Happy New Year, FeLVie fans!
We’re starting 2026 with some great news; Mr. Rogers has been adopted! Our handsome orange-and-white guy went to his new home just after the turn of the year. We’re so happy for him, and we don’t think his former suitemates will miss him at all!!
Francois is becoming an escape artist! He almost escaped into the Quinn’s Corner lobby the last time I entered his suite, and later that afternoon, he did get into the lobby, as I saw another volunteer corral him to return him to his room. Francois has become very talkative. And last time I saw him, I threw a toy for him three times, which precipitated a case of the zoomies for a couple of minutes. He ran all over the suite and even into the solarium before he suddenly skidded to a halt.
Luke is doing nicely, and we have a couple of cute photos of him curled up with Trifecta in a cat bed. And Trifecta continues to be a cat about town. Our feline celebrity loves to appear at our various outreach programs, including Together Tuesday (a cancer support group) and Paws to Read.
Clifford is thrilled with his solo life in the Quinn’s Corner lobby. In fact, he’s doing so well that we’ve been able to wean him off one of his behavior medications. His former suite-mate Batty had some clear nasal discharge a couple of weeks back, but we’ve kept a close eye on her, and that has not recurred, nor have we noticed anything else amiss.
In her heated house in her suite’s solarium, Hoopla Green seems as snug as the proverbial bug in a rug. Heated water bowl? Check. Kibble? Check. Litter box? Check. And of course, she still has her tall cat tree with several perches and cubbyholes for the warmer days.
Braveheart is now living up to his name (the header photo is him). He’s no longer hiding, but is out and about in his suite and solarium. We’ve found that he’s very playful, and we have multiple videos of him engaged in play with Kitty Purry, Leonardo DiCatrio, and even the obstreperous Polka. I must confess that I didn’t believe Braveheart was playing with Polka at first; I thought he was afraid of Polka or lashing out in self-defense. But I was wrong. I saw the two of them interacting, and it was clearly play. Enjoy the video at the end of this update!
Leonardo is much more interested in attention from people these days, but he’s still somewhat skittish and still intimidated by Polka. Kitty Purry remains a delightful girl, and I’d love to see her adopted with Leo, as the siblings get along so beautifully.
Pisa is the Hoopla Green of her suite and lives in the solarium even in the coldest weather. But, like Hoopla, Pisa has everything she needs to be comfortable.
And so we come to Regina. Like most paraplegic/incontinent cats, Regina requires regular rear-end baths, as she is not able to fully clean herself. Since Regina is diapered and “dressed” daily in her scoot skirt, she requires help keeping herself clean. Accordingly, she is scheduled for a rear-end bath every Monday evening and then any other time as needed. Most of our feline residents get bathed in one of our grooming sinks.
But Regina hates leaving her suite, so the staff gives her baths in the sink in her suite. The problem? It takes a very long time for the water coming from that sink to reach a decent bathing temperature, and Regina has come to understand what the sound of running water means for her.
If the staffer bathing her forgets to turn off the water before transporting Regina from her crate to the sink (a distance of roughly eight feet), Regina will wrap herself around the staffer and dig in as hard as she can with her front claws to avoid being bathed. Regina is not a large cat, but apparently she is deceptively strong and shows no hesitation in trying to outmaneuver the hapless staffer.
I’ll close by inviting you to Tabby’s Place for Your Feline Valentine on Saturday, February 7th. This open house runs from 12-4pm, but the first hour (12-1) is just for sponsors like you. You can look forward to festive refreshments and cozy visiting time with the cats. We’ll send a reminder about the event later this month, and we hope you can join us.
We’re looking forward to another year of the antics and doings of our wonderful FeLVie crew. Thank you for making it possible for us to love and care for these fur babies!
Your correspondent,
Stephanie
PS: The cats received a special December gift that they’re excited to share with you: NBC featured Tabby’s Place on Philly Live! Click here to see some of your favorite felines enjoying their moment of fame. Thank you for helping to make this possible!