In-Sync Exotics' Cat Tales: 8/26/12

Friday, August 31, 2012

Our Weekly Recap -- Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

It's hard to believe how fast time is flying by as we complete another very busy week at In-Sync Exotics!

As you know, we reserve Friday's posting as a recap of this week's events with a little something extra at the end!

Monday's blog posting "talked" about our B-I-N-G-O event that was held on last Saturday evening! This was our first B-I-N-G-O event, so were were thrilled to have raised... (Click HERE to read more about this event, an update on our cheetah habitat, plus another free way to help our animals!)

Tuesday's blog featured two special cougars named Lassiter and Sierra, as "told" by their special friend, Leslie! We also provided a medical update on Franklin, Sox, and Tobias. To learn about our cougars and what the vet had to say about our three special cats, click HERE.

Did you know that big cats love to play, just like their smaller domestic counterparts? Especially when they are playing on 8,000 square feet playgrounds, complete with enrichment items and pools for the tigers? You betcha! To see pictures and a video of our cats enjoying their time on the their playgrounds, click HERE for Wednesday's blog posting!

Yesterday, blog posting featured Gideon (our patient one), Franklin (our naughty one), and Stryker (our unexpected one)! Click HERE to learn why our cats continually gives us four paws of approval!

This week's blog also contained several "commercials!" You can make a difference in the lives of our animals by participating and promoting our special events. Thank you!

This is the LAST DAY...

Please don't forget to participate in this great event! Click HERE for details! It's free and will only take about a minute or so to fill out the comment box... can you spare a minute or so for our animals, please? If you helped our animals by filling out the Razoo comment box, please share the link with your friends, family, and co-workers--let's really let Razoo know how much our animals are loved!

Putting for Paws!

Have you visited our Putting for Paws Golf Tournament webpage yet? Well if you haven't, then you don't know what you're missing! Last year, we were able to raise a little over $7,000 for the animals, thanks to the golfers, kind sponsors and donors! This year, with your help, we hope to raise over $10,000 for the animals! Click HERE for details!

Help In-Sync Exotics with the Dog Days Charity Sweepstakes!

About iGive Sweepstakes Rules

We have another exciting way for you to help the animals of In-Sync Exotics and it won't cost you a penny but may yield dollars for our animals!

Become an iGive member (it's free), try the Button for a day, and you'll grow the prize $1 and give your cause another chance to win.

The iGive Button automatically makes sure every time you shop, you'll help. Ten charities will win a share of over $4,536 (raised so far). Help us win a share of the prize by getting the iGive button!

With Christmas just around the corner, what I great button to have handy for your internet holiday shopping! Shop and compare prices between a wide variety of name brand stores, shops, and fantastic boutiques--from home improvement to clothes to pet products and gifts! When you shop on-line with iGive, we receive a percentage of the sale. There's 1103 socially-responsible stores helping to make donations happen.

You can even keep track of how much In-Sync Exotics receives from iGive by clicking on the iGive cause tab. So far this year we received $48.49. Let's see if we can't bump this number up a bit this year! Thank you for shopping using iGive!

Here's the link: http://www.igive.com/2uVkArT

In-Sync Exotics Tweets!

Are you tweeting with us? If so, then you know what this means!

#followfriday You should follow @insync_exotics via @followfridaycom http://bit.ly/OCxWyl

Help us grow our tweeting community! We just topped 700 followers and with your help, can reach over 1,000 followers this year! Please tweet the above to all your tweeting followers, and don't forget to recommend us at #FollowFriday by clicking HERE. Thank you, fellow twitters!

We hope you have a safe and cool Labor Day Weekend! Please join us again next week for more exciting and informative blog postings on our exotics cats, domestic cats, Nugget, and Twiggy!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Our Cats Give Us 4 Paws of Approval!

Time for a medical update on our three cats that went to the vet last Friday!

What a "patient" cat!

Gideon, our new bobcat, really doesn't mind seeing his vet as this was his second examination. This time, Gideon was micro-chipped, received his vaccines, and had some blood drawn. He was such a good boy as he waited for his turn to see the vet!

Hello Spirit!

As we suspected, our two domestic cats, Spirit and Sketcher, were diagnosised with upper respiratory infection. The cats have been on medication for about five days and already their health has improved! We pray both cats make a speedy recovery!

