A Rather Short But Busy Week at In-Sync Exotics!

Thank you for joining us once again as we recap this week's events!

On Monday, we remembered our Veterans who gave their lives so we could live free.  Truly this is a debt we can never repay... For all our active duty and retired miliary members, we thank you for your service to our great country!

On Tuesday, we had some very exciting news to report--our local Walmart confirmed that we can host our garage sale at their location!!  For more details, on where to drop off gently used or new items plus when and where the garage sale will take place, click HERE!

Ever wonder why our cats look soooo good?  Well, here's a hint!

Yep, you guessed it, Wednesday's posting was all about our master groomers--the cats!  Click HERE to learn more about why our cats stay so good looking! 

Yesterday, we asked the question:  Are we really that predictible?  Answer:  Yes we are!  By the way, have you met our two new interns yet?  One hails from our great state of Texas and the other traveled all the way from the UK to intern with us!  Please extend a warm welcome to our interns if you happen to see them out and about this weekend!

We are also very happy to report that a few more enrichment balls were gifted to us for our annual Big Birthday Bash celebration!  Thank you!!!  We'd like to show you why the enrichment toys are so special (and important) to our wild ones:

We are really excited about presenting the Birthday gifts to our animals this year!  This is one event you do not want to miss!  For our newcomers, here is some information about Big Birthday Bash, complete with date, time, location, and fun events!  Oh, and there is still time to send birthday presents to our wild ones, simply click HERE for our Amazon Wish List page!  Thank you!

If you have been following us on twitter, then you already know that we had to temporarily cease cheetah habitat construction due to heavy rains.  We are finally able to resume building this weekend!!  More updates on the habitat construction coming your way next week!

We hope you enjoyed this week's postings and we look forward to sharing new and exciting happenings at In-Sync Exotics next week!

In the meantime, have a safe and fun weekend, and don't forget, we are open for tours today, tomorrow and Sunday! 

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Are We Really That Predictable?

We'd like to think not, but I'm sure our animals may have a different opinion!  Our exotic wild cats really have our routines down. They are aware of when we are supposed to arrive, rotate them onto the playground, feed and treat them, and then depart for the evening. They like to have their needs met when we are near them and sometimes it seems like they are training us instead of the other way around! 

While we may appear predictable, our cats are anything but!  For instance, you may recall our attempts to "motivate" one of our lioness off the playground was rather interesting to watch, especially from Aurora's prospective.  Now our girl knows our normal routines, and like many of the others big cats, she just has to shake things up for us !

So every once in a while, we like to shake up their routine by introducing them to some new interns!

Jett posing with Jessica!

Meet Jessica Thomson from Allen, Texas!  Jessica is pursuing a degree in Animal Science and Technology with a Minor in Entomology from Kansas State University, graduating in May 2014.  Jessica is a former volunteer of the SPCA of Texas and even ran her own business providing animal care for her community!

 

Jessica plans on continuing her education by seeking a Master’s degree with emphasis on doing research of animal diseases.  Jessica will be working on special research projects while she is with us this summer!  Mighty lion roars of welcome to you, Jessica!

Aramis posing with Alex!

Alexandra Thomas traveled all the way from Croydon, UK, so she could expand her knowledge of exotic wild animals by working for captive cats in a sanctuary environment.    Alex will graduate in July 2013 with a degree in Animal Welfare and Behavior from the University of Bristol, UK. 

Alex spent two summers at the Harnas WildlifeFoundation in Namibia.  She helped care for exotic cats as well as other exotic wild animals.  As part of her education, she also worked at a zoo in England.   Sweet Okemo welcome chuffs to you, Alex!

Team In-Sync is super excited to welcome Jessica and Alex to In-Sync Exotics!  No doubt both ladies will have some fabulous animals stories to share with the folks back home!

The ladies arrived just in time to help us celebrate In-Sync Exotics' Big Birthday Bash!  We have lots of exciting events planned this year, so you'll want to make plans to attend our special event! 

Here are a few pictures from last year's event:

nom nom nom!  Yummy meaty treat!

Aasha enjoying her meaty treat and ice cream!

Sabu's first taste of ice cream!

He liked it! He liked it!  He wanted more...

Tobias enjoying his meaty treat and ice cream!

We'll also be giving out birthday presents to the animals this year!  We have received a few gifts thus far, but we really could use some more, please!  If you would like to help make a wild cat very happy on his or her birthday, please considered gifting an item (as a tax-deductible donation) from our Amazon Birthday Bash Wish List!  On behalf of the animals, thank you very much! 

We'd love to hear from you, so feel free comment and don't forget to click on one of the reaction buttons below. And as always, don't forget to share your favorite blog postings with family and friends! Thank you!

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Why Are Cats So Beautiful?

Handsome Kahn!

