Week in Review: It Was A Quiet Week!

This is one of those rare weeks when all is quiet and In-Sync Exotics giving us the opportunity to prepare for our big event in about eight days!  We are overwhelmed with your generosity as animal Easter gifts are still arriving at our front gate!  Our animals are truly blessed by wonderful supporters!  Thank you all very, very much.

So, let's take a look at some of our past weekly happenings:

Monday's posting:  Spring is in the Air!   It's amazing how green our wild animal enclosures look this year!  We've had some great rain that helped "green-up" our sanctuary.  Plus with the new grass rolled out in the cheetah, bobcat, and serval playgrounds, we love watching our wild cats romp  and roll around on their soft grassy carpets!

On Tuesday, we celebrated another amazing rescue celebration for the month of March!  Not only did we celebrate Kahn, Amol, and Apollo's rescue anniversary, but we also celebrated the arrival of three more wild animals, Tobias, Smuggler, and Aasha!  When the three cats first arrived, we were distressed at their physical appearance and concerned for their mental well-being.  You must read about their amazing transformation over the last year or so!

Wednesday's posting was about Spike's trip to the vet. Last Friday, Spike went to see his veterinarian for a check-up as he seemed a little "off his game."  What did the vet discover?  You'll have to read the posting to find out!

Yesterday, as we get prepare for our Easter celebration,  we thought it might be fun to see how well you know our animals!  Surprisingly, not one person attempted to guess the identity of the featured cats!  Was our twist to the "Who Am I" too difficult?  Are folks to shy to post their guesses [tell me it isn't so!]? Please, don't be shy, go ahead and guess--we'll leave this posting open until we have a winner! Volunteers are welcomed to participate in this "Who Am I!"

We'd like to thank Marianne for her suggestion that we add more Aasha gifts to our on-line gift shop and introduce Sheila to our product line.  We can do this!  Keep an eye out for new products featuring these two beautiful cats.


Brittani said she would also like to see more of Smuggler, Aurora, Sam, and Kodi on tank tops and t-shirts.  You got it Brittani!  We’ll get started on some new designs featuring these four wild cats.

In closing this week, everyone at In-Sync Exotics is very grateful to everyone who voted for us in the Cold-EEZE Share Your Cause!  We appear to have a substantial lead this week, but all that could change during the Causes' final week of competition, so please don't stop voting for us now!  Here's the link once again:

http://www.facebook.com/ColdEEZE?sk=app_215117178528798

We humbly thank you for your support and remember, you can vote five (5) times per day for us!

We hope you'll come out to visit us this weekend as we are expecting great weather! You can find information on tours HERE and driving directions HERE!

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to make plans to visit us on April 7, 2012 for our Easter Celebration!!


Update!

Cafepress.com is having a great sale this weekend in honor of April Fool’s Day (no kidding, the sale is real)…  35% off of all our products!

The discount is good until Sunday night, 11:59 PST.  If you haven't checked out the on-line gift shop in a while, then you are missing out on some very cool new items!  You can get flip flops with the cats on them, just in time for the warmer weather!  Plus hats, tank tops, tote bags, gym bags, and more! 

In order to take advantage of the 30% discount, this is what you’ll need to do:

1. Find the item on our store page that you would like to purchase at http://www.cafepress.com/insyncexotics.

2. Write down or select/copy the product number (ex: Product Number: 030-627415283).  You can also go to www.cafepress.com and type in the search field “In-Sync Exotics” and search for our products as most of our items are now featured in their Café Market.

3. Go to www.cafepress.com and enter the product number minus our store id (030) in the search line at the top of the web page (ex: 627415283). 

4. You should see your desired product and you are now ready to order or order or continue shopping using the same steps above.

Don't forget to enter the coupon code FOOL35 at checkout to receive the 35% discount. In-Sync Exotics will receive 10% of the total sales after the discount!! 

If you have any problems with your on-line order or you simply want to place your order by telephone, you can call Cafepress' friendly customer service representatives at 1-877-809-1659.  Just be sure to have the product number(s) handy when you call.

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A Twist to the "Who Am I" Competition!

