Happy November, Team TNR!

Autumn’s golden glow may be fading, but we’re not afraid of winter at Tabby’s Place. After all, brown leaves are the same cozy color as cinnamon rolls and tabbies.

And thanks to you, no cat in our family tree will ever go cold.

The cats in our colonies are truly “Tabby’s Place cats,” no less than our indoor residents. They may not let us cuddle them in our cardigans or smooch their heads like pumpkins, but they are ours.

Our outdoor cats live inside the same promise: you will have everything you need, all the days of your life.

So when a little patchwork cat named Pixie started looking threadbare, her colony caretakers let us know right away. A noble senior with candlelit eyes, Pixie seemed to know that we were on her side.

Shy but not aggressive, she let our vet team tend to her needs. As best we could tell, she was blind, with a head tilt most likely caused by an early-life infection, but there was no sign of any serious illness.

We nestled Pixie into a quiet suite, with a sunroom where the rays could warm her swirls like a sweater. We looked forward to learning her love languages and earning her trust.

But Pixie took our love on a journey where we could not follow.

Our dainty senior slipped away one morning, in her warm suite with sunbeams all around her. Heartbreak filled Tabby’s Place. Dear sponsors, you will understand how much we already loved this gentle girl. Pixie was not “just a feral.” She was ours … and we were hers.

There is comfort in knowing that Pixie left our world from a place of peace. She was safe. The last sounds she heard were soft voices cooing her name. She knew she belonged.

This is only possible because you, dear sponsors, believe that feral cats deserve to be family.

And this family of ours is bountiful, boisterous, and ever growing. One of the many ways you help save lives is by enabling Tabby’s Place to empower a broad community of love and rescue. Your generosity reaches far beyond the ends of our fingertips, through education, training, and resources that will impact thousands of cats in the years to come.

For instance, this summer and fall we assisted a former volunteer with her own trap-neuter-return mission. Through Tabby’s Place’s support and provision of traps, this extraordinary angel reached six colonies. Thanks to you, over sixty cats will have a wonderful winter (and beyond) under the watchful eyes of committed caretakers.

Although those spayed-and-neutered sixty won’t be having kittens, we’ll be here for the little niblets who need us. And that brings me to the heart of our Thanksgiving celebration.

Meet Willow.

As you can see, our little sweet potato was born a bit different from the “average” kitten. Apparently paralyzed from birth, Willow moves in her own wriggly, giggly way, scampering forward with her downy front legs.

Perhaps her disability is why her mother was nowhere to be found when Willow turned up in a TNR caregiver’s yard.

But don’t weep for Willow, whose laughing eyes see only joy. The moment Tabby’s Place heard of her plight, we knew she belonged at the head of our table.

And today, she’s joined Olive, Peabody, Berry, and all of our precious paraplegics in our lobby. She will dream under skylights and cuddle in warm arms, burrowing into volunteers’ flannel shirts and hitching a ride in sweatshirt pockets. Every day will be her Thanksgiving Day parade, and she will know the perpetual feast of unconditional love.

There’s just one thing missing from Willow’s wonderland: you.

But we can fix that, dear sponsors.

Now that you’ve saved her life, you are cordially invited to kiss her face. On Saturday, 11/22, from 12-4pm, we’ll be hosting our annual Thanksgiving with the Cats open house. Willow and I agree: the sight of your face will be sweeter than pie.

I can never thank you enough for all you do for the cats … but it would be an honor to attempt to do so in person!

If distance or circumstances make it impossible for you to join us, fret not. In the truest way, you are here with us, day after day, in every quiet labor of love. You are the light in our cats’ eyes, and the strength of their hope.

You are the heart of their family, and ours.

May you and your dear ones have a peaceful Thanksgiving. And may you know that you are enfolded in a community of love at Tabby’s Place. It is the joy of my life to be part of this family with you.

Love, your correspondent,
Angela

PS: Tabby’s Place had the honor of being featured in Catster magazine’s “Heroes of the Pet World” this month! You can enjoy the article here … and know that you are the Heroes of the Heroes of the Pet World.