Project Survival Cat Haven, a home for wild cats, is just outside the highway CA-180 entrance to Kings Canyon National Park. It is decidedly not a zoo. Rather their mission is to support conservation of cats in the wild through education and fundraising. Guests (who pay the modest entrance fee) are escorted on a tour of the grounds and get to hear the story of each cat along with cool cat facts.

I learned that wild cats are classified into large-bodied and small-bodied cats based on if they roar (large) or purr (small). Surprisingly Mountain Lions, though large in stature, are counted as small-bodied.

Of Cats and Snakes: One of the small cats – I think it was the Serval – was a superb snake hunter. It had killed several snakes that came into its enclosure, including a rattlesnake (which was found with body and head separated). On the other extreme, one of the male Jaguars is afraid of anything even resembling a snake (including some sticks). If it sees a “snake” the large beast will climb to its tree platform and call out nervously for the handlers.

“Black” Panther? I also learned that the cats commonly called black panthers are scientifically referred to as melanistic. They have lots of dark/black pigment in their skin and hair but are not always completely black – you can still see spot markings close-up. Being melanistic is common (a dominant trait) in jaguars but is not common (recessive) in leopards.

An old lioness had been in movies but they <had> to let her go when she became defensive of a junior lioness that was being mistreated. Her handlers considered that too aggressive. Details of that mistreatment were sketchy but that seems a bit harsh if she was just standing up for a fellow female cat. Thank goodness Project Survival Cat Haven exists and was able to take her in.

Another thing about this lioness is that she does not like human children for some reason. Sure enough as soon as the guide told us this, the big cat gave a low growl and a long scowl towards a six-year-old in the group, as if to say “Never forget I’m wild!” or “If I ever get out I’m coming for you, kid!“.

Overall it was a good experience and I’d go back again, particularly if the kids want to. Slight disappointments were: 1) the cheetah giving the group the cold shoulder and looking off the other way, 2) the Palas’s Cat was sleeping out of sight. My kids and I like the Palas’s cat after seeing their puffy body and slightly odd faces on a nature program – we call them the puffy cats.