We are so excited!!  In about nine days we'll be celebrating Easter with the cats!  In an effort to prepare you for the fun, we thought it might be interesting to see how well you know our animals.

Our long-time blog followers will probably recognize most, if not all, the animals pictured below as they were either featured in the blog or you saw their beautiful faces on one of our on-line gift shop products [I know, I know, shameless promotion of the gift shop items--but hey, they're so cute, right?].

Anyway, listed below are 10 exotic wild cats.  We thought of including Nugget in the photo gallery, but we figured his adorable face was just way to recognizable! 

All you have to do is identify correctly the exotic wild cats seen below and then list their names, in order, in the comment box  (not Facebook, please!). 

If you are not signed in as a Google user, you can always select "Anonymous" and simply insert your name in the body of the text, so we can identify the person or persons with the correct answers!

So, let's begin:

Who is wild cat #1?

This beautiful tigeress has been with us since 2003.  She loves playing with her toys, and will run around excitedly whenever she gets a new one. Her favorite game is Hide and Seek, especially if there is a tub of water around.  She is even featured on one of our on-line gift shop products [shameless promotion inserted here]. 

Who is Wild Cat #2?

This little lady was recently featured in one of our blog postings.  Like the tiger shown above, this tigress loves water too!  Can you guess who she is?

Who is Wild Cat #3?

This tigress definitely knows the meaning of "playtime!"  When she was rescued, along with seven other cubs, from an inhumane Texas breeding facility, we discovered she was in poor health and was terrified of everything.  As you can see, she's in great shape and loves life!

Who is Wild Cat #4?

When this handsome lion arrived at In-Sync Exotics, he had difficulty walking.  Today, we loves to run and play with his ball.  His favorite enrichment item is a pizza box filled with horse poo! 

Who is Wild Cat #5?

This zany lion was also featured recently in one of our blog postings and you can see his handsome face on one of our new t-shirts [another shameless plug].  Can you guess who he is?

Who is Wild Cat #6?



Isn't she lovely?  This beautiful bobcat went through a lot before she arrived at In-Sync Exotics; all of her K-9's were worn or ground down and she had obvious cataracts. After a series of x-rays we discovered that she had been shot in her left front leg and blood tests revealed that she was extremely anemic. That was the past--she now has a bright feature with us at In-Sync Exotics!

Who is Wild Cat #7?

Well, if you recognized this lion as one of the "White Boys," then you have a 50% chance of guessing his name correctly!  Our handsome lion did not arrive looking this great.  When he took his first step into his new enclosure we could see immediately that he exhibited obvious signs of starvation including severe ascites which causes a distended belly. His eyes were lifeless, and he had a filthy, dull coat. He had no mane when he arrived and red, bloody sores on either side of his face.  What a difference great food, vet care, and enrichment can do to heal his body and spirit! 

Who is Wild Cat #8?

Like the "White Boys," this lioness went through a lot before she arrived at In-Sync Exotics.  We noticed that she had very little muscle coordination and thus, when she walked, her legs would slip out from under her.   Her head had a heavy tilt to the right so holding it upright was a challenge. Even drinking was almost impossible for her as she could not hold her head above the water bucket. She even had a hard time swallowing her food. She was also underweight, filthy and lethargic. She was in such poor condition that the USDA warned us that we would probably have to euthanize her. But look at her now!!

Who is Wild Cat #9?

This handsome bobcat was re-homed to us in December of last year!  He was voluntarily re-linguished from his previous owners, who took excellent care of him during his early kitten months. This bobcat  was born wild underneath the couple's home in July 2011. Not realizing that a mother bobcat bore a kitten under their home, the couple inadvertently chased off the adult bobcat from the property.  Now this little guy calls In-Sync Exotics home [and his handsome face can be seen on a couple of on-line gift shop items!].

And last, but not least, who is this Wild Cat #10?

This handsome tiger is a loved by many, including just about all of our volunteers!  He was recently featured in our blog posting and his handsome face can be seen in several of our on-line gift shop items!

And now for the bonus question!

Who is this handsome domestic kitty?

This handsome tabby was seen in the November pumpkin bash posting!

Okay, good luck everyone!  We'll announce the names of the individual(s) who guessed the identify of all the cats correctly!