Naughty Franklin!

On Tuesday we mentioned Franklin was often seen in the cheetah habitat area, visually supervising our work progress. We hoped he wouldn't leave his "seal of approval" in the fresh concrete (think paw prints people)! But true to his nature, our little Franklin did indeed give his "seal of approval" in the fresh concrete...

The cheetah's new quarters now has a lot of tiny cat prints scattered throughout the concrete pad. Silly Franklin! Always checking out our work--at least we have four paws of approval for our efforts!

Let's take a look at the cheetahs' brand new quarters area still under construction:

Cheetahs' habitat without concrete (front)
and with concrete (back)!

Cheetahs' quarters with concrete pad!

We are so excited with the progress we've made on our Cheetahs' Race Track Habitat. We cannot wait for the day when we finally have our grand opening ceremony!

Open, open, open...

By the way, did you know that we are open for tours on Labor Day! For tour information, please click here!

Commercial Time...

Putting for Paws!

Have you visited our Putting for Paws Golf Tournament webpage yet? Well if you haven't, then you don't know what you're missing! Last year, we were able to raise a little over $7,000 for the animals, thanks to the golfers, kind sponsors and donors! This year, with your help, we hope to raise over $10,000 for the animals! Click HERE for details!

Only 2 days left for....

We humbly thank you in advance on behalf for helping our beautiful cats stay happy and healthy! 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!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Big Cats Love to Play on Their Playgrounds!

The big cats’ 8,000 square feet playgrounds are designed to let our animals gain access to a connecting play area in a kind of time-share arrangement and offers visitors a closer look at exotic cats behaving like exotic cats.

The following video is what a typical big cat rotation onto the playground looks like:

Great animal care means providing for animals' physical and psychological welfare. These rotations really allow them that kind of stimulation. The rotation system puts animal well-being first and foremost, giving the cats opportunities to smell and explore the markings left by other cats on platforms, barrels, and lots of enrichment toys.

Harley LOVES the playground's pool!

Some cats prefer, especially during the summer, to play at night on the playground, where they can take a lazy soak in the pool. While other big cats just love to lounge on the platform, enjoying the breeze as the sun slowly sets in the West.

The White Boys LOVE to lounge around on their playground!

Now, we don’t let all the animals that share a playground out at one time, simply because there would be a danger of the animals harming one another. Rotation and scheduling animals for enrichment can be challenging at times—especially when cat(s) refuse to rotate off the playground. Some volunteers liken it to air traffic control because we rotate the cats four times a day, giving our cats 5-7 hours of playground time. We have to be increasingly vigilant, double and triple-checking all our procedures before we release a cat onto the playground. That is why it takes a minimum of two people to rotate cats--ensuring the cats' safety is paramount!

Kazuri relaxing & waiting his turn Kazuri relaxing on the playground!
to enter the playground!

Our big cats benefit from the playground rotation because if gives them the stimulation of a new perspective. The cats really look forward to their time on the playground—doubly excited if the playground rotation happens to fall on the same day the cat receives enrichment!

Stryker LOVES sleeping on the grass--enjoying a soft breeze!

Even though we’ve shown this video once before, it’s a great example of how excited a big 22-year old big cat gets when it’s his turn to go onto the playground!

The majority of the cats that call In-Sync Exotics never had large playgrounds, complete with pools, and stimulating enrichment "toys," until they came to us. To see Sabu run with excitement across a portion of the playground towards his special enrichment, brings a lot of joy to those who have been taking care of him. So while maintaining the playgrounds can be hard work (mowing, edging, raking, bagging, cleaning pools & enrichment toys, etc.), for our cats, it's all worth the efforts!

Commercial Time...

Putting for Paws!

Thank you!

Big Cats Need Dental Care Too!

Our dental Razoo was off to a great start, but now it has fizzled. So please help our big cats receive the dental care they need by making a loving and generous contribution today! $10 or more will make an impact on our cats’ dental health. By making a tax-deductible gift today, you are making a positive difference in the lives of our beautiful animals!

To make a dental donation, please click HERE!

