Nyra, our lioness, was approximately 3 years old when she arrived at Catty Shack Ranch on June 12, 2002. She was part of a group of animals confiscated by the USDA from a private zoo. She, her mate Gyro (now deceased), Binky the tiger, and Skywalker and BJ the leopards all arrived together.Nyra enjoys her forever home at the Ranch. She surveys her kingdom from her raised porch, rests on elevated cable spools and guards her surrounding wooded area against “invaders of the real or imaginary kind.” She takes naps on her hammock, making sure her tummy gets equal exposure time to the sun’s warming rays. Watching her in action as she patrols her perimeter, one can imagine lionesses in Africa hunting and stalking their prey.

She always enjoys her enrichment activities. While not one to totally demolish pumpkins and phone books, she happily shreds them and crushes cardboard tubes filled with meat snacks. When she prances around and shakes her “toys”, you forget her true age – she remains a cub at heart.

For Nyra, catnip is the ultimate treat! Any box or bag sprinkled with the herb is sure to grab her attention and stimulate her playfulness. Her favorite toy is a giant “Clawbreaker”, a three-pound solid ball of catnip. She zealously guards this catnip treasure, bats it around for fun and carries it to all her resting places. If any of our other residents aren’t interested in playing with their catnip ball, we know to give it to Nyra to enjoy.

Nyra is the mother of Freddy and visitors to the Ranch regularly hear them roaring back and forth. Neighbors within 5 or 6 miles of the Ranch also get treated to this sound numerous times throughout the day and night. If you are near Nyra when she roars, you may see that she can produce a fierce roar even from a prone position; she does not have to stand proud and tall to communicate.

At Catty Shack Ranch, Nyra enjoys a healthy diet of raw meat with vitamins and supplements appropriate to her species, age, and current health conditions. All our animals receive regular veterinary care and are very much loved.