We would like your opinion--which pictures listed above would you like to see on a t-shirt?  If you have a favorite, let us know so we can start working on a new t-shirt design!

We have added some new items to the on-line gift shop and if you are interested in taking advantage of the 30% sale going on right now in the Cafepress' Marketplace, you will want to go to this link:  www.cafepress.com.  In the search box, type in "In-Sync Exotics" and look for your desired product.  Coupon code HOOPS30 must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on March 27, 2012, at 12:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on March 29, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. (PST). 

Oh, and don't forget to vote for us again in the Cold-EEZE Share Your Cause.  We may be ahead for now, but it could change rather quickly! 

Here is the voting link: 

http://www.facebook.com/ColdEEZE?sk=app_215117178528798

Thank you again for voting and remember you can vote five (5) times!

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Spike's Trip to the Vet

Last Friday, one of our Poetry cougars, Spike, went to see his veterinarian for a check-up.  Spike seemed a little “off his game” as we noticed he walked around on the playground like he was drunk.   We also noticed for some time, Spike liked to rub his ears on objects, such as his enclosure walls or objects in his playground.  What concerned us was his "rubbing" behavior was getting worse.   

So, we packed him up and transported our ailing cougar to the vet where he underwent several tests, including x-rays, blood and fecal.  Surprisingly, all his test results came back normal! 

Thinking maybe he had an inner ear infection, the vet thoroughly examined his ears and discovered no ear issues. Hmmmm.   

We are at a loss to physically explain why Spike has started rubbing his ears on the fence.  We are concerned that he’ll permanently rub off his facial hair if he continues this behavior; he’s just too handsome to have patches of fur missing from his face!   

So all we can do for now is monitor Spike’s condition and if something new develops, Spike will be making another trip to the vet. 

You may recall Spike arrived last summer from a private residence in Poetry, Texas along with Chloe, Kane, Howard and Abel.  Sadly, Kane and Howard passed away not long after relocating to our sanctuary due to terminal health issues and Abel stayed with us for a short time until he relocated to Nevada.   

We are praying there is nothing seriously wrong with Spike.  We are monitoring him very closely and we’ll let you know of any new development.

A “Wobbles” Update

Meanwhile, our little kitty, dubbed “Wobbles” (name changed from "Slipper") is doing much better.  If you have been following us on Twitter, then you already know that Wobbles had multiple seizures over the weekend.  She has been seen by the vet to see if there was anything we could do for her. 

Our vet cannot give her any seizure medications, as he normally prescribes to adult cats, because she is such a young kitty.  He did recommend a very small amount of prescribed Valium to help her relax, but short of that, there is really nothing we can do but be there for her when she seizes.   

We’re not sure if the seizures are the result of an extreme allergy or from a dog who grabbed her by her head with his mouth (we’re leaning towards the dog theory).  All we know is that she’s been having seizures since her arrival at In-Sync Exotics. 

Thanks to her “kitten sitters,” Wobbles has round-the-clock-care with feeding every four hours.  Huge kitten purrs to all the “kitten sitters” who have stayed up through the night with little Wobbles.  She has been through so much in her short life; we just want to make sure she has a safe and secure place where she can recover and hopefully grow out of her seizures.  For now, she has shown great improvement—and we are immensely relieved.  Please say a little prayer for Wobbles as she convalesces under the watchful eyes of her caregivers!   

Wowser!! 

We are overwhelmed with gratitude for all the Easter presents sent to our animals this year!  Thank you all so very much. You should see all the gifts coming in—the animals will be so excited on April 7th!  

Some of the packages received did not have a return address and so we are not sure if you intended to remain anonymous or not.  If you sent a gift and would like your name printed on the item, please e-mail us HERE so we can be sure to identify and “name” the present before we give it out to the animals! 