We humbly thank you in advance on behalf for helping our beautiful cats stay happy and healthy! 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!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Meet Sierra & Lassiter Plus a Medical Update!

Have you met Sierra and Lassiter yet? We thought you might want to meet these two special cougars from someone who know the two cougars very well, long before they arrived at In-Sync Exotics, and continues to volunteer her services to care for these two beautiful animals. So without further ado, here is Leslie's story:

Sierra with her Kong

My brother, Jason, got Sierra and Lassiter when they were two years old. They had been living with people as house pets; they were even litter box trained!The owners got rid of them because they started tearing up the house, which I can’t believe they were surprised about, plus their county had passed an exotic animal ban. They were in a small dog run when Jason got them, and he built them a cage and den similar to what they have now, but a lot smaller and behind the house so they had nothing to do or look at.He had a big tub of water in their cage that they liked to poop in; I’m so glad they outgrew that, it’s bad enough cleaning up after Freddie!In the summer he would put fish in the tub; he said they never actually got one but it wasn’t for lack of trying.Sierra had a basketball she liked batting around, and Lassiter would jump and swipe footballs from Jason’s hands.I wish I had some pictures of them when they were younger, but his storage shed burned with everything in it.

Lassiter with his Kong

Jason gave them a lot of attention in the beginning, but that kind of wore off as time went on, and then he moved and left them in my father’s care. My father fed them every day, but he’s in his 70s and didn’t have the energy or desire to take care of them the way they should have been. I had been trying for several years to get Jason to give them up and he would agree to it, but then change his mind. I emailed several places trying to find a home for them and when Vicky said In-Sync would take them, I got him to agree to give them up, and my father had them loaded and on the road before he could change his mind. When In-Sync took Sierra and Lassiter, I thought the least I could do was volunteer, and I wanted to make sure the cats didn’t think they had been abandoned. They are so happy at In-Sync, and my family is happy they are in such a great place. I’ve shown them pictures of the cats playing with their favorite Kong toy and laying around on the playground. I can’t imagine not being at In-Sync myself, I love every minute I’m there, even when it’s hot and smelly! Vicky puts the needs of the cats above everything else, and it’s awesome to be a part of that!

Lassiter (front) and Sierra (back)

Thank you, Leslie, for sharing the cougars' early beginnings with us. We are very happy to have Sierra, Lassiter, and Leslie part of our In-Sync Exotics' family!

Medical Updates!

Last week, several of our cats went to the vet for either follow-up treatments or medical care. Here is what we know so far:

Franklin: You may recall in April and May, Franklin, one of our domestic cats, went to the vet because he was feeling poorly. He was successfully treated for a parasitic infection in his blood that may have been responsible for the inflammation of his heart plus he was put on medication for a slight heart murmur. More good news on Franklin's health condition--Franklin received a clean bill of health and for the time being, he no longer requires any more medication! Franklin is one tough kitty! Franklin is often seen in the cheetah habitat area, visually supervising the work progress. We just hope he doesn't leave his "seal of approval" in the fresh concrete (think paw prints people)!

Sox: Last week we took Sox to the vet because we noticed Sox has an irritated left eye and his head is starting to bob (as if he’s shaking his head “yes”). Sox underwent several tests and the results are in.

Sox is hyperthyroid and will require special treatment. Hyperthyroidism is the overproduction of thyroid hormone by the thyroid glands. Hyperthyroidism occurs most commonly in older cats and is rare in dogs. The average age of cats with hyperthyroidism is 13 years of age; only about 5 % of hyperthyroid cats are younger than 10 years of age. There are two thyroid glands located in the neck. One or both of the glands can enlarge and overproduce thyroid hormone. Involvement of both glands is more common than involvement of one gland. Thyroid hormone affects the function of most organs in the body, so the signs of hyperthyroidism are quite variable. Thankfully, Sox's condition can be treated with the proper medication and diet.

As to his eye condition, well have you ever noticed that half his face is covered in black fur and the other side with white fur? Well, our vet thinks that his eye (the one on the "white" side of his face) looks pinker than his other eye and he wants to make sure it's just the sunlight that is bothering his eye and not something else more serious. So lucky us gets to keep him inside, which he hates, for an experiment to determine how light affects his light-colored eye, for about seven days (to see if his eye irritation clears up on its own). Sox can go outside when the sun goes down, but must remain in the office during the day! We will keep you updated on Sox's progress.

