Dearest Friend of our Felvies,

Happy New Year from all of us at Tabby’s Place!

My name is Lisa, and I am the Development Coordinator for Tabby’s Place as well as Tux’s monthly correspondent. I am stepping in for Stephanie this month and am so excited to share all the wonderful news that you made possible for this new year!

My office is situated directly across from the Quinn’s Corner Lobby, affording the perfect view of all the goings on in the three attached FeLV+ suites. Each day sunlight pours in through the lobby atrium, filling the space with warmth, but what truly warms my heart is watching our amazing FeLV+ cats frolic and play in a safe and loving environment. Their joy is all because of your love and support.

The start of a new year is marked by new beginnings, and 2025 is certainly off to a celebratory start for our FeLV+ cats. Five new Felvies have joined the family, and Oram has found his forever home!

Yes, you read that correctly, Oram has been adopted!!

What is even more exciting, is that he is sharing that home with several other FeLV+ cats! We know how important it is for Oram to have friends and playmates, and I cannot wait to hear about his integration into his new family.

Oram’s adoption is rather poignant as he is the last original resident of Quinn’s Corner to find his forever family. I will miss seeing him perched on high in the Quinn’s Corner Lobby, attempting to coax Regina to play with him, grooming Sweetie while snuggled in a big bed together, and the ever-present sparkle of mischief in his eyes. You can share in his joyful farewell by watching here.

Yet Oram’s joy is not the only cause for celebration as we welcomed five new Felvies to Tabby’s Place in the last month: Dewie, Maxie, Sweet Pea, Pisa, and Luke.

Dewie, like Trifecta, is double positive for FeLV+ and FIV+ in addition to being diabetic. It appears that the two boys are on the road to being fast friends. They both love laps and human attention. The insulin requirements of both these sweet boys have been fluctuating this month, so both are having their blood glucose levels checked twice a day and receiving insulin on a sliding scale as needed. The transition to an all-wet urinary diet may be helping to level out Dewie’s system.

Luke is also double positive and has joined the boys in suite F. He is quite scared and not fully trusting of humans at this point, but we hope that he will find comfort with his new feline friends once he has the freedom to explore his new suite and solarium.

Sadly, sweet Maxie, succumbed to complications with her suppressed immune system, just a few weeks after her arrival. We suspect that she had lymphoma in her bone marrow as she declined very rapidly. We are grateful that she was with us for her last few weeks as she was showered with love and affection in foster with staff member, Drew.

Sweet Pea and Pisa have all moved into Suite G, joining Regina and Sweetie. Yes, we do have a Sweetie and a Sweet Pea living in the same “suite.” Sweet Pea is a tabby and white cat who seems quite sure of himself. I hope that Sweetie takes to him quickly and continues his socialization progress with Sweet Pea as his new model and mentor.

Pisa’s integration into the suite has been complicated by her medical issues. Pisa was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and was treated for a urinary tract infection with long-acting antibiotics since she’s very nervous and not entirely trusting of people. She arrived with some suspicious spotting on the outside of her ears (called pinna). Biopsies came back as squamous cell carcinoma, which can be rather aggressive in progression. To give her the best chance of recovery, she underwent surgery to remove the outer portions of her ear. She is recovering on crate rest with plenty of water, extra litter, and privacy curtains to ease her transition and recovery.

All of our regular residents have been in good health this month. Puff had a couple “off” days when she was quieter than usual, but each time she recovered within a day or two and was back to her typical treat and attention-demanding self. We know that keeping up with her soft, long fur is not so easy for Puff, and she absolutely dislikes being brushed in any of the challenging places. To keep her comfortable, she got a lovely “lion’s cut” and a heated bed.

Thank you for loving these wonderful cats through all the happiness and the sadness. The cats and I are so hopeful for 2025 and it is all because of your unwavering love!

Your guest correspondent,
Lisa