Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicky Keahey.
Vicky, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In the beginning, before there was an In-Sync Exotics, there was Vicky Keahey, a hard-working veterinary technician. She spent her days caring for, comforting and playing with the array of animals who visited the clinic where she worked. Then on one fateful day in 1991, a female cougar was brought into the clinic for treatment. The cougar, named Tahoe, accepted her vet’s help graciously. But when it was time for Tahoe to return home, she was kept waiting and waiting until. Finally, it became apparent that she had been abandoned. By this time, Vicky had grown attached to the 18-month-old cougar. Since the young cougar now needed a new home, Vicky happily obliged. So with Tahoe, Vicky got her first experience in rescuing and caring for an exotic cat.
Because exotic cats aren’t like average house cats, Vicky had a lot to learn about the specific needs of cougars. Vicky turned to her vet and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for help. Over time, Vicky and Tahoe built a bond of love and trust and learned to respect each other. Vicky had also earned the respect of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In 1994, an officer brought Vicky the second cougar in need of help. Vicky accepted the ailing male cougar, whom she named Ranger, and nursed him back to health. Tahoe also accepted the presence of Ranger, and the two soon became inseparable. Vicky was now the happy and well-entertained owner of two beautiful cougars. She learned more with each passing day about their personalities, likes and dislikes, and she spoiled them terribly with her love and attention. She also learned that private ownership of two large cats is an enormous responsibility. The cats required very expensive food, shelter and medical care and tremendous time commitments. Though Vicky was content with her two exotic charges, once again, fate intervened.
In June of 1998, Vicky met a three-week-old female Bengal tiger that was badly maimed and inexcusably neglected, and her heartstrings were tugged to her very soul. The tiger’s breeders were considering their options. They couldn’t sell this tiger cub because she was in such bad shape, and they didn’t want to care for the cub because she needed too much care. The tiger’s life was clearly in danger. Vicky frantically searched for a way to rescue this cub, knowing that if she took her in, it would be an even greater responsibility and time commitment than she already faced with the two cougars. Finding another home proved an almost impossible task, though. As the cub’s life became more eminently endangered, Vicky decided to rescue the cub herself. She named the little girl Kenya and lovingly nurtured and healed her wounds.
Vicky’s experiences with Kenya and the bond the two shared led Vicky to the idea of establishing a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for rescued exotic felines and sharing her experiences with others. Believing that one person on a mission can make a difference and help better our world, Vicky researched how to establish a non-profit organization for her feline friends. She completed endless stacks of paperwork and obtained all related licenses. And thus, in March of 2000, In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue & Educational Center was born.
With Kenya for inspiration, the organization’s name reflects the ideal of providing harmonious care for all exotic felines. We are In-Sync to the cats’ feelings and needs.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The path of establishing and running a sanctuary has not been and isn’t a smooth road at all; in fact, it’s a very rough road. You don’t know where the next dollar is going to come from. You don’t know what each day is going to bring. Is it going to be a good day or a bad day? Bad days usually come with a sick cat or can even come with an animal that is currently in a bad situation and you don’t know if you can get to it soon enough to save its life. It could be an animal you don’t even know yet and you find out that it’s dying of starvation. You pour your entire being into that animal for weeks, doing everything you can to try to save it, sometimes only to have that animal be too far gone to help. If you’re lucky you can save it and that’s happened here. Trying to bring a cat back from the brink always costs more than what we bring in with donations and it’s always hard to do what is necessary knowing you don’t have the money. But we try to always have faith that God wouldn’t bring this impossible case to you if he didn’t mean to give you the means to care for it.
Please tell us about In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center.
We are a rescue facility for exotic cats. We take in abused, neglected, and unwanted exotic cats that aren’t or can’t be cared for anymore. We take in cats that people thought might be a good idea to own as a “pet,” like a tiger or cougar in their back yard. These are cats that should never have been bred in captivity in the first place. They are sold as cubs when they are cute and small without the buyers thinking about how they will grow and probably kill them or someone else someday.
In-Sync is known for taking in the most impossible cases; the sick and the old that no one else can or will take, and bringing life back to them. We show them there is much more than just living in a garage or dog kennel and not getting the love and attention they deserve. We take them in and give them large habitats, the right kind of food, and top-notch veterinary care. We give them the respect and dignity they deserve. We show them love and attention and that it’s ok to trust and be themselves. A tiger needs to run. A lion needs to roar, a cougar or leopard needs to jump!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I lived on 100 acres in the middle of the Mojave desert at the bottom of the foothills. Our water came from a well above ground that we used to overflow to play in the falling water. My childhood was filled with poignant memories of many animals – a horse, sheep, chickens, turkeys, dogs, cats, a raven, a hawk, a snake… each one taught me a little bit more than the last, and all reinforced my calling to help them in any way I could.
“When I look into the eyes of and animal, I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend, and I feel a soul.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 3430 Skyview Dr.
Wylie, TX 75098 - Website: www.InSyncExotics.org
- Phone: 9724426888
- Email: insyncexotics@aol.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insyncexotics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insyncexotics
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/insync_exotics
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/InSyncExotics
Image Credit:
All credited to In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center.
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