Happy July, Team TNR!

I hope this update finds you as blissful as blueberry pie.

Your compassion takes no summer vacation, and our cats wish they could throw you a parade even bigger than America’s 250th birthday. (Minus the frightening fireworks, but with 250 times the hamburgers. Cats know their priorities.)

But in all seriousness (not that cats don’t take hamburgers seriously), you truly are the face of July joy in our TNR kitties’ lives … even one charming curmudgeon who resembles a raincloud.

If the word “pitiful” came with a purr, it might look like Eeyore.

With woeful eyes and a stubborn frown, the pouting pewter stray seemed to have missed the memo that summer means hope.

We can’t blame Eeyore for his blues.

It is hard to romp among sunbeams and dragonflies when old pain clings like fog. Over many stoic years outdoors, Eeyore sustained severe injuries to his back legs and pelvis. By the time he made it to a low-cost TNR clinic, he was in no shape for outdoor life. He could hardly chase the ice cream truck if he tried.

But Eeyore’s hard life was one twist away from becoming soft-serve … with extra sprinkles.

The saddest-looking soul was about to become a Tabby’s Place cat.

You, dear sponsors, led the parade to bring Eeyore to safety. The good people at the TNR clinic knew that Tabby’s Place is a haven for cats who are too grizzled and “hopeless” for most of the world.

Would we welcome their weary grey stray, with all his wounds and worries?

We were already working on a name worthy of him.

If you’re familiar with Winnie the Pooh, you know that Eeyore’s namesake is a woeful donkey who always expects the worst. But, even though encouragement rolls off Eeyore’s slumped shoulders, and his melancholy is never “cured,” his friends love and take care of him exactly as he is.

All that is necessary for him to be cherished is for him to be Eeyore.

If Tabby’s Place were a donkey sanctuary, he would have been our Eeyore.

But, since cats are our everything, this is our Eeyore. And, as you can see, he is perfect, just the way he is.

Eeyore is not (yet) taking us at our word about this. When you have wandered the doldrums all your life, it can be hard to believe you are finally beloved. But while kisses may confuse him, Eeyore can’t deny that he is feeling … what’s the word … better?

Can things actually get better, even for an old man with eyes as glum as prunes?

Thanks to you, Eeyore is unlearning his woes.

Yet it wouldn’t be “summer TNR” without the littlest ladybugs. And, oh, how you shine for the kittens of July!

Through your tireless generosity, you were on the front lines of an ambitious TNR project in Bayonne, New Jersey a few weeks ago. A multitude of rescuers and organizations joined forces to find appropriate placement for all the cats, and Tabby’s Place was delighted to welcome two timid kittens.

As you can see, Feisty and Cheese Puff just might be the cutest kittens in the last 250 years.

(Well…they have a little competition. More on that in a moment.)

But these feral-born babies are late to the celebration of their own sweetness, and it will take some time to convince them they are safe. Not to worry. Thanks to you, the sister and brother are nestled in one of our most skilled and tenderhearted foster families.

Day by day, fear is melting like a forgotten popsicle.

And back at Tabby’s Place, two more fireflies are sparkling through the darkness.

We don’t know how Totoro and Haku lost their mama when they were just days old. It is a grim reminder of why TNR matters so much.

If every cat were spayed, neutered, and lovingly cared for (indoors or out), there would be no injured elders and no orphaned newborns.

But until that impossible dream comes true (and “impossible” is never invincible), we will be here for the innocents, old and young.

Which brings us to Cheese Puff and Feisty’s competition in the cuteness category.

Despite their lonesome beginnings, sister Totoro and brother Haku are now July’s most jubilant babies. Haku arrived with a severe upper respiratory infection, the likes of which can steal away a kitten’s life with little warning.

But you provided the tenacious care to save him, and Totoro provided the pint-sized purrs to cheer him on in his recovery.

It’s enough to make even Eeyore smile…someday.

Sweet sponsors, thank you for being love’s miracles on legs. You are our cats’ strength and their summertime. I am in awe of your generosity and devotion.

And I hope that you, who love so selflessly, will take at least a few moments all to yourselves this summer.

And put some extra sprinkles on your sundae. Do it for Eeyore.

Love, your grateful correspondent,
Angela