‘He truly loved everyone;’ Cincinnati Zoo announces death of Redd the cheetah

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo has announced the death of Redd the cheetah.

Redd passed away Sunday after an “unexpectedly rapid decline in health,” the zoo wrote in a tribute to the cat.

The zoo said Redd was born premature and had a rocky start. According to his keepers, he did not transition to eating meat well so he had to have a feeding port at a young age. He wore custom-made onesies and t-shirts to protect his feeding port.

“Redd stole everyone’s heart running around the zoo nursery playing with his siblings wearing his onesie,” the zoo said.

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Redd also had to have corrective hip surgery later in life, but he got through that as well.

“Redd never let his health challenges stop him from living his life to the fullest and his story became an inspiration for many,” the zoo said.

The zoo said children especially connected with Redd and he was a symbol for overcoming adversity.

“I will never forget the number of kids that would come to the zoo to see Redd, because they too had a feeding tube, and could connect with Redd,” said Andie, one of Redd’s trainers. “Redd would lay there and purr and let me show the kids his scar from the feeding tube and show the kids that he made it through, they can as well.”

The Cat Ambassador Team said Redd was initially supposed to go to another zoo, but his “sweet personality won them over and they couldn’t let him go.”

“Redd was the sweetest animal many of us have ever had the pleasure of working with. He truly loved everyone and would connect with you in a way that is hard to describe,” the zoo said.

To read more about Redd, you can visit the Cincinnati Zoo’s website here.

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