks up sleepily to observe them.