My husband and I did the regular day tour for his ...

My husband and I did the regular day tour for his birthday. I loved the message/mission of the Big Cat Sanctuary. They are a real sanctuary that acts as a retirement home for abused big cats. Some of the cats were previously kept as pets from the exotic pet trade, some were bred for hopes of domestication, some were from circuses, some were from cub-petting tourist facilities, etc. They educate the guests on the inhumane treatment of big cats in all these situations and more.
They don't believe in a life in captivity (<3) and therefor do not breed or sell the cats they get. The cats have the option to hide if they want (which means you don't see stressed pacing like at zoos from being forced in front of people) but we still had great views of nearly every cat. The tour was mature and stress-free because the tour guide leads it and children 10 and under must be on a different tour; I think those are family tours. I loved that they had a huge "vacation enclosure" that the cats take turns in. Their own enclosures are also very nice: large and natural with trees and grasses unlike zoos which often have fake rocks and plants that are only there to appeal to guests visually.
All the volunteers and workers love and respect the cats and are very educational and they even mentioned legislation guests could take action on which was empowering. We had a great tour and I would definitely recommend this sanctuary!