Cat Day!

One of the 1st things I did when we moved to this area was to gather information about all the kid-friendly activities here. I have zoo memberships everywhere and try to cross use them as much as possible. Anyone with children knows that a day out can get really expensive! One of my ways to keep those costs down is to find zoos or museums in your area that offer memberships that cover locations other than their own. Zoos are great about that and you can actually shop online for the zoos with the lowest family membership prices and order from them even if they are in an area you may never get to. I ordered my membership from the zoo in Abilene Texas. For $45 a year I get free admission to that zoo. Of course I dont live in Abilene so I use my membership for all the other perks:  Membership Levels Include:

• One (1) membership card
• Free admission for one year during normal business hours (some exclusions apply).
• Free or discounted admission to more than 150 other zoos and aquariums nationwide.
• Invitations to "Members Only" and other special events.
• Discounts to most education programs and camps
• 10 percent discount in the Zoo Store.
• Subscription to the Abilene Zoological Society quarterly newsletter, "Pronghorn Press"
• Subscription to our Members Only monthly E-Blast, "Critter's Corner

Its the free and discounted admission that Im after. It covers a TON of places all around the country, many in my own backyard. A membership definitely pays for itself and the money really helps out these places. Always check the reciprocating zoo and museum list when deciding where to purchase your membership from. They dont all cover everywhere and some have better perks than others. You also want one that is useful in the areas you frequent. I also have a membership at a local zoo called CALM (California Living Museum). Its a great one because it covers other local places AND they have pinic tables and a playground area which invite the opportunity to bring a sack lunch and cut even more of the expense of a day out with the family.

 

A few days ago we were sitting around the house bored and decided we would head over to one of our local animal hangouts. There is a nice little park about 30 mnutes from us in the town of Rosamond. It is all cats! Any kind of cat, except lions, that you could want to see. It pretty small but thats what makes it so nice with the young kids and its pretty up close and personal. It is also included in my membership with CALM so we get in free and get a gift shop discount! We got everyone ready, made some sandwiches, filled the cooler and packed the car (about an hour) and off we went. We live in the mountains so the weather is almost always nice and I sometimes forget that out here you dont have to go far for a weather change. I definitely wasnt expecting to get there and see this:

 

Ok, so its hot. Im from Texas so Im used to heat. I know how to prepare my kids for a day in the sun or at the zoo. We always have our sunscreen, our water bottles, our fruit snacks, our baby wipes, our water-spraying fans and a change of clothes. We loaded up the stroller like champs and headed into the park. Myself, my 18 year-old daughter and 5 kids under 10 all ecstatic to brave the heat and see the cats! All the way there they clammered to tell each other what THEIR favorite was and why. One was on pins and needles to see the Fishing Cats while another couldnt wait to set her eyes on a real life Snow Leopard! Here we were, the moment of truth. We went through the doors and quickly realized we had the park all to ourselves. Great. We can explore at our leisure. I thought I would post some pics so you can enjoy the sights as well:

Canadian Lynx

Ocelot



Mountain Lion

Tiger

Northern Chinese Leopard

Asian Leopard

The much anticipated Snow Leopard.....



.....and Fishing Cat

 

Im sure you get the point. Apparently the big cats arent near the Champs we were in the heat. They were lounging in holes and keeping cool. We did, however, get to see 2 cats. Kind of.....

 

 

This guy stuck his head out to get some fresh air

 

 

And we snuck a peek at the back of this Black Jaguar while he grabbed a quick drink

 

I guess the moral of my story is go to the zoo early or on a cool day. :)

The most important part is that we still had an enjoyable day and it got the kids out of the house and unplugged from technology, which ultimately was the goal anyway.