Our Weekly Recap of the Week's Events!

It's hard to believe that another week has passed at In-Sync Exotics!  Time is flying by so fast.  So, let's recap this week's happenings at our sanctuary:

On Monday, we covered our special photography event that was held on Sunday.  Our wild cats were the center of attention for nine photographers who were ready to capture some amazing shots of them waking up, stretching, playing, and just simply looking adorable.  We plan to announce another special photography event very soon, so if you couldn't attend our spring photography event, perhaps you can attend the summer event!  Stay tuned for more information.

Hello Jasper!!

On Tuesday, we welcomed a new bobcat to our family!  At first, we thought the wild cat was a girl, so we named her "Faith."  As it turned out, Faith was actually a boy!  So now we have a little Jasper.  Please welcome Jasper to the In-Sync Exotics' family!

It's been awhile since we featured our cougars at play, so on Wednesday we rolled out a couple of humerous videos of Sahara playing.  For a senior cougar, Sahara still has a lot of spunk!

We are praying for you, Spike!

Yesterday we challenged our readers with a Fact or Fiction cat quiz.  Domestic cats have been around humans for thousands of years, so it is little wonder that there are some interesting facts and stories about these amazing little animals! 

If you've been following our Twitter feed, then you already knew Spike has been feeling poorly as of late.  Today, Spike is being seen by Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine vets. Hopefully, we'll receive positive news about Spike's health condition.  Until then, please say a little prayer for our Spike's safe return from College Station.

Now for some updates:

Isn't she lovely wearing
her doggie backpack?

Thanks to Sheila F., Katy, our working dog, now sports a stylish doggie backpack so she can deliver meat treats and other supplies, in comfort, to the keepers!  Thank you Sheila for your kind donation!  As you can see, Katy is already using her new backback to deliver meaty treats!

Did you know that the Cafepress.com store is having a 35% sale, just in time for Mother's Day?  That means all the great t-shirts, tank tops, flip flops, summer bags, etc., are on sale!  Save 35% off your order from CafePress, excluding shipping charges, gift wrap charges, taxes and custom duties. Coupon code MOMMY35 must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on May 3, 2012, at 12:00 a.m. (PT) and ends on May 5, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. (PT).

All orders must be made from the CafePress Marketplace, not from the on-line In-Sync Exotics' gift shop.  If you see an item you want from our store, look for the product number (located above the Facebook "like" button) and enter the number (minus the 030 in front of the product number) into the search field at cafepress.com.  Your item should appear and you are now ready to make the purchase!  Don't forget to enter the coupon code at checkout for the discount!. 

Did you hear?  In-Sync Exotics is now open Thursday - Sunday!  For tour information, please click here!  Now that the weather is warm, our frisky cats are enjoying their tubs and pools!


Well, this concludes another busy week at In-Sync Exotics.  We hope you've enjoyed our fun and educational posting this week and will join us again for more wild cat antics, featured only here--your In-Sync Exotics' blog!


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Test Your Knowledge! Is It Fact or Fiction?

Today, we are going to test your cat knowledge!  Below are a series of cat “facts” – your job is to determine which “facts” are true and which ones are false.  Some of the questions can be rather tricky, so read each “fact” very carefully.  Oh, and be sure to read to the conclusion of this posting for a Spike update.

This is a timed challenge, so don't lollygag!  Begin! 
 

1.    On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life!  Fact or Fiction?

2.    Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due to a mutation in a key taste receptor.  Fact or Fiction?

3.    A group of kittens is called a kindle. A group of cats is called a clowder. Fact or Fiction?

4.    Female cats tend to be right pawed, while male cats are more often left pawed. Interestingly, while 90% of humans are right handed, the remaining 10% of lefties also tend to be male.  Fact or Fiction? 

5.    A cat can’t climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat’s paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down.  Fact or Fiction? 

6.    The technical term for a cat’s hairball is a “bezoar.”  Fact or Fiction?

7.    When a cat chases its prey, it keeps its head level. Dogs and humans bob their heads up and down.  Fact or Fiction?

8.    The first cat in space was a French cat named Felicette (a.k.a. “Astrocat”).  In 1963, France blasted the cat into outer space. Electrodes implanted in her brains sent neurological signals back to Earth. She survived the trip.  Fact or Fiction?

9.    According to Hebrew legend, Noah prayed to God for help protecting all the food he stored on the ark from being eaten by rats. In reply, God made the lion sneeze, and out popped a cat.  Fact or Fiction? 

