A happy, loopy, altogether soupy July to you.
Before you wonder if the humidity has gone to my brain, I’d like to introduce you to the fruits — make that the soups — of our latest Trap-Neuter-Return work: Chowder, Miso, Gazpacho and Borscht.
We knew that at least one litter had been born this summer at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility (the prison where we’ve been TNR’ing for 2+ years now). We also knew, through the perils of experience, that they were anything but easy to trap. Whether their wily mama kept moving them or the kittens themselves were on the go, they consistently eluded our best efforts.
But just when we thought the cats of the prison had utterly outwitted us, we tasted triumph in the form of four soup-named kittens.
Our scrawny quartet was at an iffy age when we trapped them. TNR kittens are an elusive lot: nab ’em when they’re tiny — say, under six weeks — and they are eminently tameable. After twelve weeks or so, though, they’ve learned the ways of the wild, and it’s far more difficult to teach them that humans can be trusted.
These little loves were nine weeks old when we got them. Wide-eyed with concern, they were leery of us: Who are these big, hairless beings? Why did they close us up in that silver box? Why did they name us after soups? We knew we had a labor of love when it came to convincing them that we intended only blessings for them when we whisked them out of the wild.
But before socialization came survival. Skinny and filthy, our little siblings had tummy troubles that would get worse before they got better. Kittens should be gaining weight robustly — but these babies were dropping much-needed ounces. Our veterinary team determined that they would need daily subcutaneous fluid support to survive.
A funny thing happened on the way to wellness: the formerly-feral babies learned our love. Chowder, a Siamese-mix, was first to fall for us. (Needless to say, we’d long since fallen — and hard — for him and his siblings.) Once our little meezer let himself melt, his tabby-and-white siblings followed in swift succession. Gazpacho became the lead face-rubber, and Miso — the only girl in the family — made up for lost time in the art of snuggling. (That’s Miso below left.)
Happily, all four soupy sweeties are now gaining weight and on the fast track to long life. There’s no doubt in our minds that forever homes will be fast in coming.
The soup babies weren’t the only feral smidgens to need our love this month. We have been helping to provide spay and neuter surgeries for a unique TNR project in a nearby town. A kind-hearted elderly man had been feeding and loving a pride of feral cats. Alas, the cats continued to multiply, and this gentleman felt overwhelmed by the prospect of trapping and altering them all. When he reached out for help, a generous neighbor sprang to the rescue. Her initial estimate of eight cats swelled to thirty as she began trapping. Tabby’s Place was grateful to be in the position to help with spay and neuter surgeries.
In addition to a kindle of adult cats, the suburban colony was home to oodles of infants. Just this last week, we met the most desperate of all.
Without going into gory detail, suffice to say that the tiny grey darlings pictured above were in excruciatingly bad condition upon arrival at Tabby’s Place. Their small bodies overtaken by insects, the kittens were on the brink of death. Our veterinary technician and associates worked tirelessly, flushing the parasites from the kittens’ bodies and nursing the little ones back to health through perilous touch-and-go hours.
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding: just look at those bright eyes and happy faces. These cuties are well on their way to recovery, and will grow up in adoring foster homes. Their parents/cousins/aunts and uncles at the elderly gentleman’s home will soon all be spayed and neutered. And, making it a sweet story for all involved, their senior citizen caretaker will continue to feed — and to love — all the adult cats, now with the assistance he needs.
Joy for two species: that’s what you are helping to make possible by sponsoring the TNR Fund at Tabby’s Place. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity. I look forward to bringing you even sweeter news as our formerly-feral kittens blossom into adulthood.