Our Weekly Recap--What a Week

As our custom each Friday, it's time to post our week in review.  It's been a week of sadness and joy for us at In-Sync Exotics as we say goodbye to a special friend and laugh at the antics of our exotic animals.

On Monday, we were saddened to announce that our beloved board member and friend, Colleen Butler, passed away on November 23, 2012.  Collen was a true giver who infused everyone around her with love and laughter.  We will never be the same without her.  To read our tribute to Colleen, please click HERE.

Last week, while the blog was on "vacation," In-Sync Exotics was kept very busy with unexpected medical challenges faced by Twiggy, Moses, Aramis, Tacoma, Spike, Mohan, Aasha, and Gideon.  Needless to say, all these medical challenges are rather expensive and we could really use your help!  To learn more about our horse and cats' challenges and how you can make a difference in their lives, please read Tuesday's posting by clicking HERE.

Wednesday's blog was filled with Christmas cheer as we announced the return of the baking team, Corby, Janet, Kristen, and Lauren, as they will host a spectacular baking sale next month--all to benefit the animals of In-Sync Exotics!  We have a video showing last year's goodies, guaranteed to get your mouth watering, so be sure to click HERE to learn more about this special event!

It's that time again to enjoy the Christmas With The Cats! Our merry elves have been busy putting up our Christmas lights in preparation of our annual "Christmas With The Cats event!   

Courtesy of Wylie News!  Thank you!!

Starting November 30th, you're invited to spend "Christmas With The Cats" at In-Sync Exotics!  Watch our exotic cats receive their bones under the twinkling Christmas lights that illuminate your path as you tour our facility with hot cocoa and cider to keep you toasty warm. To learn more about this event, please click HERE!

Yesterday we posted several pictures and videos of our annual Turkey Toss event!  The volunteers, visitors, and most of all, our cats, really enjoyed this event!  You have got to see the videos of our cats as they enjoyed their "after" Thanksgiving Day treats by clicking HERE!

Gift Wrapping Table

We will be back at Barnes & Noble in Frisco on December 9, 17, and 18 to gift wrap presents for donations. We hope to see you there with your presents! We will also have our calendars available for sale at this event!

Our On-line Christmas Shop!

We have adorable Christmas cards (handsome Smuggler!) ornaments and stockings available for gifts this year. Plus mugs, Kshama Pajamas, BBQ aprons, warm stadium blankets, and much, much more, all great gifts for your family and friends! Proceeds from the gift sales benefits the animals of In-Sync Exotics. Click HERE to see our Christmas on-line gift shop!

Huge thank you's to everyone who recently donated to our "Big Cats Need Dental Too" on-line fundraising and donation site.  We are getting closer to the day when Tacoma, Amol, Tyjar, Apollo and Aramis will receive their needed dental work!  If you would like to help our five big cats receive dental care, please click HERE.  We'd also like to thank everyone who responded to our emergency e-appeal that was sent out to our newsletter fans.  If you would like to receive our on-line newsletters or e-cards, please click HERE to register!

We hope you enjoyed this week's blog posting! Be sure to check back next week for more fun and informative information about our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! We hope to see you soon as we are open for tours Friday-Sunday!  For tour information please click HERE.

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Exotic Cats Love Turkey Too!

On Saturday, November 24th, we held our annual Turkey Toss event for our exotic cats.  It was a beautiful day at In-Sync Exotics, with about 210 people in attendance of our "after" Thanksgiving Day event, raising $2,262 for the animals!    We'd like to thank everyone who came out and watched our exotic cats receive their turkey treats. We were told by many of our guests that our Turkey Toss event was very memorable as many of them never watched exotic cats eat meat before!

All of our cats, with the exception of the cheetahs, received turkey.  Since our cheetahs are not fond of turkey meat, they were given chuck meat instead. Our large cats received a whole turkey, while our cougars and leopards received half a turkey each. Our smaller cats, such as the bobcats, servals, lynxes, and ocelot, enjoyed a variety of turkey "parts" (necks, giblets, hearts, livers, and gizzards).  

Turns out, Quisto, our new ocelot, really loves turkey giblets!  He would run down his ramp, snatch a giblet,  then run back up the ramp to enjoy his meal. Bless his heart, he ran up and down his ramp several times before he finished off his turkey treats.  Unfortunately, he was moving so fast, we were unable to snap a clear picture of him!

Jett and Vicky got into a little tug-of-war because Jett was just a little too anxious for his turkey treat as he refused to wait for it to clear the feed slot!  Even though the turkey piece was torn in half, it didn't stop Jett from grabbing both pieces and hauling them away, glaring at everyone, just daring us to take his turkey treat away.  

Java grabbed his turkey and ran across the playground.  He jump up on his giant spool where he guardedly ate his turkey.

Turkeys were a really big hit with the tigers and lions!  They loved grabbing and carrying around their turkeys like they were their trophies. 

