A-tisket, a-tasket, fruit kittens in a…bowl? With un-rhyme and reason, Tabby’s Place is experiencing yet another extended kitten season. For some, their arrivals at the sanctuary were carefully coordinated. For others, the same is maybe less true, but arrive they did (and they keep coming). Did I mention that it’s kitten season? Among the newest to fall far from their trees include Kumquat, Fig, Lychee, Guava, Soursop, Yuzu, Citron, Pommelo, Kiwi, Pitaya, and Tangelo.

As these names suggest, kittens are the most sweet and tender kinds of fruit. They are extraordinarily fragile until they grow strong and begin to truly thrive. Until that time, a kitten’s future is very uncertain. For little Lychee, the chance at a future ended far too soon with her overnight transit across the rainbow bridge where she is beyond even the reach of Dr. Fantastic (the term for all the amazing people who collectively provide world-class care).

It is heartbreaking when nothing can be done for any single little one. Such a loss reminds us of the importance of our foster team. That is why the tremendous Tiana leads that team. That is why kindhearted staff member Kelly and all of the foster volunteers opened their homes to give an overflowing bounty of fruit salad of kittens the best possible chance for a healthy, happy start in life. Stunning staff members Tiff and Rey have also shared in these efforts, providing bottle feedings, gentle care, and tons of love. Individually and as a whole, the Foster Team goes above and beyond to help ensure that every kitten will grow big and strong.

Without guarantees for this extremely fragile group, the highest-quality care is essential to giving Tabby’s Place kittens the chance to thrive. The Kitten Fund is there for each and every kitten providing for every specialist visit, each vaccination, all of the wellness checks, as well as spaying and neutering. Through the extreme love and generosity of our adored donors, most of the kittens that comprised this jumbled up, exotic fruit salad have happily grown strong.

While some of the fruits are still ripening, the foster team has nurtured much of this mix into adoption age. It’s unusual for a fruit salad to be unmade, but it’s delightful in this case. Taking the reins from the Foster Team, the Adoptions Team, led by the magnificent Carolyn, did their part to help Fig, Kumquat, Soursop, Kiwi, and Tangelo all find their forever homes. That’s the unmaking of this fuzzy fruit salad. It is the happiest kind of undoing.

But, there still is much work to be done. More kittens are coming, as the season has grown unseasonably long. There is germination and growth abounding. That means the need for Tabby’s Place is growing too. Fortunately, the sanctuary is filled with staff and volunteers who are ready to bestow bushels of unconditional love and care on the kittens that have and have not yet arrived. Adoption is ideal, but the Tabby’s Place guarantee, “Once a Tabby’s Place cat, always a Tabby’s Place cat,” holds strong. There is a bounty of suites and offices where young cats can be welcomed fully into the fold. That time will come. For now, the remaining fruit salad kittens are still reaping the effort of the Foster and Adoptions Teams. When they are ripe and ready, they will tumble brightly into their future. It’s going to be a sweet one.

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