10. When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would mourn by shaving off their eyebrows. They also held elaborate funerals during which they drank wine and beat their breasts. The cat was embalmed with a sculpted wooden mask and the tiny mummy was placed in the family tomb or in a pet cemetery with tiny mummies of mice.  Fact or Fiction? 

11. In 1888, more than 300,000 mummified cats were found an Egyptian cemetery. They were stripped of their wrappings and carted off to be used by farmers in England and the U.S. for fertilizer.  Fact or Fiction?

12. In Holland’s embassy in Moscow, Russia, the staff noticed that the two Siamese cats kept meowing and clawing at the walls of the building. Their owners finally investigated, thinking they would find mice. Instead, they discovered microphones hidden by Russian spies. The cats heard the microphones when they turned on.  Fact or Fiction? 

13. A cat rubs against people not only to be affectionate but also to mark out its territory with scent glands around its face. The tail area and paws also carry the cat’s scent.  Fact or Fiction?

14. During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, Pope Innocent VIII condemned cats as evil and thousands of cats were burned. Unfortunately, the widespread killing of cats led to an explosion of the rat population, which exacerbated the effects of the Black Death.  Fact or Fiction?

So how did you do on the quiz?  Think you know cats?  Well, if you answered “true” to all the cat facts listed above, then you would be absolutely correct!  Count yourself as a cat fact “aficionado!”  Congratulations! 

                                    ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

On a more serious note, we plan on taking Spike, a former Poetry cougar, to Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine so we can discover why Spike is having difficulty standing and walking. Spike will travel late tonight to Texas A&M and will be seen by the veterinarians first thing Friday morning.  Please say a special prayer for Spike as he travels to College Station in search of a cure for his medical issues.  We will tweet his trip progress and give you an update on his medical condition on Monday.

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Beware! Cougar at Play!

It's been awhile since we've featured one of our cougars, so we'd thought you might enjoy a couple of videos of Sahara  "at play."  Since most of our cougars are considered "seniors", we don't expect them to run and jump around like the younger cats.  Their "play" is a little more...reserved!

Earlier this week, Sahara, our 12-year old cougar, was facinated with the green "tube-tunnel" on the playground.  She played around the tunnel and eventually claimed it for her own, to the chagrin of two other cougars living with her, Sassy and Mercedes.  We captured those moments on video just for you!  To thoroughly enjoy the presentations, please click on the video window expand [  ] button found on the bottom right side of the video frame so you can read the text!
 

First, the video of Sahara at play!

And now a video of Sahara guarding her new toy from Sassy (far left cougar) and Mercedes (cougar walking behind the new toy)!

Let us know what your reaction was to the Sahara videos by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below and don't forget to share it with your friends, family, and co-workers by using the share buttons below ~ thank you!

Thank God for my enrichment toys and In-Sync Exotics!

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We Have a Little "Faith!"

It was an early brisk morning and life in the suburbs slowly came to life with people hurrying to their cars with coffee in hand.  Out of the corner of their eyes, they see a brown flash wearing a black collar scurry behind some bushes.  Was that a stray dog?  No.  It didn't look like a dog, but it couldn't be a cat either because it was the size of a dog!  "Oh my goodness, what was that?" 

"That" would be Faith, our newest arrival at In-Sync Exotics!  

Hello Faith!

Meet Faith, an adult female (we believe) bobcat who apparently was a pet in Plano, Texas,  who escaped into the  community.  For about a month, residents of this community reported seeing a very large cat prowling around their neighborhood, no doubt in search of food, water, and shelter.

Our elusive bobcat was able to evade capture for quite a while until one day she was spotted and captured by Plano Animal Control.  She was taken to the Plano ISD Holifield Science Learning Center, so Tammy Welch could find an appropriate home for the bobcat seeing how no one came forward to report a missing bobcat.

Last week, Tammy contacted us and asked if we would accept this homeless exotic cat. Our first reaction to the request was "no" because we did not have a permanent open enclosure for her.  Then we learned a little more about this girl which resulted in us accepting the little wild cat.  We knew that finding a good home for this animal would be tough because Faith displayed a fiery temper when scared or angry.   One minute this cat would coo and caw at the Science Learning Center's staff and then her attitude would change on a dime; screaming and lunging  with such ferocity and force at anyone who approached her.  