Ironically, we now have a need for lots of Easter candy for the children’s Easter Egg hunt!  Any candy donation (with the exception of chocolate candies) would be immensely appreciated.  I know, I know, no chocolate—but there is a good reason!  For you see, there is nothing worse than melted gooey chocolate in little plastic eggs that ends up on little tiny hands!  So if you can donate unopened bags of candy (such as individually wrapped marshmallow bunnies, chicks, eggs, small bags of Skittles and/or Sweetarts, Starbursts, and Jelly Beans), please bring them by our office no later than one day prior to the Easter celebration. Rumor has it the Oriental Trading store is having a HUGE sale right now with free shipping with purchase (see site for details). You can either ship the items straight to us or bring the candy in person.  We are very grateful for any kind candy donation! 


Cold-EEZE Share Your Cause

Well, have you voted for us today in the Cold-EEZE $1,000 award?   

No??  What are you waiting for—click on the link below to vote!

Cold-EEZE Share Your Cause

From March 19, 2012 through April 1, 2012, Cold-EEZE Facebook fans can cast up to 5 votes per day! So start voting! Let’s do this for Sabu and all the animals that call In-Sync Exotics home, please! The competition is getting heated as we near the finish line.  We may be ahead today, but let's not count our "Easter eggs" until we have reached April 2nd--so keep on voting!

Let us know what your reaction was to this posting by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below and don’t forget to share it with your family, friends, and co-workers by using the share buttons below.  

Thank you everyone for your support of In-Sync Exotics—you are truly a blessing to us!

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Another Fabulous Anniversary Celebration!

March is a very special month for us at In-Sync Exotics. Not only did we celebrate Kahn, Amol, and Apollo’s rescue anniversary, but we also celebrate the arrivals of one Siberian Lynx and two tigers!

When these three cats arrived at In-Sync Exotics, we were distressed at their physical appearance, wondering how person could treat these beautiful animals in such a terrible manner.

For instance, meet our Siberian Lynx shortly after his arrival at In-Sync Exotics:

This photo was taken several weeks after his
initial treatments for ringworm

When this guy was rescued by the USDA from a breeder in Oklahoma and brought to us on March 19, 2010, he was roughly 10 months old and suffered the effects of extreme negligence. His condition was so bad upon his arrival that we were not even 100% sure he was a lynx. He suffered severe ringworm, which left him almost entirely hairless. He was also anemic and significantly underweight at only 10.5 pounds.

This is how he looks today!

Do you know who this handsome lynx is? If you guessed "Tobias" then you would be correct!

Several days later herald the arrival of a tiger cub!  Like Tobias, he was brought to us by law enforcement.

This little guy was rescued by US Border Patrol Agents near the US - Mexico border in Laredo, Texas when alleged smugglers attempted to bring him into this country illegally. At the time of his rescue, this little guy was confined to a wire dog crate so small that he couldn't even turn around.

He had been recently declawed (which we had to redo two weeks after his arrival), and at four months old was already 20 pounds underweight with a permanent scar on his forehead, most likely from trying to escape his small crate. Once agents found the cub, he was taken to a local vet for examination. Upon his 10 days stay at the vet he gained the weight he needed, and was given a good bill of health. On March 24, 2010 the vet drove him from his temporary home in Laredo to his permanent one  in Wylie.

This little guy made the news throughout Texas--a lot of people were very concerned for the health and welfare of this little tiger cub who won the hearts of many.  Thankfully, he found a permanent home with us and now receives lots of TLC.

Here is what he looked like shortly after his arrival at In-Sync Exotics:

Have you guessed who this tiger is yet?  Yes?  Well then, say "hello" to handsome Smuggler!

And that just leaves us with our final tiger whom we'd like you to introduce to you shortly after her arrival at In-Sync Exotics just one years ago:

USDA contacted us about taking this young tigress saying that we had the best reputation in helping cats with the biggest problems. She had already been pushed around twice in her first four months of life. As she went from place to place her health condition became worse.

By the time this tigress arrived at In-Sync Exotics she was almost completely bald.

We were told that she was believed to be about seven months old and stunted in growth making her about the size of a bobcat. Weighing in at 37 pounds told us that she was around four months old. She wasn't underweight but was covered all over with ringworm. Her tiny feet were swollen and red; the skin on her tummy was raw, red and cracking. For four weeks we had to give her baths with medicated shampoo and dip her in a special dip. She also had to take two kinds of oral medications to help clear up and sooth her skin.

