Dear supporters of Colleen,

I stopped in the other day to see Colleen, and she looked different. Glowing. Beautiful. Now, with those deep shiny green eyes Colleen is a very stunning looking cat, quite the Irish Miss, but when she looked at me–face on–I was just struck–for that moment–with how “well” she looked. I picked her up, as always, and put her in my lap.

We cuddled, the usual stuff, and I noticed, too, that there wasn’t the usual pawing at her face and the attempts to rub her face against my hand or on my leg. She seemed to be quite content to sit there and just cuddle. It was nice. She seemed more content.

Frankly, I didn’t think too much of it.

That is, until I got the latest update on Colleen’s medical condition.

Good news!

Now I remember reporting that the good folks at Tabby’s Place have tried just about everything to help Colleen. And she’s had an assortment of issues–facial dermatitis, an inflamed nerve which constantly caused her to rub her poor little face, and diabetes, which always loomed as a threat. It seemed that when they tried one kind of treatment, it may have helped one issue but it exacerbated another.

This time, however, Colleen’s luck has changed for the better.

Acupuncture.

Yes, you heard it right.

Colleen has been receiving acupuncture treatments and loving them. The facial dermatitis has cleared up. Dr. C. has declared that Colleen’s face “looks perfect”. And, as a result, the staff can discontinue her antibiotics and facial scrub.

Now you might be thinking–can a cat truly enjoy having needles stuck in her face? But the staff reports that during the weekly sessions, Colleen rolls, purrs, and makes muffins. I’m not quite sure what “muffins” are (other than the sweet stuff you can eat) but I know it’s a good thing.

The good news doesn’t stop there. The staff has been able to discontinue one of Colleen’s neurological meds and her steroid entirely. This is significant because the steroid is considered to be the major cause of Colleen’s diabetes. If we can knock off the steroid, we might be able to knock out the diabetes. So, yeah, things are looking up this summer for our sweet girl! So keep positive thoughts in your head.

Has anything else been happening in the Community Room? Well, I can report that our Colleen has a real penchant for baby food. Mashed up turkey food, to be exact. There is this lovely volunteer, who after she’s finished working, walks around with baby food and “treats” with tasty spoonfuls. It seems that Colleen has a real fondness for turkey. It’s quite a sight to see her lapping up the turkey from the teaspoon. In fact, even if she is supposedly contentedly resting on my lap, a teaspoon of turkey can rouse her and I would bet she would follow that volunteer clear across Ringoes to get another mouthful. Oh, the secret lives of cats!

As always, we thank you for your generous support. Keep cool during these unusually hot summer days.