Faith checking out her quarantine quarters

We decided to accept Faith as we have high hopes of integrating her with Moses and Otis once she has completed her mandatory quarantine period.  Integrating Faith with the boys will be a slow process:  First, Faith will enjoy short visits with the boys, from inside a wire cage.  Then, depending on how well she gets along with them, we will allow her to mingle with the boys.  We plan on spending the first night with the three bobcats once they are living together, just to make sure everyone gets along okay.

At this time, we don't really know much about our newest resident, such as age and current health condition.  Our vet will examine Faith, to confirm that she is indeed female or perhaps a neutered male.  If she is a female, Faith will undergo a sonogram test to determine if she was spayed or not.   Right now we cannot remove her collar because she will not let anyone approach her; our vet will have to remove the collar for us.  She will be blood tested just to make sure she is not harboring any parasites, viruses or bacterial infections.  And hopefully, our vet will be able to tell us just how old our little spitfire is! Thankfully, Faith appears to be healthy and not suffering from any injuries from "living on the lam" for so long!

For now, Faith enjoys a large enclosure, away from the other animals, so she can adjust to our normal routine, and we can make sure she is in good health.

Here are a few more pictures of our new arrival, Faith!

Please welcome Faith to our In-Sync Exotics' family!  

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

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"I'm Ready for My Close-Up!"

Yesterday, our wild cats awoke and found themselves the center of attention for nine photographers ready to capture amazing shots of them waking up, stretching, and just simply looking adorable. 

Lynne Travis, organizer and hostess of the Big Cat Photo Shoot at In-Sync Exotics, provided us details of this fun and exciting event!

Hello Cat Tale Blog Readers!

The Big Cat Photo Shoot went very well. All participants and volunteers showed up in time and were eager to get the ball rolling.  Thankfully, we had a great day for the photographers and everyone was anxious to capture those special moments when the cats first wake up and start moving around.  Fortunately, it was cool in the morning and the cats were curious to check-out the newcomers.

There were 9 photographers, plus 1 assistant and 8 volunteers to help chaperon.  All the cats were amazing and none of the cats appear stressed with all the cameras and people around them..

Samu was a show stopper early in the A.M. as she strut her stuff while playing on the Tiger Country playground. Kahn and Sheila hammed it up for the cameras.  Then Kahn played air guitar with his back leg for the photographers entertainment while Sheila batted her gorgeous eyes and posed for everyone on them playground. 

Jynxie's showed everyone how cute she was with her plastic Easter egg, while the White Boys posed regally on top of their dens--ready for their majestic close ups. 

Smuggler and Aasha played for the photographers but both got a bit wary with so many cameras pointed at them, so we moved on.

Trooper and Tobias ran around the playground and posed with an enrichment box.  We were even able to capture the antics of our servals as their curiosity got the best of them; desiring  to see what all the hubbub was going on around them so early in the morning.

Tyjar showed one group of photographers the art of tearing up a pizza box,  while Cherokee did the same with Chloe watching her from the top of her den.

Mama Mercedes greeted the photographers with matriarch elegant poses and purrs.  Freddie sat high on perch in his enclosure looking lazily at his audience. They loved every minute of him.

Harley chased his balls and explored the playground while Kazuri tried his hardest to look cute by hugging his ball close to his body, trying to get everyone to notice him; and boy did it work. All of the photographers were taking his picture and he was up to his cute antics once he got a pizza box sprayed with Obsession!!! He was so excited to receive so much attention, that he was worn out  and ready to take a nap!

All in all the photographers, volunteers and cats seemed to enjoy themselves.  We are asking for the volunteers that helped at this event and the photographers to email me their feedback so we can make improve the next event.

I'd like to thank the following volunteers for helping with this event:

Ricki Hart

Ron Morrill

Ashley Calandro

Glenda Baugher

Kim Morris

Tabetha Fant

Katherine Cotton-Wood

Joe Bragg

Thank you all for your assistance during the Big Cat Photo Shoot--you guys were great!  Also, thanks to Joe, we have some photos of the event to share with you!  Enjoy! - Lynnne

If any of the photographers would like to showcase their photos on this blog, please email your special photos to us at this email address.  We would love to see and share your masterpieces that you are most proud of!

One of the pictures taken yesterday was included in our new line of patriotic t-shirts and tank tops, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend and 4th of July! We have several new t-shirt designs with different slogans, so be sure to check them out our on-line gift shop!  We'll be announcing sale discounts as they come available, so be sure to check back with us regularly for special savings on our new one-of-a-kind designs!

We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting and will join us again tomorrow for more news and updates on our wild ones!  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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