In Memoriam: Cato Ross

Cato Ross

Seems like there is a lot of sadness in the capybara community lately. Last week we lost a youngster, Cato Ross, beloved friend and companion of Laura Ross.

Cato was only eight months old but he had won his way into Laura’s heart as only a capybara can. A bundle of capy energy, Cato loved to play with his two best friends, a pig and a dog, often fighting with the pig over choice morsels.

Cato lived in a home full of love and attention although he had to contend not only with the pig and the dog but also with a large number of rescue squirrels and a porcupine. Still, like all capybaras, he was non-judgemental and got along with everyone.

Cato Ross loved scratches

Laura relates that she loved looking in his beautiful brown eyes that seemed so intelligent and loving. She already misses his cute little noises that always told her where he was. His pig roams the house looking for him.

All of us in the capybara community and around the world grieve with his family.

While Laura is too distraught to read comments and condolences, she encourages people to donate to the ROUS Foundation. Laura has generously sent Cato’s body in for necropsy at Texas A&M. The shipping, necropsy, and return of Cato’s ashes are being paid for by the RF.

I would like to take the time to explain a little about the RF. There are two parts to it. The first part funds what I mentioned above. This part of the RF also covers some veterinary procedures performed at A&M and analysis and diagnosis of any blood or tissue samples sent to A&M. Follow this link to make tax deductible donations to this part of the RF.

The second part of the RF is not tax deductible at this time but is also aimed at helping capybaras and their owners.

The RF Why Weight? program provides scales to capybara owners on the condition that they periodically report the weight of their capybara. We are using this data to create a chart of typical and atypical weights. This allows capybara owners to compare their capybara’s growth to that of other captive capybaras, providing valuable information about the health of their animal. Cato was part of this program and his weights will be added to our knowledge base.

Since donations through the tax deductible A&M charity can only be used at A&M, many capybaras are not able to take advantage of it. In this case the RF can provide some funds to help cover costs at local veterinarians.

At this point, the A&M fund is fairly well funded, although we can always use more! But the non-A&M part is in serious need of new funds so that we can continue to provide scales and help with veterinary costs. Please consider making a Paypal donation so that we can continue to help capybaras like Cato.