Greetings,

Too hot for you? Think of the cats with their fur coats. However, they are beating the August heat with a very generous and watery donation we’ll explain further. Also, in this edition, we bring you big news of legislative progress, generous donations by a famed author and a persistent little boy, as well as the sorrowful passing of a beloved tiger. On a forward-thinking note, the Fur Ball excitement is building and there are opportunities to win big with a Rolex by purchasing tickets early. Enjoy and act on this issue!

Carole Baskin, Founder

	Wins and Losses!

Did you ever meet someone and from the minute you first met them you felt like you had known them your entire life?  That is the way it was the day I first met Saber the tiger.  He was 17 years old the day he retired from the circus to Big Cat Rescue in 2002. As he walked toward me, eyes gently fixed on mine; I stood frozen in the admiration of him. He wanted me to know, from the very first second that he arrived, that there was a reason he was here and that I needed to pay attention.

If you love the cats like we love the cats, this story will bring tears to your eyes, but Saber and others like him need for you to know the truth so that you can help them.

Find out more about Saber and our wins and losses, click here

	Hanes Offers $10,000 Grants

Hanes is offering six $10,000 grants to nonprofit organizations through SixDegrees.org, a website created by Kevin Bacon and Network for Good to build on the popularity of the “small world phenomenon” to inspire giving online. Through SixDegrees.org, nonprofits and individuals can create charity badges to fundraise for their favorite causes on their own websites, blogs, and social networks as well as view a gallery of celebrity badges. The six non-celebrity badges that have the highest number of donations from mid-July through September will receive matching grants of up to $10,000. Nonprofits simply create a Six Degrees Charity Badge and automatically they will be eligible to receive the matching grant.

We urge you, our supporters, to go to www.SixDegrees.org and make your own Badge that you can post on your web sites, MySpace, YouTube, FaceBook, etc. Choose Big Cat Rescue as your favorite charity.  The badges will have your picture, text, and a running total of how much money you raised for us with the badge.  You can include a link to a video you made, or may we suggest you use one of our podcasts so that your website visitors get a feel for who we are?  A couple quick PSAs are here for your review. They run a short commercial first. Thank you for helping to strive for that prize.

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v7395207GTJtexJ

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v746356Gmnfq3Fk

Click here to create your own Charity Badge

	Knee-Deep Donation

One of the top ways our cats beat the heat is by splashing and soaking in their personal ponds. It adds a level of quality of life that is essential to them. We are thrilled to have received a very generous donation from a very well-versed source. Caleb Carr, the famous American novelist, military historian and PBS program guest commentator, has just encouraged us greatly in his donation of $10,000.00 (after already giving $5000.00 to rescue the tigers) to refurbishing all 18 of our cats’ ponds, including the cougar and fishing cats. We are extremely grateful to him.  Our own Brian did a video to depict just what we mean when we say “beat the heat”.

See how the cats beat the heat

	Fur Ball Last Chance for Reserved Seats

The Fur Ball “early cat” special ends August 15.  Individual ticket holders who purchase before then get reserved seats versus open seating.  This means better seating closer the front, that you can count on. If you purchase a table before then, each guest receives a $20 raffle ticket for the Rolex. Do you know a group who would love to sit together?

Big thanks to a recent sponsor. American Momentum Bank signed on as a $10,000 King of Beast Sponsor. Thank you for your support and excitement! To follow in their “paw prints” and read all the details, click here:

Fur Ball tickets and details

	Lessons from Nakita

Cats make us laugh, but they can also touch our hearts in ways that defy explanation.  Nakita the bobcat is one of those cats.  The first time I saw Nakita, she was sharing a small rabbit hutch with Czar, a cat of uncertain parentage, but who appeared to be a cross between a Canada Lynx and a Bobcat.  It was a cold day in November of 1992 in South Carolina, and the cats had only a couple of boards on top of the cage to protect them from the elements. We rescued her from that certain end and she and he began their lives with us.  Since that day, she demonstrated an extraordinary compassion for her friend Czar, who has since passed, and she is also now slowly slipping away. We hope you are living your life with as much compassion for others and enjoyment for the sunshine amidst the sorrows as she has. Her life has spoken volumes. Please join us in reading her lifestory here.

 Lessons learned from Nakita, click here

	Kids 4 Cats

Corey Ciota’s Big Cat Rescue Project

In June, 2007 Corey Ciota, an 8 year old wildlife enthusiast from Trivoli, IL, presented an idea to the Hanna City-Farmington Area Kiwanis Club, of which his parents are members, to help raise funds for Big Cat Rescue.  The Kiwanis Club serves children and communities and was eager to help support this youth project and encouraged Corey to take his idea to the next level and ask others for donations, as well.  Corey proceeded to request donations from the Hanna City Fireman’s Corporation (a volunteer dept. his dad serves on) and with the help of his mom they created a pamphlet about us and incorporated a wish list found on our web site.  He was again successful in receiving a contribution and continued his efforts by telling family and friends.

Story continues about this inspiring young man, click here

	FL CWATAG Report

After two years of meetings and untold thousands of tax dollars spent on hotels, venues and travel the Captive Wild Animal Technical Assistance Group held their 14th and final meeting.  On August 10th the 11 member panel summarized their work and made their final recommendations to the Florida Wildlife Conservation staff.  Find out what this means to cougars and baby tigers and what you can do about it.

Read final report, click here

	Feline Fact

Ancient Ancestry:

During the 16th century, Spanish explorers introduced Native Americans to domesticated cats. Delighted by these small creatures who resembled their own mountain lions, the Aztecs gave them the name “Mizton” or “Little Lion”.