China News Service, Xining, March 19 (Reporter Li Jiangning) On the evening of the 18th, news from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park stated that China's first artificially bred rabbit cat, "Auntie", died of illness on the 17th. The initial diagnosis was Pyometra.
The data picture shows "Aunt Xi" taken in 2022.
Photo by China News Service reporter Li Jiangning
"Auntie" is a female rabbit born on May 7, 2021, by the internet-famous male rabbit "Sisi Miao" and the female rabbit "Si Shangxiang". She is the first artificially bred rabbit in China. 3 years old this year.
As the "eldest princess" of the rabbit cat in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park, the "cat lady" has long attracted public attention.
It likes to play the "plop" game with tourists through the glass, and also likes to do everything possible to get food from the keepers.
Its growth process has brought countless precious experiences to scientific researchers, and countless unforgettable joys to people who love it.
The rabbit cat is an ancient cat with a history of 6.5 million years.
Due to an imperfect immune system, toxoplasmosis, which is not very harmful to ordinary cats, has a very high fatality rate for rabbit cubs.
Rabbit cat breeding has troubled the world for decades, and it had never been successfully bred in China before 2021.
It is reported that in the spring of this year, the nearly 3-year-old "Auntie" will enter its second estrus period. Starting from February, "Auntie" will be caged to participate in artificial breeding scientific research.
Because they are worried that it will not be accustomed to being caged and may suffer from problems such as loss of appetite and weight loss, the keepers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park will closely monitor its diet, defecation, changes in body shape and weight, and observe its behavior and habits every day.
The data picture shows "Aunt Xi" taken in 2022.
Photo by China News Service reporter Li Jiangning
Until the day before "Auntie" died, it could be seen in the live broadcast on March 16 that "Auntie" was still chubby.
During daily feeding observations, the breeders found no obvious abnormalities in eating, defecation, weight or movement. Unexpectedly, on the night of the 16th, it got into a "small house" donated by a netizen and never came out again until the 17th. On the morning of the same day, the breeder observed that it was dead, and its weight was still close to 4 kilograms when it died.
According to professional veterinarians, pyometra is more common in female dogs, cats, rabbits and other pets in estrus. The pathogenesis is very complex and is generally believed to be the result of the combined action of hormones and bacteria.
Early detection and treatment are the key to avoiding tragedy. Unfortunately, no exudation was found in "Aunt Xi" before. Based on the preliminary autopsy results, "Aunt Xi" may have a closed type of pyometra that is difficult to detect.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park stated on its official social platform that this year was the first time that the "Cat Lady" had mated and participated in reproduction, and had successfully conceived. However, she unfortunately passed away while the staff was preparing the delivery room for her.
"It must be missing its father, Xiu Simiao." "I always have photos of my aunt on my phone, and I always feel that it will always play like a child. I hope my aunt is healthy and happy in Xiuxing."... "Xiu Xing." After the news of the death of "Auntie" was released, netizens and fans posted on social platforms to remember the "eldest princess" who had brought people a lot of happiness.
The reporter learned that the life span of wild rabbit cats is generally 6 to 9 years old, and the life span of captive rabbit cats can reach more than 10 years.
Currently, there are four plateau subspecies of rabbits in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park, namely "Xi Shangxiang", a female; "Xi Xiaoman", a female; "Xi Xiaomei", a female; and "Xi Sanlang", a male.
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