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Valentina was born on 2nd September 2007 along with her twin sister Victoria at Salzburg in Austria.
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Valentina arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in September 2008.
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Valentina is a bold and self-assured character who never misses a meal opportunity!
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Despite its size, the Puma is not typically classified among the "big cats" because it cannot roar.
Valentina is a striking example of her species: vocal, confident, and a real favourite among photographers thanks to her stunning looks. She’s known for her dominant, sassy personality and is easily recognised by the small tips missing from her ears. Muscular and graceful, Valentina has breathtaking facial markings and piercing eyes that captivate everyone who sees her. With their sleek, single-coloured coats, pumas truly live up to their name ‘concolor’, meaning ‘of the same colour’. Their kittens, however, start life covered in spots to help them stay camouflaged.
Pumas have the widest range of any cat, stretching from Canada to South America, and are known by many names, including cougar, mountain lion, and panther.
They appear in two main colour phases: warm tawny and cinnamon tones, or cooler shades of grey and slate. Adapted for mountain life, pumas have long tails for balance, large padded feet, small rounded ears to reduce heat loss, and powerful hind legs for climbing and leaping. Fine hairs between their paw pads help them move silently while stalking prey.
Larger individuals tend to live in the northern and southern extremes of their range, with smaller cats found near the equator. Exceptionally strong, adult males can take down prey as large as horses.
Pumas communicate through a range of sounds, from hisses and chirrups to their famous “scream,” believed to attract mates.
Adult pumas are solitary, coming together only to mate or raise kittens. After a 90–96 day gestation, litters of one to six blind, spotted kittens are born. Breeding occurs year-round, though it becomes more seasonal further north and south, with most births between April and September in the north, and February to June in the south.
Kittens open their eyes after about a week, begin eating meat at six to eight weeks, and are weaned by twelve weeks, though they may continue to nurse if the mother allows. Their spots fade around six months, when they start hunting for themselves. Young pumas disperse at 12–18 months, but typically breed only after establishing their own territories, around age three for males and two and a half for females.
Pumas face growing threats from habitat loss and fragmentation caused by human development. Conflict with people, including retaliatory and pre-emptive killing, remains a major issue, fuelled by outdated myths and fear. In some areas, prey depletion, hunting, and poaching also threaten populations across their range.