Tobias: Ever since Tobias' arrival, we've been treating our lynx for a reoccurring cough. He was treated three separate times and each time his cough went away. Unfortunately, his cough is back again, so we took Tobias to the vet for a closer look to find out why his cough keeps returning! Our vet also checked out the mystery spots that shows up and disappears between his front and back legs. The only spot that seems to bother Tobias is the one located on his left inner thigh.

Our vet ran several tests to include x-rays and a skin culture and the results are in. His skin culture test revealed that Tobias has a treatable skin infection. Hopefully, within a few weeks, his "spots" will go away.

We also learned that Tobias may have either fluid or fat around his heart. His blood work came back okay but his white blood cell count was slightly elevated. In order to determine whether or not it is fluid or fat around his heart, he will be given a diuretic. If the diuretic works, then it was fluid--if it doesn't work, then it may be fat, which we cannot surgically remove. We will keep you updated on Tobia's medical treatment progress.

We are still waiting on test results for Gideon (follow-up visit and it was time for his shots and micro-chip); Spirit (follow-up check-up); and Sketcher (chronic sneezing). As soon as their results comes in, we shall share with you their medical status.

We close with commercial announcements! A subtle reminder to tell Razoo why you love In-Sync Exotics! Deadline is August 31, 2012! Say as much or little as you like! https://www.facebook.com/RazooGiving/app_254175528027588 Please don't forget to support your favorite sanctuary! Thank you kind In-Sync Exotics' animal supporters!

Putting for Paws!

WHERE: Old American Golf Club in The Colony

FORMAT: 4 Man Scramble, Shotgun Start

The Old American pays homage to the environment on which the course was built. Preservation of the wildlife and resources surrounding the course were innate to the design. Careful attention was paid to the conservation and utilization of water throughout the course. Native grasses, trees and plants are used in order to preserve water as well as create intentional wildlife habitats. An abundance of wildlife makes its home on the course, including wild turkeys, deer, coyotes and birds of prey, such as the Red Tail Hawk, which nests the immense oaks to the left of #13 and the right of #16.

This year, we have several exciting golf contests plus some terrific prizes from our sponsors and donors! This should be a day of fun, whether you are an experienced golfer or just learning the game. Team and single players are welcome! Ready to register? Great! Click HERE to register for this great event and remember to invite your friends to play!

Can't make the golf tournament, but you want to sponsor one of the holes? Great! Click HERE for sponsorship information! To make a golf prize donation, click HERE! Thank you for supporting In-Sync Exotics!

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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Monday, August 27, 2012

Dog Days of Summer Are Upon Us!

B-I-N-G-O Night Was A Blast!

We'd like to thank the folks who attended our very first BINGO as we raised $605 for the animals! Eight games were played and we gave out eight prizes to the lucky winners. The prizes were:

1) Picture frame and ISE magnet

2) Popcorn Maker

3) Cook Book

4) $25 gift card to either Target, Home Depot, Maggianos, or Chli's

5) ISE t-shirt

6) ISE backpack

7) Tiger or leapord print blanket (donated by Jodi Payson)

8) Voucher for 1 person (worth $125) to play in our golf tournament (Donated by Glenda Baugher--HUGE THANK YOU!!!)

The room we rented for the night was located right next to the bar. The hotel provided us with a waiter who took everyone's food and drink orders. For each game we made the theme of the bingo card ISE related (For example: for game 1 everyone had to make a T for tiger on their bingo card... L, B, C, and S. The rest consisted of an X, the perimeter of the card, and the last game was blackout.

Everyone seemed to have had a great time and were eager to know when the next Bingo night was going to take place. A big thank you to Kim Morris for arranging the event location for us and to Jodi's friend Hailey for helping her with the event! Two lions paws up and roars of approval to Jodi Payson for putting this event together! We will keep you posted when we schedule or next B-I-N-G-O night for adults only and perhaps one for the entire family.

Update on the Cheetah Habitat -- Your Donations at Work!

The next construction phase of the cheetah habitat is going well. The concrete frames are in place -- it's time to pour the concrete!