It’s difficult for anyone to feel out of place, but for one small cat who was so far away from his own home, the sensation must have been terrifying.
Tikam is his name. Tikam isn’t your typical kitty.
But the little cat was being kept as if he were just any other kind of pet.
Tikam was living in an apartment in Germany with his owner until one day the landlady of the building realized Tikam was a bit strange.
Tikam was revealed to be a puma kitten, and he was said to be residing in the woods.
“The strange pet was observed by the landlady, who alerted the police,” Jeta Lepaja, a representative for Four Paws International, told The Dodo.
So, how did a puma end up in a Lahr, Germany residential building? It’s actually a symptom of a far bigger problem than Tikam.
The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be the fourth-largest black market trade on the planet, worth about $19 billion per year. Many of these animals are sold as exotic pets, who can grow up to be too large or too wild to handle — and then end up abandoned.
So many animals like Tikam end up getting caught up in moneymaking schemes that care little about what’s actually good for the animals being sold.
Tikam, for example, was never given the opportunity to view his habitat in the wild. He was produced by a breeder in the Czech Republic and quickly taken away from his mother before being sold to someone who transported him across the German border. He was just two months old at the time.
Tikam was able to obtain the help he needed when the landlady stepped out for him.
Tikam was sent to Tierart, a German shelter managed by Four Paws for cats like him, after being confiscated by the police.
In a statement, Tierart site manager Florian Eiserlo stated, “Keeping a puma in a small apartment is not only extreme animal cruelty, but also unsafe for the owners and neighbors.” “What appears to be a little and charming creature now will grow into a predator weighing up to 100 kilograms [220 pounds] later.”
Tikam will not be allowed to be released into the wild because he has spent his whole life with humans, but people are doing everything they can to attempt to make up for the puma kitten’s mistreatment.
Tikam was recently spotted at Tierart exploring his lovely home, where he could feel the sun on his fur and the grass beneath his feet.
Tikam seemed to have finally found his place in the world.
Meanwhile, many are battling the exotic pet trade to ensure that what happened to Tikam doesn’t happen to other kittens in the future.
“An increasing number of wild animals are being discovered in dubious circumstances,” Kieran Harkin, the head of Four Paws’ Wild Animal Campaigns, stated.
“No one knows how many large cats are maintained in living rooms and backyards.” The existing legal status is woefully inadequate, resulting in the confinement of enormous thousands of animals in inhumane conditions.”
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