Shazam loved his bird, but for some reason, Jazz was afraid of his turkey on the den.  After some coaching from Vicky, Jazz finally accepted his turkey--and loved it!

As always, Harley stole the show with his silly antics!  We hope you enjoy this video taken by Diana Ramadani of Harley "finding" his turkey treat:

Our final video is of our cats enjoying their treats, so sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

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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Christmas is Coming to In-Sync Exotics!

Six years ago, Corby Bryant, with the help of her mother and co-worker, started raising money for non-profit organizations by baking and selling tasty Christmas treats, hoping the funds raised would make a difference in their community.  Last year, Corby and her baking crew decided to hold a one-day bake sale for In-Sync Exotics and raised over $8,350 for the animals ($4,175 in sales and $4,175 in matching gifts)!   

This year, Corby, Janet, Kristen, and Lauren are back and baking for In-Sync Exotics once more--and they are ready to shatter last year’s donated proceeds to the animals!   

Here is a short video of their 2011 baking masterpieces! 

We hope you will join Corby and crew, along with volunteers from In-Sync Exotics, at this year’s Christmas Bake Sale.  Here’s the skinny on this fantastic event:

Date: Monday, December 17th

Time: 8 am til 6 pm

Place: Premier Place Building Lobby, 5910 North Central Expressway, Dallas, 75206 (same location as last year, Mockingbird and Central, just north of Mockingbird Station, across the highway from SMU).

Goodies: Lots of favorites from past years, and maybe a few new favorites. We’ll definitely have breads, pound cakes, cookies, brownies and candies. For special diets we’ll have at least a dozen vegan choices, some gluten-free options, and some nut-free items (don’t worry Vicky, we’ll have lots of soft peanut brittle for you)!

Prices: Most items will be $3 (cookies and brownies) and $5 (cakes, breads and candies). We’ll also have gift baskets, mugs with biscotti, and other specially packaged items that will make an even more impressive gift. We’ll even have beautiful hand-painted scripture gems available for sale again this year!

We hope you will help us spread the word about our 2nd Annual Christmas Bake Sale by distributing fliers into family, friends, and co-workers.  For a printable flier, please click HERE!

We will also have our 2013 In-Sync Exotics' calendars available for purchase at this event.  All proceeds from the calendars and Christmas bake sale benefits the animals of In-Sync Exotics, so we hope you'll purchase lots of gifts this year!

Christmas With the Cat

Our merry elves have been busy putting up our Christmas lights in preparation of our annual "Christmas With the Cats event!

Starting November 30th, you're invited to spend "Christmas With the Cats" at In-Sync Exotics! Watch our exotic cats receive their bones under the twinkling Christmas lights that will illuminate your path as you tour our facility with hot cocoa and cider to help keep you toasty warm. 

The crisp weather excites the cats so you will be sure to see lots of big (and small) wild cat antics!

Would your group like a private "Christmas With the Cats" night tour?  Then you'll want to reserve your very own VIP Group Tour (10 people maximum) today!  To reserve a VIP Group Tour, please click HERE to send a quick email to Leigh letting her know the date you'd like to reserve your VIP tour and number of individuals in your party.  She will respond back to you with information about the tour.  

For tour details, check out our Christmas With the Cats flier below:

For a printable copy of this flier, please click HERE.

Gift Wrapping Table

We will be back at Barnes & Noble in Frisco on December 9, 17, and 18 to gift wrap presents for donations.  We hope to see you there with your presents!  We will have our calendars available for sale at this event.

Our On-line Christmas Shop!

We have some adorable ornaments and stockings available for gifts this year.  Plus mugs, Kshama Pajamas, BBQ aprons, warm stadium blankets, and much, much more, all great gifts for your family and friends!  Proceeds from the gift sales benefits the animals of In-Sync Exotics.  Click HERE to see our Christmas on-line gift shop!

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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Unexpected Medical Challenges

Last week, while the blog was on "vacation," In-Sync Exotics was kept very busy with unexpected medical challenges faced by some of our animals.  Here is a brief synopsis of what transpired last week:

Twiggy!

Twiggy:  Some time back we noticed that Twiggy's leg was slightly swollen.  After a while, the swelling appeared to go down, but we asked our vet to check on her leg to make sure she was okay.  Our vet suggested we x-ray her leg because he could still see some swelling.  So last Monday, we x-rayed the leg and sure enough, we saw a break in the splint bone. Our vet recommended that Twiggy avoid any strenuous activity (no problem there) and we are to watch her leg to make sure the swelling goes down.  Eventually the bones will fuse together.  Twiggy seems to be in good spirits, so we have high hopes that Twiggy's leg will mend rather quickly.

Otis and Moses!

