Our October Surprise - the Sequel!

We have a very special announcement!  On October 10, 2012, we welcomed a new resident to In-Sync Exotics’ family—little Quisto! 

Quisto is a 5-year old Brazilian Ocelot, who is part of the Species Survival Program (SSP).  We were asked to house Quisto by an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facility, until such time his “breeding stud service” is required.  Until that day comes, we will provide this little guy with a wonderful home at In-Sync Exotics.

When Quisto arrived on Wednesday, we barely caught a glimpse of him as he ran from the transporter into his temporary den.  For several days, Quisto refused to come out of the den, looking absolutely terrified.  Right now he is living in Kenya's house.  We are hoping that once we relocate some of our exotic cats (now that the cheetahs moved into their new home thereby freeing up enclosure space), we will be able to move Quisto next door to Otis and Moses. This area is perfect for one small cat and it has an indoor/outdoor climate controlled house so he can stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. 

You may have noticed Quisto is missing a front limb.  We were told that he lost his leg in an accident several years ago.  Despite the missing leg, Quisto is able to move around his new home without any problems.  It’s amazing to watch him walk around his temporary quarters, checking out all the new sights and smells. Quisto has never been outdoors before, so needless to say, all of this is very new and strange to him.

Quisto’s main diet is the same type of food we provide our small exotic cats. We added bones to his diet on Wednesdays and Sundays, so he can keep his teeth clean and sharp and work his jaw bones and muscles. Quisto brought along his own special "comfort" food that we can use for treats to help make him feel more at home.  So far, Quisto has been very shy of our presence, coming out when offered small bites of chicken. At one point, he did take a piece of chicken from Vicky’s hand, looking a little lost.  He seemed to want to accept her friendly overtures, but his shyness held him back. We are hoping that in time, this little guy will feel very comfortable in his new home!

The AZA facility was most kind in donating funds so we could build a new small cat enclosure!

So why are Brazilian Ocelots so special and why are they on the endangered species list?

On the average, ocelots are about 3.5 feet long, weighing 15-35 pounds.  Females tend to be slightly smaller than the males.  Did you know that an ocelot’s night vision is six times better than a human’s?  They can certainly see you coming long before you can spot this wild cat—that is if you can even see the cat in his natural habitat that includes mangrove forests, coastal marshes, savannah grasslands, pastures, thorn scrub and tropical forests of all types!

Generally, Brazilian ocelots are found in southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina.  Males occupy territories of 31.4 to 18 square miles, while females occupy smaller, non-overlapping territories of 0.31 to 5.8 square miles.  Territories are marked by urine spraying and by leaving feces in prominent locations.

The ocelot is mostly nocturnal and very territorial. He will fight fiercely, sometimes to the death, in territorial disputes. Like most felines, ocelots are solitary animals, usually meeting only to mate.

During the day, Ocelots like to rest in trees or other dense foliage and will come out at night to hunt rodents, reptiles and birds.  Did you know that ocelots are expert feather pluckers and can remove most feathers before eating their prey?

In the wild, ocelots live about 7 – 10 years. Captured cats, like Quisto, can live up to 20 years.

In partnership with the Ocelot Species Survival Plan (SSP), the Brazilian Ocelot Consortium (BOC) was established in 2002. These two conservation programs collaborate to protect and conserve these beautiful cats in the wild (in-situ) and through breeding programs with participating AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) conservation centers.  Sad to say, in the wild, Brazilian ocelots, which are noted for their beautiful spotted coats, are threatened by deforestation, habitat destruction and the fur trade, which is why there are on the endangered species list.  We'll be doing a more in-depth look at the Brazilian Ocelots in a future blog posting, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, please welcome our newest resident, Quisto, to the In-Sync Exotics' family!

Quisto feeling a little more confident...

It's a brave new world, Quisto!

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!

.

Our Week in Review!

Happy Friday, everyone!  If you missed any of this week's postings, you can catch up by reading our weekly recap (below) plus some additional exciting information we think you'll enjoy.  

Let's kick off the review with Monday's blog posting.  On Monday, we introduced you to Neffie's new friends named Mr. Kibo and Shira.  They traveled over 1,000 miles just so they could call In-Sync Exotics "home"!  To learn more about our new (brother-sister) servals, please click HERE!

On Tuesday, we provided news you can use this winter in helping out the feral and stray cats in your neighborhood.  Click HERE to learn how YOU can save the life of an outdoor kitty.

On Wednesday, we shook things up with a special "October Surprise!"  To see your cheetah habitat donations at work, click HERE to see our cheetahs in their new home!

Ah, what a dilemma--to wear a costume or go au natural?  This question was answered in yesterday's blog posting, so click HERE for our answer to this most unusual dilemma!

We are sad to report that our Fall Big Cat Photo Shoot was cancelled as we did not have enough participants.  We plan to reschedule this event in the Spring, so be sure to look for this very special event next year!

Now that the weather is beginning to change, leaves are falling off the trees, we must have... an exciting FALL FESTIVAL!

