Clouded Leopard: Have Box, Will Travel
Posted at 12:31 pm February 12, 2010 by Maureen O. Duryee
Norman, one of our clouded leopards that lived at the San Diego Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater, is one of many animals that have moved their digs to the Zoo’s Urban Jungle zone. He isn’t really a show diva, but he does enjoy his quiet downtime, and I must say we pay close attention to the pleasures we provide for him as he acclimates to his new domicile. His daily schedule includes a crated visit to Backstage Pass (he is getting used to the program in a behind-the-scenes location and one day soon he will make a grand entrance for our Backstage Pass family) and loads of cat naps. It’s the cat-nap part that I’m going to inform you about, just in case you have a cat at home that loves its creature comforts; you might pick up a few new tricks to add to your repertoire!
First of all, Norman likes to visit other animals’ enclosures. He likes to check out their view, their neighbors, but most importantly, their beds. We build sleeping quarters to suit the sleeper. A small animal might get a small den to crawl into whereas a larger animal might get a wooden house to walk into. Upon his various visits to his neighbor’s places in the Urban Jungle zone, we have discovered Norman’s favorites. He likes a corner view with a hammock. This provides some sun, some shade, and lots of activity to watch. We start his morning by walking him to this corner property. He gets his breakfast and a “blood-sicle,” a flavored Popsicle made of the drained blood from meat fed to our carnivores, put into an ice tray to reshape, and then given to animals to lick. Norman loves them! We also make meat-sicles, papaya-sicles, carrot-sicles, etc.
Inside this new enclosure, Norman gets a soft blanket (folded to add cushion) on the hammock, a soft blanket placed inside a separate crate, a soft blanket laid carefully inside a different laundry basket, and a simple cardboard box with the sides folded in to add strength. He loves the box the most! He curls up into a tight ball with his tail wrapped up under his feet and takes a nap. One would think with all the fluff and pile new blankets can provide, Norman would lounge on them as often as he could. No, not this show star; he chooses the absolutely bare-to-the-bones cardboard box to crash inside of. These boxes eventually get wear and tear, but that makes them all the more special because now they have patina. We use them until the sides bust out and then give them to the girl clouded leopards to play with. Next, we find a new box for Norman to start this process all over again.
Before Norman takes his first nap, he likes to watch all the other animals at work in the morning. Some of the critters go for walks, some get exercised, and some also move to other animals’ enclosures. All of this activity parades by him. After about an hour, Norman is done watching, even though we aren’t done with our work, but he needs his beauty rest and will recline in his box until Backstage Pass program time. We have offered him rubber tubs, laundry baskets, doggie day beds, cat cradles, down pillows, but the guy insists on his cardboard. So, that’s what he gets.
Maureen O. Duryee is a senior animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Mr. Ice Man.
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February 12th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Typical cat. There’s just something about boxes that attracts them. (Hmmm. Have you tried giving cardboard boxes to the other cats, such as the lions, tigers and leopards? Boxes that contained refrigerators might work. Haha.)
This is a great story. Will Norman and the other clouded leopards be on exhibit sometime soon? If so, where?
February 12th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Aww…what a darling kitty! My cats also prefer to sleep in “too small” boxes; they squeeze themselves into shoe boxes and are just happy kitties. Norman is gorgeous.
February 12th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Know just what you mean Maureen. Never get between a cat (big, small, wild, domestic) and his carboard box.
My cat will attest to that. =) Thanx for sharing a little something about our clouded leopard Norman. I will never tire of hearing about our big cats in the SDZ’s care ! Great story.
February 13th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
My cat will simply not put up with not having his cardboard box. When he goes to the vet I have to put the box in his carry-cage. He’s adorable!
February 14th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Norman is out on exhibit. He is over by the giraffes and rhinos in the exhibit that used to have some small cats. He is in the one in the center next to Crikey the kookaburra.
February 15th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Thanks Zach #5! I’ll look for Norman next time I’m at the Zoo. Would love to see him.
February 15th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Norman is not on exhibit at this time, but we have two other clouded leopard females that are on exhibit occasionally. As I mentioned in the post, we are in the process of moving them from the Hunte Amphitheater to Urban Jungle. So they have two homes, one at Hunte off exhibit and one on exhibit in Urban Jungle. And we mix their time up between the two.
February 16th, 2010 at 6:08 am
What a name!! All cats love boxes!!
February 16th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Thank you for writing this blog about the clouded leopard. I fell in love with them when I first saw them on a special watching Animal Planet. I have done personal research on them but haven’t had the chance to see them at the zoo. Now, I will make sure to go this weekend and check them out. Please, if you can write more about them!
February 17th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
What a good blog. He sound like so many house cats that it’s hard to remember that he is a big cat. That is so beautiful will SDZ bred him?
February 18th, 2010 at 7:27 am
Thank you for writing this blog about the clouded leopard. I fell in love with them when I first saw them on a special watching Animal Planet. I have done personal research on them but haven’t had the chance to see them at the zoo. Now, I will make sure to go this weekend and check them out. Please, if you can write more about them! What a name!! All cats love boxes! Norman is out on exhibit. He is over by the giraffes and rhinos in the exhibit that used to have some small cats. He is in the one in the center next to Crikey the kookaburra
February 21st, 2010 at 11:33 am
Norman can stay with me any time he wants. We have boxes, huge pieces of paper formed into round ‘houses’, lots of different baskets with cushions, blankets on the backs of chairs, blankets on the bed, duvet cushions way up high, and microbead beds too. Oh and laps too, though I think he’d be just a little too big for those. All this for four cats! They’d love to share, so if Norman ever needs a holiday, just let us know!! He sounds gorgeous. Love the thought of all those different popsicles.
February 22nd, 2010 at 4:38 pm
My cats love cardboard boxes. Nothing is more stimulating to them than a fresh box from Costco! They crawl in it, over it, on it, and sniff all at the same time. And then when worn out from all the activity they will both crawl in and take a nap! Doesn’t matter how big or small the box, they cram themselves in! I’ll watch for Norman when we come to the zoo! Thank you for his great post.
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:21 am
cats are fun to watch. they also love paper bags. after grocery shopping, put your bags on the floor and just see what happens! funny!