Furry Tails & Scales Exotic Rescue

05/24/2026

05/24/2026

Florida has become the first state in America to take a truly concrete step against animal cr*elty. A new law that took effect in 2026 now requires shelters, pet stores, and breeders to check a public registry before completing any adoption or sale of a dog or cat. Anyone previously convicted of animal cr*elty is now permanently banned from acquiring a new pet. The law was championed by animal protection organizations across the state and is being celebrated as one of the most meaningful advances in animal welfare in years. Honestly, it's hard to argue with this one. Do you think every state should follow Florida's lead?

05/24/2026

05/23/2026

Here's a post/sign spreading awareness about LEAVING SERVICE DOGS ALONE — and honestly, it shouldn’t even have to be said this often 😅
Would you mess with someone’s oxygen tank? Their wheelchair? Their cane? Their medical alert device? No? Then please understand that a service dog is medical equipment too. They are there to do a job that could literally save their handler’s life.
If you pet, distract, call to, whistle at, bark at, or purposely try to get a service dog’s attention without permission, YOU are the distraction. Even “friendly” distractions can cause a dog to miss an alert or task.
And please remember:
• Asking to pet does NOT mean you’re automatically entitled to it.
• One handler saying yes does NOT mean every handler will.
• Even the SAME handler may say yes one day and no another depending on what they’re dealing with medically.
Some service dogs are trained to ignore everyone around them. Some handlers don’t want to socialize. Some are exhausted. Some are struggling medically in that exact moment and just trying to get through the store safely.
Please be respectful.
Admire from a distance.
Teach your children to do the same.
And most importantly — leave working dogs alone unless the handler invites interaction.
A service dog is not public property just because they exist in public 🖤
So I was asked to make a post/sign spreading awareness about LEAVING SERVICE DOGS ALONE — and honestly, it shouldn’t even have to be said this often 😅

05/23/2026

Should be Like MANDATED REPORTERS for CPS.... As the vet they should know what is absolutely considered neglect or abuse and should report ANY owner of ANY animal that needs advocating for. Horse, dog, cat, parrot ... Doesn't matter

What do you think about this?

05/23/2026

And now another reason to KEEP YOUR FREAKING CATS INSIDE!!!!
Outdoor cats typically live extremely short lives. They rarely live past 10 when inside cats can live 3x as long.

You're risking their health and lives EVERY TIME you let them out.
They can be hit by vehicles, mauled or hurt by stray roaming dogs, killed by coyotes, bobcats, owls, hawks, eagles, even foxes and racoon will kill cats/kittens.

They are exposed to multitudes of parasites, fleas, ticks, leaches, etc. Drinking from stagnant water or water filled with mosquito larvae could cause them to get heartworms, giardia, or coccidia.

Exposing them to feline FIP, FIV, feline leukemia or feline aids which are all transmitted just by fighting through saliva and body fluids.

Exposing them to abscesses and possible festering wounds from fighting hidden under fur or I told the skin like under the arm where they are hard to see and notice till it's too late.

I just actually had a text asking for any help due to a neighbor poisoning their cat, guess what wouldn't have been able to access anything or get into anything or eat something poisoned if they were INSIDE ONLY? Yup, the cat. If he was inside he wouldn't be able to get into poisons or antifreeze or any other harmful material or poisonous toxic plants if your cat was INSIDE ONLY!

A stranger thinking they are a stray and taking them home. Hiding in warm car engines during colder months where they could be cut up from fans turning on when someone turns their vehicle on. Being exposed to the elements like hail, tornados, etc if they don't come home and are caught off guard while out roaming by a bad storm.

You are an ABSOLUTELY S**T OWNER if you dont keep your cats inside.
It's been PROVEN they decimate local wildlife from birds and butterflies to lizards including the federally protected horned toad, to snakes.

You are exposing them to the HANTAVIRUS if they come in contact with a rodent with the virus.

"But my cat is happier outside." Cool... Make them a CATIO like a patio for them where they can be outside SAFELY. There are other options. You letting them out is just being lazy.

I'm so tired of seeing posts "my cat didn't come home. My kids are sad." Oh cool, so you're a s**t parent too. You are absolutely doing this to your kids ON PURPOSE. You can keep your cat inside and your kids would never have that fear, that worry, that anxiety that YOU ARE CAUSING!!! They would never wonder if their kitty would ever come home again if IT WAS ALWAYS HOME BECAUSE YOU DIDNT LET IT OUTSIDE!!! If your car disappears because you let it out on purpose, I hope you NEVER find them. I hope they are picked up and taken home and loved and spoiled INSIDE somewhere safe for them. Maybe you'll learn a lesson and KEEP YOUR CAT INSIDE, otherwise, you have NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF for ANYTHING that happens to your cat. You have a choice and you chose poorly on purpose every time. Do better. Be better. Do the research. It takes a simple Google search to learn why cats should NOT BE OUTSIDE cats. 🙂

Be a better responsible pet owner and keep your cats inside!

