Rainbow sprinkles make a festive sight.
Whipped cream is a ruffly riot of fun.
But for a serious ice cream sundae, you need Fudge.
You will know, the moment you meet her, that Fudge is no crackly, waxy chocolate from the checkout line. She is not the mere veneer over caramel, or the supporting player to nougat.
Her eyes are as dark as the chocolate that is good for your heart, rich in antioxidants.
But although the great Ice Cream Man painted her stripes like a soft-serve twist, our tabby’s tale has been anything but creamy.
There were no treats for Fudge living outdoors. Instead of a lick from a kind person’s ice cream cone, she lost the use of her rods and cones. Injury or infection stole her sight and her Sundays.
When you are a blind and hungry stray, every day is a work day.
Loved by no one, a cat may feel as small as a maraschino cherry. You know the ones: those radioactive red gems in a jar. They are supposedly edible, but they have come a long way from the garden. Fudge felt the distance from all sweetness.
But Fudge learned to flow over a rocky road.
Kindnesses conspired around the little blind cat. Gentle strangers learned of her plight and went bananas with love. Fudge’s future split open with hope. She found shelter with a foster mom as sweet as a strawberry.
But Fudge’s foster home was no permanent parlor. Being the richest kind of chocolate, Fudge would need some special care.
A milky Kit Kat or mellow Butterfinger is an easy crowd-pleaser. But Fudge is a gourmet girl. She is as sweet as the truffle that makes you close your eyes, forget the world, and say, ohhhh.
She is as kind as the stranger who pays for your fro-yo just because.
But after having to navigate the world by taste, touch, and scent, Fudge has a tendency to bite. There is a ripple of pepper in her sweetness.
Fudge had not yet reached Sunday.
But dessert was in the works.
Tabby’s Place is an endless day of rest for cats who have worked too hard for too few treats. If their paws are raw from wandering, we will cup them in our hands. If they bring dollops of distrust, we will melt with unconditional love, even if they spit jalapenos in our marshmallows.
And if they need more than a spoonful of special care, we will rejoice, and call all the staff and volunteers for an impromptu ice cream social.
The cat who needs us most is the one who is good for our hearts.
And it’s Sunday every time a cat tastes a love she cannot lose.
For Fudge, the long sweetness has just begun. Her dilated pupils swirl like chocolate drops as she “sees” what sight can only ever hint at. As she leans into your love, you sense that Fudge is taking you in, entirely. She cannot get enough of the feeling that she is, at last, enough.
If she nips, forgive her. It is overwhelming to finally be savored. It is radical to find yourself at rest.
It is the sweetest thing on earth to be safe.
And it will come as no surprise that Fudge … has just been adopted.
From here to forever, there is no bottom to Fudge’s sundae.