Tiger -VS- Kat = FUN!

This is Kat. North American Homo Sapiens Jungle Cat.  Fierce, loyal, and very smiley.  Do not look directly at her, doing so will fill your heart with love and peace.  I beg you, please look away.  For your own safety, step back from the Kat.

You will notice the absence of the central incisors, this is only a temporary situation.  As we speak the Kat is generating enough calcium for production of said incisors hoping the lateral incisors will stay in place long enough for normal eating adventures.  Without them, she will be gumming her food for a months.  It is not a pretty sight.

This is Panthera Tigris Tigris.  One of the largest cats on the planet.  Normally located in Eastern or Southern Asia, but for today Vallejo.  That is Southern right? South Bay counts right?  These animals can consume 70 pounds of raw meat in a kill setting.  In captivity, they can consume 15 pounds of raw meat in 1 minute.  They are strong, quick and agile.  They can power through the water with grace and determination.












And I let my kid feed one.  On a stick of course! What are you guys NUTS!? Geez, at least she got the stick, bare hands were completely out of the question.  And they added in the protective fencing to boot.  This is a top notch establishment.  What kind of mom do you think I am?

In all seriousness, this was a cool exhibit.  Informative, entertaining and the Kat was tickled pink to be chosen for such a special memory.  Before the handlers let her go over and feed the tiger, they told her that the tiger would not be fed anything the handlers wouldn't eat and the Kat would have to eat it.  At that point the guy brought out a chunk of raw meat and motioned as though he would hand it to Kat.  Kat in typical Kat style reached out to take a bite, the handlers were taken by surprise at her willingness to give it a go!  They and myself got a big chuckle.  For all of Kat's efforts she was awarded the coveted Shouka toy.

This was a fabulous day, for me, the Kat, her siblings and grandma.  Spending time with my kids is the best, we had a ball running from ride to ride, show to show, and the myriad of questions from the kids.  This was primarily a school function.  The Kat and her classmates had a fund raiser a few months ago to sponsor this trip.  We were fortunate enough to turn this into a family adventure.  Although Gma would not venture onto the coaster/water splashing rides (much to the chagrin of the little kids) it was fabulous.  They were amazed by the animals, stunned by the availability of a running fountain that was specifically designed to squirt kids, and the fact they had a jungle gym to romp around on.  Here are a few more amazing sights we had that day.