When it comes to personal hygiene, exotic and domestic cats are the epitome of cleanliness.  They are naturally equipped with everything they need to groom themselves:  a barbed tongue with which to lick, forepaws they moisten with saliva and use as surrogate washcloths, and teeth to dig out tougher debris (so very efficient!!!).  Believe it or not, adult cats may spend as much as half of their waking hours grooming themselves, their relatives and friends.

Cerella stays beautiful by grooming...
and grooming....and...

So why do exotic and domestic cats spend 30-40% of their time grooming themselves?  Well, grooming has many hygienic and psychological benefits.  Grooming helps eliminate parasites (nasty fleas and ticks); helps keeps the cat’s coat clean and smooth (you’ll notice that not one hair is out of place on a cat’s head); helps cool the cat down through evaporation of saliva; stimulates the glands that are attached to the hair roots, which in turn, keeps the fur water-proofed; and grooming helps reduce conflict, frustration, and anxiety.  Okemo will demonstrate how tigers properly groom themselves on a daily basis:

Lovely Lucca!

Mothers begin licking their young right after birth—to clean them, stimulate the release of urine and feces, rouse them to suckle, and provide comfort.  Youngsters usually begin grooming themselves when they are about four weeks old.  At five weeks of age, they begin grooming their littermates, as well as their mothers.  Grooming is a social activity that serves to strengthen the bond between the cats.

Cats are some of the cleanest animals on earth, even though they hate water and avoid it at all costs.  So why do cats, including some exotics, dislike water?  One reason for their displeasure of water is that their fur (although it has a water-resistant top layer) can become waterlogged if the cat gets too wet, which in turn can weigh the cat down. If this happens, the cat could possibly drown from not being able to float.

There are domestic cats that will tolerate bathes; however, you have to turn to their wild cousins to find cats that truly enjoy bathing!

While our tigers groom themselves often, we often see them lounging around in their pools and tubs.  Last weekend, Tacoma decided it would be more fun playing it "cool" in the pool, than sitting around and grooming himself!

Tacoma found a great way to beat the Texas heat!  Lucky tiger!  You can be sure that Tacoma will be featured in Splish Splash, The Sequel, to be released later this summer!

We'd love to hear from you, so feel free comment and don't forget to click on one of the reaction buttons below.  And as always, don't forget to share your favorite blog postings with family and friends!  Thank you!

Article Source & Text From:  ASPCA article titled "Why Cats Groom So Much"


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Treasure Hunting

Look for "treasures" at our garage sale!

Get plenty of rest before you
go to my Garage Sale!

We have some very exciting news to report to you today!  Our local Walmart Supercenter,  located at 2050 North Highway 78, Wylie, TX 75098, confirmed that we can host our garage sale at this location!  Thank you Walmart!  

Here's how it will work:  On June 8th, from 9am to 9pm, you can drop off gently used or new donations at this Walmart store location. In-Sync Exotics' volunteers will price the items and load them into a box truck, where the items will be stored overnight.

Then on June 9th, from 7am to 9pm our garage sale will take place. We will also continue to accept donations of items for the sale up until noon that same day.  So come on out and support In-Sync Exotics by attending our special event at the Wylie's Walmart Supercenter.  You never know, you just might find  hidden "treasure" at our garage sale!

Check out this article on In-Sync Exotics!

Wylie facility provides home for exotic felines

Ryan Tomlinson | May 22, 2012

Wylie, just a few miles northeast of Garland, is home to In-Sync Exotics, a wildlife rescue and education center that specializes in rescuing exotic felines. Many of the center’s animals come to them from previous homes where they were neglected and abused. Click HERE to read the rest of the article!

Hello, Judy!

Thank you Judy for making my dinner!

Someone asked, why do you like to working in the commissary?

Well I guess it’s like this… I get to see and visit with everyone coming into work that day. And I get to help them by cutting their treats for the cats.

Our newest volunteers start by working in the commissary and I’ve made close to 140 new friends.

We have a few laughs but most of all, the satisfaction of accomplishment.  It’s a very large project that we do every day and knowing that we have carefully fulfilled each cat’s dietary needs.

We do have fun, But don’t get me wrong, we work very hard.

Please, come and join me.  It’s air-conditioned, and I could really use your help.  Thanks!   

Judy Chapla
In-Sync Exotics' Volunteer

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and helping Judy prepare meals for our wild ones, click HERE for more details!


Tiger Love Between Aasha and Smuggler!
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Isn't tiger love beautiful?


Don't forget, in less than three weeks we'll be holding our annual Birthday Bash!  All out cats will be looking forward to seeing you, so now you'll just have to attend!


Your comments are always welcomed and you don't have to have a Google account to let us know what you think of our postings!  We'd love to hear from you, so feel free comment and click on one of the reaction buttons below.  And as always, don't forget to share your favorite blog postings with family and friends!  Thank you!


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Have A Safe Memorial Day!