After three months of treatment, we now the beautiful young tigeress you can see today!

Young tigress "talking" to Smuggler!

Did the picture of the young tigress with Smuggler give away her identity? 

For those of you who never met Aasha before, you cannot imagine how far this little cub has come in such a short period of time.  It's amazing how great food, excellent vet care, plus lots of enrichment can physically mend tiger's body and spirit.  Aasha has found her "soul mate" in Smuggler, as she is often seen playing and teasing the boy. They may have arrived one year and one day apart, but it seems like they have been together forever!

Happy Anniversary

Tobias, Smuggler & Aasha!

May you all have many, many more wonderful years with us!

PS...

Great news! Supporters of In-Sync Exotics nominated us for the Cold-EEZE $1,000 give-a-way! We were chosen as a finalist!

Now here's your opportunity to help us win this month's donation. All you have to do is vote for us and then encourage your friends and family members to do the same!

Here is the link to the voting page!

http://www.facebook.com/ColdEEZE?sk=app_215117178528798

From March 19, 2012 through April 1, 2012, Cold-EEZE Facebook fans can cast up to 5 votes per day! So start voting, please! Thank you!

Let us know what your reaction was to this posting by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below and don’t forget to share it with your family, friends, and co-workers by using the share buttons below. Thank you!

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Spring at In-Sync Exotics

Spring is here at In-Sync Exotics!  The trees are budding and leafing and our animals are enjoying their grassy playgrounds.  Thankfully, the rain not only brought us some much needed water, but it also brought us a much greener land, just in time for Easter!

In about 12 days we will be hosting our annual Easter Celebration.  There is still time to purchase last minute Easter gifts for the animals!  We are only short about six balls for the tigers (egg shaped balls and/or 10-14" balls).  Thank you kind "assistant bunnies" for sending our animals some very exciting gifts.  Our wild animals, horse and domestic cats will simply love their Easter presents!

Even more exciting is that our guests will be present when we hand out the gifts this year.  So don't forget to bring your family and friends to our Easter Celebration on Saturday, April 7th, for lots of fun and surprises!

And just in time for spring, we have new t-shirts displayed on the on-line gift store for guys and gals.  There is a sale going on right now for some of our products.

If you haven't checked out the on-line gift shop in a while, then you are missing out on some very cool new items!  You can get flip flops with the cats on them, just in time for the warmer weather!  Plus hats, tank tops, tote bags, gym bags, and more!  Just in time for spring and Easter!

In order to take advantage of the 30% discount, this is what you’ll need to do:

1. Find the item on our store page that you would like to purchase at http://www.cafepress.com/insyncexotics.

2. Write down or select/copy the product number (ex: Product Number: 030-627415283).

3. Go to www.cafepress.com and enter the product number minus our store id (030) in the search line at the top of the web page (ex: 627415283). Or you could type in the Cafepress.com search field "In-Sync Exotics."  You should see our products listed on their main site.  The sale prices does not apply towards our own gift store products--only the products seen on Cafepress.com's main site.

4. Once you see your desired product, you are now ready to order or order or continue shopping using the same steps above.  Be sure to compare the In-Sync Exotics' store prices against the Cafepress' store prices.  Sometimes we are cheaper than Cafepress!

Don't forget to enter the coupon code HOOPS30 at checkout to receive the 30% discount. In-Sync Exotics will receive 10% of the total sales after the discount!! 

If you have any problems with your on-line order or you simply want to place your order by telephone, you can call Cafepress' friendly customer service representatives at 1-877-809-1659.  Just be sure to have the product number(s) handy when you call.

Last, but not least, don't forget to vote today! 

Here is the link to the voting page! You know what to do, so let's get voting!  We are almost at the end of the voting period and your votes are very important--now more so than ever!

http://www.facebook.com/ColdEEZE?sk=app_215117178528798

From March 19, 2012 through April 1, 2012, Cold-EEZE Facebook fans can cast up to 5 votes per day! So start voting, please! Thank you!

Happy Monday everyone!  Be sure to check in with Twitter this week for some behind the scenes tibits not found on the In-Sync web site, Facebook page, or this blog!

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