T&D's Cats of the World

About T&D's Cats of the World

T&D's Cats of the World is a wild animal refuge at 363 Mountain Road in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, about a mile outside the village of Penns Creek. Its mission statement describes it as a permanent safe haven for unwanted, abused and mistreated exotic pets and wild animals. The refuge receives animals from private individuals, government agencies, zoos and other refuge organizations, and says that once an animal arrives it has a home there for life.

According to the refuge's website, nearly 300 animals live at T&D's, including 50 felines: lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, bobcats, servals and lynx. The site says T&D's does not breed, buy or sell exotic wildlife, and that it is licensed by the state and federal governments to house and exhibit wildlife. It also states that the refuge receives no government funding. T&D's Cats of the World is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

History

The refuge's FAQ states that T&D's opened to the public in 1990. A July 2024 feature in The Daily Item, a Susquehanna Valley newspaper, reports that Terry Mattive, a retired state trooper, and his late wife, Donna, created the 35-acre sanctuary for rescued animals on their wooded property in 1990. The website says animal care is provided mainly by the Mattive family, with a small group of volunteers and veterinarians. Photo captions in the Daily Item feature identify Jennifer Mattive as a co-operator of the refuge and show volunteers cleaning enclosures with a pressure washer and carrying food and water to the foxes.

Exhibits and habitats

The website says T&D's aims to provide large enclosures. It describes tigers cooling off in a pond within a two-acre exercise area, lions in a one-acre exhibit, bears in a one-acre enclosure, wolves in a one-acre enclosure and coyotes in a half-acre enclosure. Visitors may also see balls, tires, ropes and other enrichment items in the pens.

The species list on the refuge's About Us page includes:

• Bears: American black bear and Himalayan black bear
• Birds: bald eagle, Indian peafowl, emu and Eurasian eagle-owl
• Canines: dingo, eastern coyote, red fox and wolf
• Felines: African lion, Bengal tiger, Siberian tiger, bobcat, cougar and serval
• Primates: spider monkeys, brown and ring-tailed lemurs, capuchin, Japanese snow macaque, pig-tailed, rhesus and Tonkean macaques, squirrel monkey and vervet monkey
• Others: raccoon, coati, kinkajou, binturong, fallow and white-tailed deer, fisher, kangaroo, wallaby, North American river otter and Patagonian cavy

Photographs in the 2024 Daily Item feature also show white tigers, a golden tabby tiger and a Himalayan black bear in a wooded enclosure.

Conservation and programs

The refuge's work centers on lifetime care. Its website says the carnivores eat more than 12,000 pounds of meat each month. Local farmers donate cows, calves and horses that died of natural causes, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission brings road-killed deer; the refuge also buys food. The site says no live animals are fed to the carnivores, and that a whole-carcass diet is used because it is natural for the cats and encourages natural behaviors.

Enrichment is provided daily, according to the website, through complex feeders for raccoons, lemurs, otters and other animals, food hidden in straw or under logs, hanging toys, and scents such as herbs and oils around the enclosures. Veterinarians in State College, Watsontown and Selinsgrove care for the animals, and an onsite medical building is used for treatment. The mission statement also commits the refuge to educating the public through handouts, exhibits and tours.

Planning your visit

The website says the refuge is scheduled to open to visitors about 70 days a year, and lists it as closed from October through April. For the 2026 season, as listed on the refuge's website, it is open May through September. In May and on summer weekends it opens Saturdays and Sundays from noon, with last admission an hour before closing. From June through August, weekday visits on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are by guided tour only, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and the refuge is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. After Labor Day weekend, weekend visits are guided tours only. Guided walking tours last about an hour and 20 minutes. Admission is cash only; ticket details are on the refuge's website.

The path is gravel and grass through a mostly wooded area with no hills and several benches. There is a picnic area, and the Howls and Growls gift shop sells cold drinks and ice cream. Closed-toe walking shoes are preferred, and the website says wheelchairs work with some effort. The refuge does not open during thunderstorms. Its listed phone number is (570) 837-3377.

Posted rules include no running, no climbing on gates or fences, no teasing the animals (including growling, barking or whistling), no throwing things, no smoking outside the parking lot, no umbrellas and no pets.