A 19-year-old bobcat at the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park was euthanized Tuesday after veterinarians found two large tumors in his liver.

Zoo officials said in a press release Wednesday that they made the decision after determining that surgery and recovery would have been painful and difficult. Necropsy results are pending.

The bobcat, named Sinew, was examined under anesthesia at the North Country Animal Health Center after staff noticed his abdomen had increased abnormally.

He came to the zoo in 1999 with female bobcat Shadow from the nonprofit Hawk Creek Wildlife Center, East Aurora, which did not have room for them. They had been confiscated by U.S. Department of Agriculture officials after spending two years in the window of a pet store in Long Island.

Bobcats range from southern Canada, through the United States, and into southern Mexico. They can survive up to 12 years in the wild and 25 years in captivity.

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