Cat Tales mourns loss of Kimber

In the 2004 movie “Napoleon Dynamite,” the title character drew a sketch of a liger. “It’s pretty much my favorite animal. It’s a lion and a tiger mixed … bred for its skills in magic,” he said.

Spokane had its own liger, named Kimber, who died on Sept. 1, at Cat Tales. But this liger looked nothing like Napoleon Dynamite’s drawing. She was far more beautiful and majestic. However, many of Kimber’s admirers would agree there was something magical about her.

Mike Wyche, co-founder of Cat Tales, said Kimber came to the facility in 1998. She’d been rescued, along with a lion, from a roadside menagerie by an Oregon businessman. Her owner was selling his property and looking for a new home for the exotic creatures. “They looked over a lot of places and chose Cat Tales,” said Wyche.

Because ligers don’t exist in nature and are a product of humans genetic manipulation, little is known about them. Kimber’s father was a lion and her mother was a tiger. According to Wyche, she had a typical big-cat attitude. Unfortunately, she’d been taught that “wrasslin’ and jumping was what life was all about,” so the staff rarely entered her enclosure.

This was no fuzzy kitty cat. Kimber weighed 400 pounds and was five times stronger than a human when she died of liver cancer at age 18.

Wyche said she had a sweet disposition. “The only time Kimber was grumpy was at dinner time.” Felines in general are very possessive of their food, and Kimber was no different. “Cats are solitary; they don’t like to share.”

When “Napoleon Dynamite” debuted in movie theaters, Wyche said, “She was an overnight hit. She was a superstar at here at the zoo.”

In true cat form she would pick her favorite corner and elegantly stretch out in the sun. As soon as someone pulled out a camera, she’d slowly look the other way. “You don’t own a cat,” said Wyche with a chuckle. “You serve them.”

In the days that followed Kimber’s death, Wyche and other staffers heard a lot more roaring from the other big cats. “It’s their family,” he said.

Losing an animal is the toughest part of a zookeeper’s job. “It takes a toll,” said Wyche. He was humbled by the public’s response to the death of the liger. While at the Spokane County Interstate Fair recently, he said, “Fifty percent of the people who came up to us asked about Kimber. They were very responsive.” He paused and took a breath. “I was touched.”

Ligers are so rare that it’s unlikely Cat Tales will rescue another one anytime soon. “Unless there’s one out there that needs a home,” Wyche said.

But Kimber won’t be forgotten. A large indoor education center is in the works at the facility. “We’ve saved Kimber’s fur,” said Wyche. The talents of a taxidermist will preserve the regal beauty of the beloved liger. “Kimber will come back at some time as a museum display,” said Wyche. “So people will know what a liger looked like.”