A Letter From Home!

Probably one of the hardest thing to do is to let your cats, that you raised from a young age, move to a new home--especially if that home is a few thousand miles across country.  Often times, previous owners release their animals to us and never visit our facility to see how they are adjusting to their new environment. 

 

So when we learned that Connie and Joe planned on making a trip to see Mr. Kibo and Shira in their new home, we were thrilled!  We hoped this trip would give the couple an opportunity to see what type of diet and enrichment we provide all the cats.  And watching our staff and volunteers caring for the animals, hopefully eased any "mommy" separation concerns they may have had prior to their arrival. 

 

So, last week we had the honor of meeting Mr. Kibo and Shira's parents!  The flew all the way from Virginia to spend the weekend (plus Monday morning) with the servals. 

Connie was most kind to write a letter providing us a little bit more insight into our servals' past life.  It is rare for us to receive any personal information about our new residents, such as their likes or dislikes; now, thanks to Connie, we have an idea of what kind of special treats to provide Mr. Kibo and Shira!  So Connie, without further ado, please take it away!

Hello Everyone, 

African Servals…Mr. Kibo and Shira’s mom, Connie here J 

Thank you for the kind words and love sent our way.  Joe and I arrived at In-Sync Exotics on Saturday, October 13^th--one week after Mr. Kibo and Shira’s arrival, so we could help with the cats’ emotional transition to their new home.  

 

We arrived at In-Sync Exotics on Saturday night shortly after we arrived in Dallas.  Since we live in Virginia, we decided to fly out so we could spend more time with the cats.  Vicki was especially welcoming to us and let us watch them feed all of the cats in her care.  We saw the love that all the members of In-Sync Exotics have for the cats under their care.  They talked to the cats in a very friendly and soothing voice.  They provide appropriate portions of meat tailored to each cat’s need – you have to be careful not to give too little or too much, and sometimes you have to separate some cats from others during feeding so that they will not steal food from other cats in the same enclosure.  We saw them call each cat by name during feeding, and they paid close attention to how the cat was behaving.  

 

On Sunday night, they call it “Bone” night.  They gave each cat bones with meat on them.  The cats really enjoy their bones, and they carried these bones away to a private spot where they cradled them while gnawing on them.   We watched Mr. Kibo tear into his bone like a kid discovering his first trick or treat bag..lol J…  The only items the servals tore into were my Crocs—who knew they would enjoy them as  chew toys!  Shira licked her and suckled on her new piece of meat...what a joy to watch!  What you may not know is that Mr. Kibo and Shira actually enjoy vegetables…but more on that later… 

Appearance differences…  How to tell the two apart! 

Shira is a little larger than Kibo even though she is the female.   Kibo was born with a distinctive crook at the end of his tail.   

Personality differences….  

Kibo:  “Hidey cat” likes to sleep under blankets and sheets, enjoys playing with small red potatoes.  He especially likes to lay on top of a refrigerator for the warmth. 

Shira:  Outgoing, inquisitive, alpha cat sister of Kibo likes to sun herself, and sit atop a refrigerator in the darker and warmer part of a room…I believe enjoying the natural warmth of the top of the refrigerator. 

Kibo and Shira are most active between 5:30am – 8:30am, but they can be pretty active earlier in the morning.  They begin shutting down for sleep by 9:00am, if they are not being engaged in some sort of activity.  They signal their interest in playing by “chirping” and head butting you.  Occasionally, they will walk past you several times in-display to signal an interest in you—that is your cue to reciprocate.  At night, they get very active and jump around the house. 

Interests… 

Kibo:  The “adventure” cat (yes, he’s also a “hidey” cat) likes to run away as he did on two occasions and the last time for 6 hours, he enjoys climbing ladders, fences, and up into the rafters of the house.  Loves to hide under a table draped with a quilt and stick his paws out to play with a horse crop.  He likes to eat flip flops, or more accurately, he enjoys chewing and eating rubbery items – he was not able to break off pieces of a pair of Mommy’s Crocs, but he did “air condition” those slip-ons by chewing on them.  He loves to sit nearby and stare at Joe’s Crocs when he’s sitting in the recliner to watch the TV, but he’s never tried to take a bite out of them while he’s wearing them – we think it’s an unfulfilled fantasy to bite those Crocs.  He ate industrial strength “tennis balls” from a pet store, and he ate the flip flops of a house guest for which he required surgery to remove the intestinal blockage.   

 

Food interests… 

Kibo:  Likes to eat primarily at night.  Loves little red potatoes, and brussel sprouts, and it may be due to these food items also being used as a toy before eating them.  Roll them to Kibo, and he’ll bat it back to you a few times before entertaining himself with them prior to eating them. 

Shira:  Likes to eat a little throughout the day and night.  She loves spinach!  Don’t forget to limit the spinach to 5 or 6 leaves per day as a treat or her stool will be pretty soft.  She will patiently stand by while I try to feed spinach to Kibo, but she stays very close to get additional spinach if Kibo declines.  Kibo would usually take his spinach while sitting beneath some stairs, but occasionally takes it directly from one’s hand.   

While I love Mr. Kibo and Shira dearly, I know they now have the best home and looking forward to a long lasting relationship with Vicky, In-Sync Exotics and volunteers…and perhaps meeting some of you, personally along the way when we visit. 

Best Wishes, 

Connie & Joe

We'd like Connie and Joe to know that they are now part of the In-Sync Exotics' family and we hope they will continue to be a part of Mr. Kibo and Shira's lives.  After all, a few thousand miles should keep loved ones apart...

To read about Mr. Kibo and Shira's big move from Virginia to Texas, click HERE!

Here are a few pictures of Mr. Kibo and Shira!  Enjoy all -

Hello Shira!
 

Hello Mr. Kibo!

Looking good Mr. Kibo (front) and Shira (back)!

Hmmm... So where's Neffie? 

Don't worry, Neffie is doing just fine.  She is slowly getting used to the brother-sister pair and has now taken to sharing the serval house with her new house mates!

And now for our commercial announcement!

Pumpkins Bash Fun!

In just 5 days we will be hosting our Fall Festive & Pumpkin Bash--and you are invited! Our Fall Festival will be held on October 28th from 11:00am - 4:00pm at In-Sync Exotics. This is another fabulous In-Sync Exotics special event as our cats just LOVE to play with their pumpkins; your kids (the human kind) will enjoy great games & prizes, get lost in a maze; have their faces painted; bounce around in the bounce house; participate in our raffle; and much, much more!

To share this information with your friends, family, and co-workers, we have created a printable flier;  all you have to do is click HERE to see and print our beautiful flier!

We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting! Be sure to check back tomorrow for more fun and informative information about our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! Don't forget to let us know your reaction to this posting by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below--and share this blog posting with others please ~ Thank you!

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