Severely emaciated and barely able to walk, this neglected cougar was found in a backyard zoo where he was allegedly fed a diet of live cats and dogs.
A badly injured leopard discovered in a nearby cage at the Alabama menagerie was believed to have been mauled by a doberman served up as lunch.
Rescuers were unable to help the leopard, but the cougar, named Mickey, and a number of other big cats were saved from the squalid enclosures by staff from Big Cat Rescue.
Mickey the 11-year-old cougar was severely emaciated and barely able to walk when he was rescued from a backyard zoo in Alabama
Rescuers believe the neglected big cat had been fed a diet of live domestic cats and dogs
Tragically, the leopard died of his injuries.
Mickey, who had very little muscle in his legs, was taken to their treatment facility in Tampa, Florida, where he has undergone two operations.
‘Mickey was in a terrible condition when we found him but we worked hard to make him as comfortable as possible,’ said Carole Baskin is the CEO of Big Cat Rescue.
‘This is the end of the road for all the cats that we take in.
‘There is nowhere else for them to go so we just have to ensure that they can live a peaceful and happy life.’
A healthy cougar should weigh around 180 pounds, but 11-year-old Mickey weighed only half of that when he was rescued.
Vets sedated Mickey and removed his rotting teeth. They also discovered that both his back knees had torn ligaments and were riddled with arthritis.
Over the next six months he underwent surgery on his back legs in an attempt to make him more comfortable.
Ms Baskin added: ‘For his first surgery Mickey had to have the ball joint in his left knee reshaped to fit back into place.
Mickey was taken to Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, after being seized from the backyard zoo
After being delivered into the care of Big Cat Rescue Mickey has undergone two operations
Mickey has had two lots of surgery on his back legs in a bid to make him more comfortable
An X-ray, left, showing Mickey’s knee joint that required surgery to reshape it
Mickey is now under cage rest and on the road to recovery under the watchful eye of staff from Big Cat Rescue