((This does NOT include outside cats that are strays or abandoned and you cannot take them inside but you can call cat rescues to see if anyone can take them, get on a wait list or foster them til a rescue can take them in. You do have options for those as well if you really look into it though. There really isn't many excuses you can make to justify feeding but not looking into rescues or at least TNR programs ))

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk lol

Vets warn pet owners ‘bobcat fever’ is now affecting domestic cats. Here’s what to know: https://shorturl.at/lHdgR

05/23/2026

THE WATER YOU DRIPPED INTO THAT BIRD'S MOUTH JUST FILLED ITS LUNGS

You found a bird panting on hot concrete. You thought: dehydration. You tilted its head, squeezed a dropper, and let a few drops of water fall into its open beak. You were trying to save it.

The water went into its lungs.

A bird's airway — the glottis — is not at the back of the throat like yours. It sits on the floor of the mouth, right behind the tongue, as a small slit that opens and closes with every breath. When a bird drinks on its own, it controls this opening with precision, timing each sip perfectly. The system works — when the bird is in control.

When a human holds a stressed bird and pushes water into its mouth, the bird panics. A stressed bird's glottis opens and closes rapidly and erratically. Even a single drop of water entering the trachea during one of those rapid openings is enough. The liquid slides into the lungs. The bird may not cough. It may not sputter. It may seem fine for an hour. Then aspiration pneumonia sets in — infection, inflammation, fluid buildup in the airways — and the bird is dead within a day.

If you find a dehydrated bird, do this: place it in a quiet, dark box lined with a soft cloth. Set a shallow dish of water inside — no deeper than the bird's chest height. Let the bird drink on its own terms. If it is too weak to drink, gently moisten the outside of its bill with a damp cotton swab — never inside the mouth. Then contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.

The instinct to pour water into a struggling creature's mouth is one of the deepest kindnesses humans carry. In birds, it is one of the fastest ways to finish what the heat started.

05/23/2026

Don’t shoot coyotes! 🐾 The coyote trotting through your neighborhood at dusk isn't a threat to your yard. She's managing it.

Most people see a coyote near a suburb and think something is wrong — that she's lost, starving, or dangerous. She's none of those. She's hunting the rodents, rabbits, and groundhogs that would otherwise multiply unchecked in the spaces between houses.

🌿 A single coyote family removes a remarkable number of mice, voles, and rabbits from a neighborhood each year. The rodents that eat your garden seedlings, gnaw irrigation lines, and nest in sheds — the coyote is the only common predator keeping those populations in balance in most suburban areas.

She's also one of the few native predators that adapted to suburban landscapes instead of retreating from them. She didn't invade the suburb. She followed the prey that was already thriving there.

🐾 If a coyote is in your area:

- She's almost certainly not interested in you. Coyotes avoid people and hunt at dawn, dusk, and after dark when yards are empty
- Keep small pets supervised outdoors during dawn and dusk — this is when coyotes are most active
- Don't leave pet food, fallen fruit, or unsecured garbage outside — these are the attractants that bring her closer to the house than she'd otherwise come
- If you see one during the day, she's likely a nursing mother foraging extra hours to feed pups. This is normal spring behavior, not a sign of illness

The coyote passing through at dusk isn't a problem in the neighborhood. She's one of the few things keeping the rodent problem from becoming one 🌱

02/14/2026

I will be unavailable and away from my phone starting at 1pm today (Feb 14) and will not be back til Monday (16th) around 9pm. I will not have my phone , Keith will.

Just giving everyone a heads up. I will not even be in the state! If a message needs to get to me - message Keith Baker or Brandon Wayne Mike - they will be able to get ahold of me.

02/11/2026

It has been a Country-Wide issue that has been all over the news and has been a huge issue just here in East texas and been all over the news. I was even interviewed in 2024 by Bob Hallmark on KLTV about the problem. Loose animals. Whether they are strays, or have been dumped, or irresponsible owners letting them run unsupervised outside without containing them.... Even though my rescue specifically States I do not work with dogs or cats only exotics I still get at least six phone calls A Day about dumped stray puppies or kittens that have been found.

If you are one of the irresponsible owners who are allowing your animals to go outside unsupervised, uncontained ... Whether it's a cat not being put in a catio, or dogs not being put in a fence or on a tether and allowed to roam free...

Y'all are the problem. Most of the animals that y'all are letting roam around free are not only unfixed so they are continuing to bring babies into this world that are unwanted and there's no homes for him because every shelter and rescue are full... And you're also hurting other people. You're hurting the natural wildlife in the area allowing your outside cats to kill wildlife letting your dogs run free so they're killing people's cats other people's dogs being aggressive and people are too afraid to leave their houses they're all breeding making more puppies and kittens and no one freaking wants because there's already an overabundance of them...

