To Babs’ beloved ones,

I’m afraid I must write with sad news today. Gentle Babs has left this world.

As you know, our brave old girl had soldiered through seasons of weight loss, recurrent respiratory infections, and a general wobbliness for a long time. Never quite steady on her feet, Babs was nevertheless always somehow stable…”for Babs.”

In just the last few days, that stability was rocked. Babs began struggling to urinate, and her appetite waned. Initially, we hoped this was simply a bad, but treatable, urinary tract infection (UTI), and we treated Babs with IV fluids and antibiotics.

Alas, our girl showed no signs of improvement, and we feared her renal disease was reaching its final stages. Today, Babs had an ultrasound here at Tabby’s Place, which confirmed the dire state of her kidneys. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men — or at least, all the best antibiotics — hadn’t done a thing to put Babs back together again. Her UTI raged on, and her kidney values were dreadful. She’d also begun to develop yet another respiratory infection. Everything about her exuded exhaustion.

The kindest thing we could do for our old friend was to gently let her go. And so we did, with tears and kisses. Babs peacefully left this earth in the center of a ring of Tabby’s Place staff, all of whom adored her right up to the end.

I believe with all my heart that Babs lives on in eternity, and that we will see her again in the place beyond pain. In the meantime, though, I draw tremendous comfort from knowing that this quirky, charming, occasionally crotchety, always cherished cat was loved by wonderful people like you. Ever since her arrival at Tabby’s Place over eight years ago, Babs was never the “calendar kitten” everyone found irresistible. But you saw through her gruff exterior to love the soul within. For that, you have my eternal thanks. Babs’ life was blessed and enriched by your generosity.

Since Babs has passed away, we have transferred your monthly sponsorship to another elderly Special Needs cat in need of your support: Hocus. You can meet Hocus here, and you can catch up on his past adventures here. Unless we hear otherwise from you, you will receive updates on Hocus each month going forward.

However, you may also do one of the following:

• Choose to have your sponsorship transferred to support another Special Needs cat of your choice.
  You can see all of our Special Needs cats here.
  If you wish to do this, please contact us by email and let us know your wishes.
• You may choose to discontinue your monthly sponsorship. To do so, please contact us at 908-237-5300 with your request.

We do hope that you decide to continue supporting our cats in need. And, whatever you do, God bless you for your generosity to Babs.