Our Fall Festival will be held on October 28th from 11:00am - 4:00pm at In-Sync Exotics. This is another  fabulous In-Sync Exotics special event as our cats just LOVE to play with their pumpkins; your kids (the human kind) will enjoy great games & prizes, get lost in a maze; have your face painted; bounce around in the bounce house; participate in our raffle; and much, much more!

This is one event you will want to bring your friends, family, and camera!  For more details or to print a copy of our flier, please click HERE!

We hope you enjoyed our blog postings for the week and will join us again next week for another possible "October Surprise--The Sequel!"  In the meantime, you are invited to come out, observe your donations at work by touring our facility (click HERE for tour information).  

Please keep in mind, we are still fundraising for our big cats' dental work. If you can spare $10 or more towards this most worthy cause, we (and our cats) will be most grateful--thank you!  To make a donation towards our big cats' dental surgeries, please click HERE!

Have a tiger-ific weekend everyone!  

.

Wear a Costume or Go Au Natural?

Halloween cat and dog costumes–we can hear our wild cats snickering (or screaming in horror) at the thought!  Do your pets enjoy “dressing up?” With Halloween just around the corner, thoughts of goblins, ghosts and get-ups begin to tease at the back of pet lover’s minds.  Should my pet wear a costume this year? 

With Halloween just 20 days away, pet parents should take some common sense precautions on this spookiest day of the year so that you both you and your pet will be safe and “ghoul” free! 

1.  Sorry Fido, no treats—not even for tricks!  That candy bowl filled to the brim with chocolates and other sugary snacks can be very dangerous to cats and dogs.  Dark and baking chocolates are very dangerous because they contain a component our animals' systems cannot tolerate and it could be deadly.  If other types of candies are made with artificial sweetener xylitol, your pet may become very, very ill.  Dogs may also ingest food wrappers, causing a risk of choking, upset stomach or gastrointestinal blockage. Ouch!  If you believe your dog or cat dived into the candy bowl (or ingested salty snacks or alcoholic beverages)  while your back was turned, you may want to contact your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for assistance--they are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

2.  Never allow your pet to eat your decorative Jack-o-Lantern or fall table display!   While pumpkins and the colorful decorative corns are pretty much non-toxic, they can produce some stomach discomfort for those the naughty nibblers.  When it comes to Jack-o-Lantern on display, be careful putting a lit candle inside your Jack because a curious pup or kit may accidentally knock over your Halloween display, setting your pumpkin on fire.  You may also want to make sure they don’t get to close to the display just in case they  singe their fur or whiskers.  When decorating for Halloween, just remember to “pet proof” your decorations—have fun—just think about your pets first! 

3.  So you decided your cat is going to dress up as a ghost this year?  You can’t but help check out all the cute pet costumes on display in your local stores.  Yes, they are adorable, but are they really a good idea for your pet?  Please don’t force your cat or dog into a costume they don’t like.  Some pets prefer to dress “as is” as  opposed to wearing a costume with lots of tentacles and other external extremities that flap around when the pet tries to move.  If the costume scares your pet—it’s time to return the item to the store. 

4.  If your pet likes to wear his or her costume, be sure it’s not annoying to you or your guests (lots of bells and other annoying sounds) or unsafe (pet trips over his own four feet due to strange footwear).  If you animal has trouble breathing, hearing, seeing, walking, barking (meowing if a cat), then you need to return the costume.  If your pet seems unduly distressed wearing the outfit, then perhaps it’s best he or she goes au natural!  You can always put a colorful bandana or bow on your critter.

5.  Costumes should fit well—not hang off the body.  A poorly fitted costume could cause your dog or cat to get twisted up in its costume, or worse, twisted on furniture or displays, thus leading to injury.  Because of these potential dangers, never leave your pet unattended in the costume! 

6. Ding Dong – Trick or Treat!  If your dog or cat is afraid of strangers, you may want to move your animal out of the room closest to the front door.  Too many strangers yelling "Trick or Treat" may scare your precious pet.  For your overly social dogs, you may want to make sure your animal does not try to either dart out the door or run-jump onto a young trick-or-treater.  Nothing scares kids more than a fast moving costumed furry creature jumping on them when they scream “Trick or Treat” at the door. 

Picture from amyshojai.com

7.  Finally, in the event your costumed pet feels the need to show off in the neighborhood (without your expressed permission), always make sure your animal wears proper ID.  If for any reason your pet becomes separated from you, a collar with tags and/or a microchip tag can be a life saver for your animal, increasing the odds that your beloved pet will be returned to you!  Sadly, this is the time of year when some people may be cruel to animals, especially cats, so you may want to keep your animal(s) indoors if possible. 

Does your pet dress up for the howl-idays? (Get it—howl-idays!)  Do you do full costumes, fancy bows and collars, or does your cat or dog say GET THE !@#$%^! AWAY FROM ME WITH THAT CRAZY THING! 

Hmmm…. Do tell!

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!

.