Otis and Moses:  For some inexplicable reason, Otis and Moses got into a terrible fight last week.  We were completely caught off guard because these two cats have been living together as buddies for five years without incident.  Once the bobcats separated, we noticed that Moses walked with a limp.  While his limp is improving, we are concerned there may be some leg damage, so tomorrow Moses will be examined by our vet to determine if he requires an x-ray.

Tacoma!

Aramis and Tacoma:  For the last three week our lion, Aramis, and tiger, Tacoma, experienced some eating challenges.  We have no idea why the cats are avoiding their meals, despite all the efforts made to encourage them to eat their full evening meals (medicine, change in diet, treats, etc.).  The cats' are in good spirits, playful, and are pooping--they're just not eating all their food.  This is unusual because during the cooler weather, our cats tend to eat more meat than when it's hot and humid.

On a daily average, we believe Tacoma is eating about a pound of meat per day.  The exception was on Saturday--our annual Turkey Toss--as Tacoma ate his entire turkey.  Tacoma has noticeably lost some weight -- if his appetite does not improve this week, both Tacoma and Aramis will be taking a trip to Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine where they can be thoroughly examined. 

Spike:  We are still awaiting for medical test results form Texas A&M, so our vets can determine a medical treatment plan.  For information on his current medical condition, please click HERE.

Mohan!

Mohan:  Five years ago, we noticed that Mohan had a slight bump on his backside, so we tested the bump to see if it was cancerous.  Thankfully, the test came back negative.  Now that the bump has gotten slightly larger, we felt it prudent to have the bump tested again. We are waiting for the results of his biopsy. 

Aasha:  We noticed that our beautiful tigress was having trouble getting up and laying down.  Her legs seem to be out of alignment with the rest of her body, so we need to have her back legs and hips x-rayed to see what is going on with our girl.   

Gideon:  Last week, we witnessed little Gideon having another seizure and we suspect he may have had several more seizures when we're not present. Gideon is still on his medication, and while it has reduced the number and severity of his seizures, our little boy is still not "out of the woods" yet. Today, we are checking his blood so we can see what his phenobarbital level, which should tell us if we need to adjust his medication.

As you can see, we've had quite a few unexpected medical situations.  At the time of this posting, we have a balance of $12,000 for veterinary services, and this balance is expected to increase. We cannot provide an outstanding level of animal care without your help.  You are the lifeblood of our sanctuary and we need your support so we can provide the very best medical care for our animals.

Can you help our animals by making a loving and generous contribution today? $20 or more will make an impact on the health and well-being of our animals. By making a tax-deductible gift today, you are making a positive difference in the lives of our beautiful animals. 

We humbly thank you in advance on behalf of Twiggy, Moses, Aramis, Tacoma, Spike, Mohan, Aasha, Gideon, and the rest of the animals of In-Sync Exotics. We truly appreciate our supporters!

In the meantime, we will continue to keep you appraised of our animals' medical conditions as news comes available.  Please say a little prayer that our cats and horse feels better soon!

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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Farewell Dear Friend

Colleen always brought lots of smiles and laughter to our
special events (Putting for Paws 2012).  She will be missed
at all of our events.

We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved board member and friend, Colleen Butler, passed away on Friday, November 23, 2012.  In this difficult time, we extend our condolences to her two sons and grandson.  Our hearts reach out to yours, with love, with sympathy, with caring, as we are all thinking of you at this difficult time.

Colleen was our long-time In-Sync Exotics supporter, collaborator, volunteer, and board director responsible for Donor Relations.

Colleen loved the big cats, especially tigers, since she was a young child.  To the chagrin of her family, Colleen would bring home abandoned or injured wild animals, with the hopes of mending their broken bodies and hearts.  Colleen dreamed of the day when she could care for tigers.  Little did she know that her dreams would come true when she joined In-Sync Exotics in December 2009.

Colleen not only helped care for the cats, she also took it upon herself to learn how to prepare meals in the commissary, assist guests in the visitor center, and give guided tours to people wanting to learn more about our beautiful animals.

Colleen’s passion and energy, serving as a friend and mentor, enriched and improved all of our lives. Our sanctuary is immeasurably better because of her and we miss her very much.  Colleen told us once that living in harmony with God’s most magnificent creations was what she considers heaven on earth.  We are comforted in knowing that while Colleen may not be physically with us, she is keeping watch over us from Heaven above. 

Colleen, may you find peace and comfort as you walk with our Lord.  You were a true giver who infused everyone around with love and laughter.  In-Sync Exotics will never be the same without you. 

As soon as we learn the details of Colleen’s memorial service, we will pass the information on to you.  In the meantime, the family is asking that memorial gifts be sent to In-Sync Exotics in honor of her favorite cats, the tigers.  Click HERE for our donation page if you would like to leave a gift in Colleen's name.  In the remarks section, please indicate that the gift is “In Memory of Colleen.”  Thank you.

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