Dearest Friend of Tux,

Tux hopes that you could feel the warmth of his Valentine love for you across the miles and through the snow and ice that encrusted Ringoes, NJ recently! Tux and I are so very grateful that you chose him to be your special feline Valentine, and we hope you know how very much you are loved!

I am happy to report that Tux has been in relatively good spirits this month. He had a few days when his breakfast and medications didn’t sit so well, but he feels fortunate to have avoided the feline tummy bug that hit a number of the residents. It seems to be a particularly challenging season for both our feline and human friends as many illnesses are spreading and keeping folks from spending time together as much as they would like.

I wanted to share a rather comical (at least from my point of view) anecdote that occurred since our last update and serves as a follow-up on the special relationship between Tux and Patches.

A devoted friend came to pay Tux a visit. It was a day when Ginny was working at the administrative desk and I happened to be working at the conference table in the Community Room. Tux was resting on Ginny’s desk when his friend arrived, so in order to spend some quality time together, and not interrupt the desk work, his friend, Pat, brought a big fluffy blanket into the room and set it up on the conference table. She gently moved Tux over and he quickly settled down to be lavished in love.

The appearance of a new fluffy blanket was not overlooked by other felines in the room. Soon both Gulliver and Patches were milling about and vying for Pat’s attention (and blanket space). I watched as Pat did a remarkable job of doting on all three felines.

And then Patches decided to try to get “too cozy” with Tux. She was gently moved to the side, but Patches came back and the cycle continued for several rounds: Patches moved in, we moved her away, and she came back and tried again.

It was then that the unimaginable happened… Tux hissed at Patches!

In all nine plus years of knowing Tux, I have never seen him hiss (unless another cat physically went after him). I was stunned. Pat was stunned. And I think maybe Patches was even caught off guard.

Clearly, Tux was communicating that enough was enough.

I rather imagine that his hiss voiced something like, “Can you just give me a bit of space to enjoy the company of my friend without butting your nose into it for a few minutes?!” Something like the feline equivalent of putting one’s foot down. I chuckle whenever I think of it as the scene could so easily unfold in an old sitcom featuring a middle-aged married couple.

Patches settled on a nearby scratcher. She got the message. A few days later, the pair were once again snuggled up together in blissful slumber. Peace restored.

Thank you for loving Tux each and every day and know that his heart is full this Valentine’s Day (and every day) because of your love for him!

Your correspondent,
Lisa