Dear Friends,
Pepita enjoyed a month of good health! She is splitting her time pretty equally between the solarium and the inside suite with a decent number of hours right in the middle of the passage tube. Settling into this location in the tube can be extremely useful for delaying bladder expression time. She is such a smart girl, isn’t she?
Waiting for me a few Sundays ago when I went to feed the kitties in solarium A was an unexpected gift. Though I was greeted by several hungry sweet kitty faces, that was not the surprise. I was also greeted by a dead mouse! Right there on the middle of the solarium floor was King Mouse. I named it King Mouse as it was the largest mouse I’ve ever seen. None of the cats were disturbed in the least bit, probably because the mouse was not providing a source of chase and fun at that particular moment. Food in dishes was much more appealing. Occasionally we find unlucky spiders and mice in the solarium; little did they know they were entering a sure death chamber when they wandered in. Some volunteers cringe at these and call for others to dispose of them. But they don’t bother me, so up I scooped the offending mouse into a trash bag so our furry friends could eat without the extra ambiance.
As you already know, the cats in Suite A are on a special diet for their gastro-intestinal (GI) issues. Their breakfast food is a prescription cat food that is less than appealing to many of them. I do find that adding a few of their sanctioned GI treats into the bowl gets them eating what might otherwise get just a sniff and an upturned nose.
If you live near Tabby’s Place, you likely experienced Tropical Storm Ida recently. I hope that you survived without damage and that your stress over the storm was manageable. If you don’t live near Tabby’s Place, then I’m sure you heard in the national news of the destruction in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. We are always extra cautious when it comes to storms and the sanctuary. Solariums get closed off and there is a generator in case power drops.
Fortunately, Tabby’s Place sustained no damage, but several staff members who were completing their evening shift were stranded at the sanctuary overnight, as the highway on which Tabby’s Place is located was flooded and impassable. The cats enjoyed having a sleepover with the staff, and Tabby’s Place that night was also a haven for other humans who were stranded, too. Angela, our Development Director, wrote a wonderful blog about this unusual event, called Strays. I think you will enjoy it!
Tabby’s Place just launched our annual Linda Fund Matching Challenge. This is a very special fundraiser we do each year to support the medical expenses of the cats. Since the medical expenses are significant, it enables us to focus on that as the primary goal for the challenge. It’s a matching challenge in that a group of anonymous donors come together to create a pool of matching funds, which will match donations from others through October 7th. What a great way to double the love everyone has for our cats! If you have spare cash to pass along, great, but we know that you already are generous to Pepita on monthly basis. If you have the chance, might you be able to spread the word among your cat-loving friends, relatives, and acquaintances?
Pepita hasn’t quite mastered saying ‘thank you’ in meows, but she tells me on every visit how much she loves you and all you do for her, and she sends you oodles of whisker kisses!
Your correspondent,
Sheila