Katia was our oldest Siberian lynx, who passed away on February 26, 2010. She was born on May 11, 1996 at a breeding facility in Redmond, Oregon. She was being kept as a pet, alongside her son, Alfonz, in the breeder's home for several years. In early 2000, the breeding facility could no longer provide the proper permits to continue housing their animals within city limits. Consequently, all of the animals had to be relocated. When Chimps Inc. heard about this devastating situation we decided to rescue both mother and son in August of 2003.

Katia and Alfonz's rescue from a private owner is a powerful reminder of the serious problems that the exotic pet industry poses for these animals. Exotic cats rarely live healthy, happy lives in captive environments, because they usually fail to meet their special care, housing, nutrition, and medical needs. As with Katia, she arrived at Chimps Inc. with all four of her paws declawed; a painful and unnecessary operation. Sadly, Katia developed osteoarthritis and suffered from degenerated paw pads making it extremely uncomfortable for her to walk.