Dear Supporters of Bacon,

He can be such a sweetie…

Let me explain.

Today, after I’ve done the bulk of my volunteering, I visit Bacon. The office where he lives has been cleaned. He’s been fed, and when I walk in, he’s relaxing on a pumpkin blanket in the corner of the room. He looks a bit tired, but his eyes follow me as I walk across the floor and sit down next to him. Some might say I’m sitting a bit too close, but I sense a calmness in Bacon that sometimes isn’t there.

I reach over and let him get a good sniff. “You remember me, right?”

He gives me a little nod of the head.

I keep my hand there, and he continues to sniff. And then I decide to go for broke. He can be a very persnickety cat. You never quite know what he’ll do.

“I think we’re going to call today spa day,” I tell him. “Which means, you’re going to be pampered. A good petting.”

He squints at me, but I take that as a yes. He’s going to go for it.

The petting begins. Under the chin. The best place to begin. He moves his head this way and that, enough to let me know that he loves what I’m doing. I keep on going for a while and then slowly and subtly move my hand, my fingers to the top of his head. Some cats don’t like this, and you have to be careful. But today—spa day—Bacon is truly all in.

In all the months I’ve visited Bacon, I rarely do anything more than that and don’t pet his entire body. Usually, it’s way too much stimulation, but today is different. I run my hands up and down his back, and he seems to settle even more deeply into his pumpkin blanket.

“Well, you’re being a real loving boy today,” I tell him.

How long am I there? Not long, really. I know the protocol and stay fifteen minutes or so, but it’s been a good fifteen minutes. As I said, Bacon can be such a sweetie!

Of course, the next week when I visit, it’s a completely different story. He’s cuddled—fast asleep?—in the corner. I stay for about fifteen minutes and try to roust him out of dreamland. I see one eye open. Briefly. Then closes.

He’s actually facing the wall and under a desk. I go for broke and scoot over under the desk, too, and discover the magic. It’s warmer there. A humming sound coming from somewhere is almost mesmerizing. I can see now why Bacon doesn’t want to budge.

I often wonder: what does Bacon do when I’m not here?

Thankfully, I have my spies (ha, ha) who share another side to Bacon, with evidence. Here he is, adventurous and curious, looking for a certain someone’s lunch.

I quote Bacon’s staff office-mate: “Bacon is doing some exploration. How safe do we think this is? I’m worried he’ll seize and fall off the desk. So, I made a temporary wall to keep him from getting back onto it from his crate.” That’s love and caring.

In other news, our Cherish the Kitten campaign is in full swing—cat babies and pregnant moms are in foster care! And Tabby’s Place has recently opened Perry’s Pantry—a pet food and supply pantry for the community. Bacon is impressed!

Bacon and I hope you had a wonderful Easter and/or Passover. We truly appreciate your continued generosity, which goes so far in making our world a better place, for Bacon and all the cats. Enjoy spring.

Your correspondent,
Kate