Pittsburgh Zoo's new clouded leopard cub getting stronger

The Pittsburgh Zoo’s newest addition — a 4-week-old clouded leopard cub — is getting stronger and sassier by the day.

But the first few days of the pint-sized feline’s life weren’t so easy, her handlers said.

The new cub is the daughter of parents Saya and Pi, both full-grown clouded leopards at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood. The zoo introduced the cub during a press conference Thursday.

Saya gave birth to two cubs on March 14 — also Pi’s birthday, who was named after the mathematical ratio Pi, or 3.14. One cub died shortly after birth.

Assistant Mammal Curator Karen Vacco said Saya was an extremely caring mother to her surviving cub.

“Her mother, a first-time mother, she was an excellent mother: She took care of them; she cleaned them; she was being very attentive, but the babies just weren’t nursing enough,” Vacco said.

That’s when zoo staff made the decision to take the surviving cub away from her parents and raise her by hand.

When she’s not learning to walk or snuggling with her stuffed animals, the yet-to-be-named cub is eating.

She’s fed 15 milliliters of formula from a tiny bottle five times a day by her primary caregiver, Animal Keeper Mark McDonough.

The cub wasn’t shy about strutting for her caregivers and observers, marching across a folding table as she stumbled toward McDonough and her bottle.

At this point, her teeth are small enough that she can nibble on McDonough’s fingers without hurting him. The harmless fuzzball likes to climb up his arms and torso, and squeaks out a bird-like caw when his attention is elsewhere.

The cub will move on to eating meat as her teeth continue come in, he said.

As her personality emerges — so far, she seems to love the spotlight and a good meal — zoo staff will settle on a name, Vacco said.

Clouded leopards are endangered, with fewer than 10,000 left in the wild. They’re named for their spots, which look like splotchy clouds, Vacco said.

Zoo staff are focused on making sure the cub gets stronger. She weighs about as much as a can of soup, but will reach about 30 pounds when full-grown.

“Something different with her from other cubs is, she wasn’t even a week old, and if you would hold her, she was able to crawl completely up your stomach,” Vacco said. “She would just crawl all the way up your belly, which I thought was pretty crazy, that she was that strong already.”

Zoo staff are also searching for a companion for the cub.

Vacco said they should know if the cub will be staying in Pittsburgh or moving to join her future mate within two months.