Dear Carrot friends,
Carrot had a good month, and he was especially happy when one of his suitemates, Conga, was adopted. Conga and Carrot didn’t get along very well. Conga can be a bully to the other cats and Carrot does not like dominant, strong-willed cats. I think most of the cats in Suite C are happy Conga went home, and I know the staff and volunteers are very happy for Conga, not because he was a bully to us—he was very good with people—but because we are happy Conga has his own home, and we hope this home is his final, forever home. This is the 6th time Conga has been adopted, and he was returned to us the other 5 times, so fingers are crossed that this is the right home for him.
Carrot went to one of our senior homes recently, and he was reported to be “cranky” during some of his visit! This isn’t like Carrot at all! We know how much he loves his visits to the senior homes, so this was very strange behavior for him. He was still a good boy with the seniors, but he was cranky with our volunteers, and even swatted at one of them when they went to put him back in his carrier to return to Tabby’s Place. One of our volunteers said his harness was tight on him, so maybe that was making him cranky. It certainly wasn’t so tight that it should have bothered him, as it never has before. I guess even Carrot can have an off day now and then. He doesn’t have many cranky days, so we should forgive him the occasional one.
Carrot has gone on many stroller walks this month, which he really enjoys. He is also a favorite with the volunteer stroller walkers, because he obviously enjoys it so much. Carrot loves going to the back of the building during his strolls and smelling the flowers in Cherny’s Garden. That area also has many butterflies on these flowers, so the cats really enjoy being near the flowers to watch the butterflies flitting from flower to flower.
Carrot’s solarium friends are growing daily. I remember the days when it was just Carrot and one or two other cats outside. These days it’s normal to see most of the cats out in the solarium, especially Carrot, Elijah, Siesta, Alex, and Wilbur. They really seem to prefer the outside area, and they seem to get along better outside too. I’m not sure why this is the way it is, but maybe it’s because there is a lot more enrichment out in the solarium, such as birds and the breeze. All of the solariums just got new curtains. These curtains are plastic and can be rolled down if there is a storm, so the solariums don’t get soaking wet from the rain. They will also be great for the winter and help block out the wind and snow.
Carrot has a lot of Comfort Buddies volunteers assigned to him. Comfort Buddies is our socializing program for the easy cats, who want attention. We have a lot of volunteers in this program now, so Carrot gets lots and lots of visits. Of course, all Carrot’s suitemates benefit from this, because the volunteer tends to spend time with most of the cats in the room (whichever of them wants the attention).
Carrot has enjoyed a healthy month, and has no issues to report, which is always good news. Our Carrot is in good health and in good spirits (except for his one cranky day).
That’s all the Carrot news for now. As always, we cannot thank you enough for your continued help and support of our little orange-and-white friend.
Your correspondent,
Karina