So if you have an outdoor only cat or a dog that you like to let run loose and they disappear you have no reason to be posting up. You are part of the problem. And all of us that agree that we're tired of all these strays and dumped animals are going to call you out on your irresponsible pet ownership by allowing your animals to continue to be an issue.

Its only you to blame for whatever happens to your animals. Blame yourself. It's not our job to look for your lost animal when there's tons of strays running around. You know the risk you take every time you let your cat outside or you let your dog run without being in a fence.

Proven outdoor cats don't live very long and they also have proof that they decimate wildlife. They kill birds, they kill squirrels, they kill butterflies, lizards(like our ENDANGERED horned toads), frogs, rabbits, snakes...

Your dog's running around or chasing animals killing animals bothering farm animals scaring people who want to just walk around the block you can't even let your kids go ride a bicycle ride a block because a dog might try and attack him or come out at them aggressively and the owners just don't care.

If I see you post your animal is missing, wanting the community to help you step in to continue to be an irresponsible pet owner, to continue to allow your animal to be a problem when others speak out against you then you may not ever get your animal back.

If someone brings me a stray or dumped animal I rehome it to someone who will keep it inside, who is responsible , will FIX the animal to keep them from breeding, who will keep them safe, happy and spoiled INSIDE. I will not be rehoming the animal back to anyone who is just going to let it back outside again. Not happening. I've been working with animal rescue for over 30 years and people allowing their animals to run around loose, unfixed, is what has caused the epidemic of puppies and kittens that we don't need.

Cats lifespans are DRASTICALLY cut down when allowed to free roam outside... 2-5yr lifespan versus 16-20yrs inside. They can get FIV, feline leukemia, or feline aids just by fighting another cat who is infected. It's highly contagious and it cannot be cured. After also prone to getting up into engines and getting cut up by fans, they get run over by cars, they are attacked and killed by stray dogs, coyotes, owls, hawks, bear, bobcat, etc. free roaming animals are at risk for diseases, mange, parasites, ringworm, intestinal worms from drinking stagnant water or puddles/lakes/ponds/creeks that are infested, fleas, ticks, poisons and things like antifreeze that they find tastes good in people's garages and shops as they roam.... They are at risk of being shot at for being in someone else's yard, at risk for cruelty at the hands of people who like to hurt animals or use them as dog fighting bait(another problem we have in the area).

YOU are taking a risk letting your animal free roam and YOU are the only one to blame when your animal comes up missing. No one else is responsible for your animal but you and YOU are to blame if something happens to your animals. Keep them IN YOUR YARD, build your cat who likes to go outside a catio so they are still staying on your property but are safe from 99% of issues they may run into running loose.

I will not rehome any animal picked up as a stray that was running loose to anyone who claims them if I find out you are PURPOSELY letting them out.

This girl is blacklisted from adopting any animal from any rescue I work with or network with. Her outside cat disappeared and despite several people coming forward commenting asking her if she finds him to please keep him inside, she refuses to be responsible and has stated she will again let him out cuz "he's happier" outside. I bet she lets her kids have anything they want when they throw a hissyfit cuz then they aren't happy with no for an answer lol be the adult, be responsible and STOP LETTING YOUR ANIMALS OUTSIDE WITHOUT PROPER SUPERVISION AND CONTAINMENT!!!

"My animals are fine they've always been outside and I've never had a problem." Yeah, that's how it always goes, it's always never a problem until it is. Until your cat or dog comes back limping with a broken leg or chewed up from a fight or hobbling back with a bullet wound. It's always fine and dandy until ... It's not. And I GUARANTEE she doesn't have the money to take her cat to the vet if it comes back mauled by a coyote or something.

I hope the anxiety and stress you feel when your baby is missing changes how you feel and you change how you are with your pets so you don't have to feel that way again. If you keep him inside he can't come up missing....

You are the problem. You are contributing to a NATION WIDE ISSUE! DO BETTER! BE BETTER!

IF you find him I hope you change and keep him inside, if you don't want to keep him inside then I hope you don't find your cat. I hope someone else finds him and adopts him, loves him more and prioritizes his safety and health more than you and brings him inside to be spoiled, warm, and well cared for. And if I or someone I know finds him, outside ... As a stray... And he is brought to a rescue, I will make sure you don't get him back.

Not fixed, not even microchipped and you plan to keep letting him out....

What a sad excuse for an owner. Some people shouldn't own animals or any pets. I hope their kids grow up being sad their animals disappeared when they were kids and learn to keep their animals inside or contained in a fence(if it's a dog) and not let them run loose as that's why their animals disappeared in the first place. It's their parents fault and I hope they learn to be and do better than their parents.