Dear Supporters of Boobalah,

I usually fly through the lobby on my way to the laundry room, but this time I stopped. I was on a mission—to meet a new cat and do a favor—a write-up on a cat named Boobalah for December. Although I’ve been volunteering here at Tabby’s Place for over 15 years, I didn’t even know if Boobalah was a boy or a girl, black, brown, grey or orange, old or young. I was only given the basics.

Sweet as pie.

Lap cat.

Just got out of ringworm quarantine.

Incontinent. Blood in her stool.

Heart disease.

You’ll fall in love with this one—fast.

They weren’t kidding. I suppose if you volunteer at Tabby’s Place, you have to love cats. And on some level, you have to be immune to their antics and wily ways or you’d never get any of your chores done when you arrive. Their cute faces are everywhere. You hear their plaintive meows, and your heart melts. You want to take them all home with you and give them that forever home.

I was stopped in my tracks when I spotted Boobalah for the first time. She’s such a looker. That face. Those eyes. And sure enough, as soon as I reached out to pet her, her purring twisted that part of my heart that I thought I’d turned to steel (for self-protection, mind you, because I already have three kitties at home.) She was on my lap in about three seconds. Oh yeah, I thought to myself, you’re dangerous. I want to take you home and just cuddle you all day and night.

But let me tell you what happened next.

When I first spotted her, she was underneath one of the tables in the lobby, melded to another—should I say—slightly plumper cat. They were snoozing together. I craned my neck to get a good look at her. She glanced up, her nose sniffing away. I didn’t want to disturb her, but she was immediately interested and curious. She sauntered over and smelled my hand. She’s petite and very graceful and slides across the floor.

As hard as I tried to remain immune to Boobalah’s charms, she won me over. No small surprise there. How could I possibly resist her quirky soul? I believe every cat comes to us with a story, a journey they’ve been on, and slowly as you get to know them, they reveal the wisdom they’ve learned along the way. I could feel her magic seeping out of her pores.

I decided to experiment and see if she would, indeed, jump on my lap. Of course, she did. With no hesitation. She’s a cutie. The next step was obvious, although I didn’t think of it. Another volunteer handed me a few treats, those delicious Temptations that so many cats go crazy for. Boobalah was no exception. I had her eating out of my hand in no time. Ha Ha.

That was our first meeting. I left for the laundry room to do my work, but when I returned to the lobby an hour and a half later looking for Boobalah, she found me, and it was clear where she wanted to be. I sat down and she cozied up into my lap again. It was too soon to find out where she’d been before she came to Tabby’s. I heard one rumor she came from Brooklyn. I did discover she loves to sit near the front door and bask in the sunshine. And I can also tell you there’s no cuter sight than to watch Boobalah prance across the floor, headed to the water fountain, her little rear end sashaying back and forth as she walks.

Thanks so much, from Boobalah and myself, for your generosity to Tabby’s Place.

Best wishes for a lovely holiday!

Your correspondent,
Kate