Spring is right around the corner, Bacon friends!  Tabby’s Place is already bustling with kittens, and the adult cats are eagerly awaiting the return of lazy days sunning themselves in the solarium.

Meanwhile, in Volunteer Director Karina’s office, Bacon is welcoming every day with friendly chirps and curious stares.  More accurately, he welcomes every evening this way.  The days he spends happily snoozing.

Bacon continues to do well on his reduced medication dosage, and he enjoyed good health this month.  A volunteer did notice a small sore on Bacon’s lip, but the medical staff determined that it was just a minor bit of flaky skin and elected not to fuss with it, as Bacon gets very distressed when handled too much.

This has been a unique challenge for me in getting to know my new friend.  I’ve never encountered a cat that is as nervous about being touched as our sweet Bacon.  He’ll happily rub against my legs and walk little laps around me, but if I reach out to touch him, he gives a nervous chirp and scampers away.  This presented me with a quandary at first, but I am terribly stubborn and was determined to make a friend of Bacon however I could.

I’m pleased to say that we’re making great progress!  Bacon used to regard me with great skepticism but now seems to welcome my visits.  He’s made one very cautious attempt at sitting in my lap and will often eat treats from my hand.  I’ve learned that Bacon prefers to choose how and when to be touched; if I simply hold out my hand, he’ll very gently brush against my fingers as he walks by.  Karina says he “pets himself,” which is pretty accurate.  If he’s very tired or freshly medicated and feeling a bit groggy, he’ll let me very gently pet his head as he relaxes in a cozy bed.

Mostly, he still spends our time together walking around and talking to me in little chirps.  He always stops by to say hello to Sally… who sometimes ignores him, sometimes sniffs him, and sometimes swats him away.  None of these reactions ever deter him in his friendliness.  While he trots around, I talk to him and sometimes hold up his dish so he can finish the last hard-to-reach bits of his dinner.

One of my favorite things about Tabby’s Place is the fact that every cat, however troubled or quirky or needy, can find a home here and be loved and safe.  I’m very glad to have the chance to get to know a cat like Bacon and to learn from him.  We all need love expressed to us in different ways, and Bacon is a good reminder of that.  He’s reminded me to learn to approach people on their terms and to be patient; he’s rewarded me when I’ve taken his lessons to heart.

So, as spring blossoms, I thank you as always for your contribution to Bacon’s care and wish you all the love you can get in the way you’re best prepared to receive it.

Your correspondent,
Tara