We say it all the time: Once a Tabby’s Place cat, always a Tabby’s Place cat.

Be it days or years from the time she leaves us, each of our kids is always welcome back, whatever the reason. Sometimes, the reason can’t help but break every heart in town.

Starlet was a loved cat, a wanted cat. At six tender months of age, she hit the jackpot every cat dreams of: a home and mama of her very own. The only way this Starlet would be making a comeback was if something should happen to Mrs. Starlet - not that such an idea was on anyone’s radar.

Not until this summer.

At first, I didn’t know what to think the morning Jonathan glumly announced, “Starlet was returned.” I knew the name, but not the star herself; she’d been adopted before I came to Tabby’s Place (shortly after the invention of dirt, just before the extinction of woolly mammoths). In a way, Starlet’s story would have been easier to swallow if she’d come back for scratching the furniture or irking a new boyfriend or eating a pet rat.

As it happens, Starlet’s situation had been far more dire. When the desperately ill Mrs. Starlet was hospitalized, doctors told her friends and family it was unlikely she would ever come home. Heavy-hearted in the fog of grief, they still managed to do the right thing by Starlet. And so the little tuxie girl who’d stolen the show in 2006 came back for a sequel.

If it ended there, this might just be the Saddest Blog Post Ever Posted. And, in a sense, it is. My heart aches every time I think of Mrs. Starlet, wondering if she knows her girl is okay, praying that she has peace and is surrounded by love for however long she has left on this earth.

When I first learned of Starlet’s return, it also pained me to think what this little cat might be going through. While it’s heart-squashing any time a cat is returned, I suspect the Spikes and Brittanys have some hints along the way that their adoptive homes are not where they belong. It was different for Starlet: by all accounts, she was adored, and knew great joy with her mama.

Maybe that’s why her heart was so ready for Joy: The Sequel.

Amazingly, our kitten-sized Starlet is not bitter or hissy or any of the things she’d be quite justified in being. No, she’s made it her mission in life to love on every living creature in Suite B with all her might - and, tiny though she may be, this is one mighty mite.

When Starlet head-bonks you, you may as well have been hit by a furry, wonderful wrecking ball for the force behind her affection. As you can see in these photos, I needed to enlist the help of uber-volunteer Michelle to get any photos of Starlet, because this girl is perpetual motion incarnate. She just can’t rub and smoosh and circle you enough.

And Starlet’s love-comeback isn’t restricted to human beans. In this, her very first day in Suite B, she’s already been spotted curled up in a basket with Trifle, nose-to-nose with Barry, and scampering with Steve. In fact, our girl is so charming, I wouldn’t be surprised if she even won over the elusive Matilda.

But one step - one high-energy, life-loving, head-bonking step - at a time.

Mrs. Starlet, wherever you may be today, I thank you from the depths of my heart for teaching this angel all she knows about love. Her four-plus years with you were no fluke. You and your girl will be together again, some heavenly day.

In the meantime, we are honored - blessed - to continue what you so tenderly began in Starlet’s life. And when someone applies to be the next Mr./Mrs. Starlet, your devotion will be much of the measure we use to make sure it’s right.

Your girl loves you. So do we. Once a part of the Tabby’s Place family, always a part of the Tabby’s Place family.

Tags: barry, matilda, starlet, steve, trifle

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