Awwww, Roy still loves his baby
'Don't kill cat' - Roy
By ALISON GENDAR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
"Don't kill the cat."
That was famed tiger tamer Roy Horn's plea to rescuers as they tried to stanch the blood pouring from his neck after one of his beloved felines attacked him, a friend said yesterday.
Horn, who remained in critical last night, was still conscious when rescuers showed up at the MGM Mirage hotel-casino after Friday's shocking attack during Siegfried and Roy's famous Vegas magic act.
He used what few words he could speak to negotiate a pardon for his attacker, named Montecore, said Amy Fink, a family friend.
"Don't kill the cat," he told Las Vegas paramedics, she said.
Horn was heavily sedated but able to respond to voices last night by squeezing visitors' hands and giving the thumbs-up sign.
Montecore is a rare white Siberian tiger. It remains in a holding pen at the Mirage, its fate unknown.
There had been no attacks in the more than 5,000 shows Horn and longtime partner Siegfried Fischbacher have performed at the hotel, said Bernie Yuman, their manager.
"The last place Roy would place blame would be with the animal," Yuman said.
While the attack may not mean the end of Montecore, it could doom one of the Vegas Strip's most popular shows. Employees have been told look for new jobs over the weekend, Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said. Even if Horn recovers, it's unclear whether he would be able to perform again.
Horn was attacked in the part of the show when he introduces the act's big cats to the audience.
Montecore is known to his handlers as one of the most cooperative animals. But Friday night, he wouldn't walk in the right direction, so Horn whacked him five times on the cheek with his microphone.
The tiger apparently didn't like it - and bit Horn's arm and lunged for his neck.
"Horn looked like a rag doll in the tiger's mouth," said audience member Kirk Baser of Pennsylvania.
Horn underwent surgery late Friday and again Saturday at the Las Vegas University Medical Center. Friends would not confirm reports that Horn suffered a stroke Saturday that prompted the second surgery to remove pressure on his brain.
I guess I was wrong, it was a siberian.