Happy June, Team TNR!

As the dragonflies dance and hydrangeas bloom, I hope your days are sweeter than a strawberry festival. Though I’m a big believer in savoring every season, there is a special hum of hope in June, isn’t there?

Two brave cats can certainly attest to that. June 2026 will always be the month when their darkest days gave way to light.

But that has little to do with the calendar and everything to do with you.

Princess was the first herald of hope…though that was not the word many would use to describe her at first glimpse.

Ragged and weary, our sooty little senior literally looked threadbare. Princess had lived contentedly in one of our TNR colonies for years, but now something had gone terribly wrong. Her long hair was falling out in mats, and she felt as bony as a bird.

But, dear sponsors, this is where you do something that is rare in all the Earth. You not only help provide the critical trapping and neutering services for feral cats (the T and the N of TNR). You stand by them, steadfast in your love, for their entire lives.

Tabby’s Place colony cats are not nameless strangers left to their own strength after they return to their outdoor homes (the R of TNR). The moment we meet them, they are enfolded in a family and a love that will not let them go.

Your love came racing to meet Princess when her caregiver brought her to Tabby’s Place. Our vet team gently clipped down her painful mats, warmed and comforted her, and provided plate after plate of hearty food. They also sleuthed out the cause of Princess’s peril. Our little lady had developed severe hyperthyroidism, a leading cause of weight loss in elderly cats.

The good news is that this is an extremely treatable condition.

The even better news is that Princess is enjoying being treated like … well, a princess.

When a former feral needs to permanently move indoors for medical reasons, we’re not quite certain how the tale will unfurl. Some may never enjoy human affection, so we honor their spirits and minimize how much we handle them, loving them just the way they are.

But others will realize it’s great gobs of fun to be mushed, smushed, and gushed by humans. And when it comes to our dainty Princess, the mushing, smushing, and gushing has just begun.

As you read these words, our little raven royal is settling into our Community Room, a realm of bright bay windows, sunbeams and butterflies, and an all-day flurry of human hugs. She will have everything she needs medically, including daily treatment for her thyroid and vigilant monitoring of a severely enlarged heart.

Most of all, she will have all the love in our hearts, because you gave yours.

But Princess is not the only June miracle thriving on the strength of your love.

Ten days after our sweet lady’s arrival, we met a gentleman all too familiar with teeth and claws.

Meek and mild, colony cat Gerald had little defense against a larger, stronger animal. We will never know what attacked Gerald, but by the time he came to Tabby’s Place, he was a tangle of wounds with haunted eyes. We wiped tears from our own eyes as our vet team vaulted into action.

Gerald’s injuries were so extensive, and his infection so severe, he would require weeks of painstaking daily treatment if he would have any hope of survival. Bandage changes, intravenous fluid support, and antibiotics could restore the traumatized tabby to health, if we were willing to commit to him for the long haul.

That is what love does. And that is what you do, dear sponsors.

Thanks to you, the worst day of Gerald’s life became the best. The whole Tabby’s Place family rallied around him. Together, we would see him through his recovery journey. He would face no day, hour, or minute alone.

And today, Gerald is on his way to a full recovery.

Without you, neither Princess nor Gerald would be here this June. But you are here, dear sponsors, as present each day as if you were personally stroking, comforting, and caring for these brave beloveds. The best is yet to come, because they are yours.

How incredibly blessed we are to have you at the heart of our Tabby’s Place family.

May June astonish you with hope.

With love and gratitude, your correspondent,
Angela