Dear Supporters of Colleen,

Imagine this-
The sun is shining ever so brightly through the front door of Tabby’s Place in the lobby. Colleen is snuggled on the rug. Her fur is super warm. Then she stretches out, basking in the warmth of the rays, loving every moment, as only a cat can do. She is feeling the love of Mother Nature, and for a February in the dead of winter–a very mild winter–she is lucky to have such beautiful weather.

That is how I found Colleen. She couldn’t have felt more content, more happy.

So I snuggled down beside her. Put my face into her face and the purring began. She first nuzzled my face, then my hand, and we cuddled together on the rug.

The life of a cat, I thought to myself. They know how to take a moment and make the most of it. Leave all their worried thoughts behind. A kind of simple meditation. What a perfect way to spend a Friday morning after they’ve snacked up on breakfast and done their morning chores.

Maybe she’s caught wind of all the good medical news that I can share with you this month. Considering that Colleen has been saddled with some pretty serious medical issues, and that she’s been nicknamed the “mystery cat,” because diagnosing her medically has been so darned difficult, I am happy to report that we have made progress!

Last month, you may recall, Colleen’s anemia was treated as if it were the result of her renal disease, even though her kidneys didn’t seem to be causing it. But the good news is the medication has been working – so the obvious conclusion has to be that there is a connection!

Colleen’s other issue–her facial pawing–was more of a mystery. Was it seizure-related or caused by a tumor or a cyst? Or did she have some inflamed nerves? An MRI could provide a more definitive answer but that would require Colleen being anesthetized, which would negatively affect her kidney disease. Another option would be to use a steroid but that would make her diabetic. Luckily, a consultation with a neurologist provided a third option–that Colleen was suffering from inflammation of a few of her cranial nerves. The medication to solve the problem, unfortunately, would also make her diabetic, but in the meantime the folks here at Tabby’s Place are trying an alternate medicine to see if that won’t work. Phew! So keep your fingers crossed.

Can Colleen feel all the love? She must because as I watch her laying around in the sun, purring up a storm, she looks pretty happy to me.

And let’s all hope that the beautiful mild weather continues.

Thanks as always for your continued support.