Born
August 3, 2016
Rescued
September 26, 2022
Died
October 9, 2025
Monaco’s Story
Monaco was rescued along with 3 other bobcats: JJ, Rio, and Cairo, from a private owner in Texas. They were brought to Carolina Tiger Rescue by another facility, In-Sync Exotics and did great on the 17 hour trip. They were all declawed, but that didn’t stop them from settling into sanctuary life and behaving like wild animals.
Monaco was the biggest, fluffiest and lightest of the bobcats. She was the most independent of the group. She was often seen hanging around her enclosure-mates, sometimes in a giant cuddle puddle, but she would also go off on her own. She wasn’t phased by much. Her favorite things were food and stinky enrichment. She loved rolling around in urine and wool.
Monaco’s Passing
October 20, 2025
Celebrating the Life of Monaco Bobcat (2016-2025)
Over the past couple months, our sanctuary has faced a series of tough goodbyes. Today, we are remembering the life of Monaco Bobcat.
Monaco’s passing was very sudden and unexpected. She’d been acting like herself and eating normally at the end of the day, and the next morning the keepers found that she had died overnight. Monaco was found laying peacefully in one of her favorite sunning spots. It seems that she passed quickly. While these things are often the result of a heart attack or pulmonary embolism, we are still waiting on lab results for more answers.
Monaco arrived at Carolina Tiger Rescue in September 2022, along with Cairo, Rio, and JJ Bobcats. Their transfer was arranged through the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance after they were surrendered by a private owner in Texas. In-Sync Exotics, a sister sanctuary, helped find them permanent homes where they could receive the care and respect they deserved.
Monaco lived with three other bobcats, but she always stood out. She was the biggest, fluffiest and lightest. Monaco was also the boss, and she made sure everyone knew it. She ate first at mealtime and was the first to explore new enrichment. And she loved scent enrichment. The stinkier, the better. Monaco would often flop her entire body down on top of wool and roll around with it. Once she was nice and stinky, her enclosure-mates would come and roll on her.
Monaco spent a lot of time curled up with her enclosure-mates, but she was also very independent. She was unbothered by most things and often spent time alone in her enclosure. She was also the most social and most likely to greet tour groups or visitors.
We will miss Monaco dearly, as we do all those we’ve said goodbye to in recent months. As we grieve, we also carry their stories forward and remind ourselves why we do this work. We are grateful for the time we got to be part of Monaco’s life.
With a heavy heart,
Kathryn Bertok
Assistant Director