Saving cats calls for courage. We do not give up on any life. We love with all our strength.
But sometimes, we get very sad and very tired.
We feel tiny.
At times like this, we need someone “little” to remind us why we’re here.
At ages five and seven, Maylee and Kainoa are still “kittens.” These devoted members of our Paws to Read program are too young to volunteer and too short to reach the treats on the top shelf.
But as you can see, there is nothing “small” about Maylee and Kainoa.
For starters, these stellar siblings (and their amazing parents, Meaghan and Chris) had room in their hearts for Mugsy.
As adoptable cats go, Mugsy was not at the top of every list. The mushy marshmallow was FIV+ and far from kittenhood.
But he was wiggly, wonderful, and waiting for a family whose arms would warm his world.
To Maylee, Kainoa, Meaghan, and Chris, Mugsy was perfect.
Mugsy is not Maylee and Kainoa’s only Tabby’s Place cat. Trifecta may not live in their house, but he has a home in Maylee’s heart.
Although Maylee loves every cat, her time with Trifecta is special. As she reads to him, they both lose track of time, the way you always do with your best friend.
For Halloween, Maylee did not want to dress up as “a cat.” She did not even want to be “a Tabby’s Place cat.”
She wanted to be Trifecta: the diabetic, FIV+, FeLV+ senior who is cuter than all the kittens combined. As you can see in these photos, she got it just right.
Everything is right when you’re part of the Tabby’s Place family. As Meaghan writes, “I’m so thankful for Tabby’s Place for being such an open and welcoming place, filled with love for all (cats and people).
“Tabby’s Place has given Maylee a passion for cats and veterinary medicine, and a place to share all the overflowing love she has for animals.
“Tabby’s Place has become a sort of second home for us, where we can come read to the cats, love them with pets or slow blinks, learn all about what cats in desperate situations need, and so much more.
“Maylee has been inspired to dress as Trifecta (her cat bestie) for Halloween, have a Tabby’s Place-themed birthday party where she collected donations and made castles and toys for the cats, and even learned all about how to care for cats as a vet for her science fair project this year.
“All this enthusiasm has been met with love, encouragement, thanks, and, of course, cat purrs, which has only made us feel more accepted by the cats and the people of Tabby’s Place. Thank you for all you have given us.”
A love this big is not just for weekends and holidays. Maylee’s science fair project was a multimedia masterpiece that makes your average doctoral dissertation look like mere doodles.
The photo below cannot do justice to its magnificence. Jonathan, our Vet Team, Behavioral Team and I spent an hour in awestruck wonder.
Meanwhile, Maylee and Kainoa were busy getting back to work, doing the most important thing of all: loving the cats.
Murdock melted into their arms. Hips swooned into their laps. Prescott stopped sprinting just to be near them. That’s what happens when you’re in the presence of huge love that just happens to stand under four feet tall.
As we “big cats” know, growing up can make us turn wobbly. These longer legs and longer lives of ours may get weak in the winds of the world.
So it’s a good thing we have wise little ones to remind us to be brave. If they are the future, tomorrow is as bright as Trifecta’s green eyes.
We’ll give marvelous Maylee the final word: “Tabby’s Place is cool, because they have cats and vets. I like to read to the cats there and eat with the cats, too, at events and stuff. I like that I got my cat from there, because he’s purrrfect. I like to help Tabby’s Place so they can get cool toys for the cats because the cats are cool. The cats’ lives before Tabby’s Place were boring and homeless, but now they get to have pawsome homes.
“The vet office is cool because it’s for cats only, and the dental X-ray is the same as a human one. … I like that the cats have a sunny surgery room, and a fun snake toy that slithers all over the floor … I like that they gave me expired suture to practice on bananas. Mugsy says ‘meow meow.'”
Thank you for being at the heart of our Tabby’s Place family, Meaghan, Chris, Maylee, and Kainoa!
Do you know a young person with a passion for cats? Sign them up for Paws to Read, celebrate a birthday by requesting cat-saving gifts, or bring them for the grand tour … they just might meet their very own Trifecta. We’d love to feature your big-hearted little one in a future blog post, too! Contact Angela to share their story.