Stevie’s Passing

July 23, 2026

As part of our first small cat international rescue, Stevie Serval was rescued all the way from a breeder in British Columbia (BC), Canada on November 26, 2019, along with 12 other servals, and was one of the 7 that came to know Carolina Tiger Rescue as their forever home. This rescue was a true reminder of why we do what we do. Stevie was crowded with other servals in a boarded-up RV trailer with little to no ventilation. This exposed her to intense levels of ammonia, and she did not have proper access to water or natural light.

Recently we started an introduction between Stevie and Bowie Serval. The introduction was going well. While Bowie would sometimes be a bit to eager to play, Stevie always knew how to set her boundaries. After a recent interaction, the keepers notice Stevie’s breathing appeared labored. We gave her an hour or so to calm down and while her breathing slowed, it continued to appear labored. The decision was made to get her to our vet for a physical and X-rays.

Once down, our veterinarian quickly found a chain of mammary tumors and a buildup of fluid around her lungs caused by metastasis. We removed the fluid but knew that we would only have a few days to possibly weeks with her. She recovered from the procedure, and we monitor her breathing and behavior. After a few days, Stevie started declining in her interest in food and enrichment and her breathing became increasing labored. We knew that the kindest decision would be to euthanize her. 

Stevie will be remembered throughout the sanctuary as the ultra-confident and loudly vocal serval she was. Continuing to educate guests on her rescue highlights the importance of keeping animals wild and not as pets. We are grateful that Stevie and the other servals from her rescue were and are able to live their best lives here after being failed by humans.

Losses are never easy, particularly when they happen close together. But we are grateful that we can honor those in our care by knowing when it’s time to say goodbye. We always want to ensure that we give our animals the quality of life that they deserve. While we would always want to have more time with them, more than that, we want them to know kindness and compassion. We never want them to needlessly suffer. Instead, we want to be able to gather the people that love and care for them and say our final farewells knowing that we did all that we could to give them the life they deserved.

Thank you for supporting our work – particularly when that work is exhausting and heartbreaking. We cannot express fully how incredible it is to be able to do what we do because of the support of this extraordinary community

With a heavy heart,
Kathryn Bertok
Assistant Director