Greetings, FeLVie Fans! It’s time for another update on our favorite cast of characters.

Let’s dive right in.

Alas for Hoopla Green, who loves her solarium! You’ll remember that we had set her up with a heated bed and heated water bowl, but it’s been so persistently, dangerously cold here that all solaria have been off-limits to all of our felines. Hoopla has had to come indoors for a while. She’s obviously not thrilled about this, but until it warms up a little, she’ll be adjusting.

Batty, who has chronic rhinitis, was under suspicion of sounding more congested than usual, but our vet team confirmed that nothing sinister was going on with her. But, she does seem a little intimidated by the newest member of the suite, Amigo.

Amigo is a handsome, senior, mild-mannered brown tabby who loves to head-butt people (and inanimate objects, too, for that matter). Just after he moved into the suite, Amigo developed an abscess on the right side of his face. We were concerned that this might be related to a recent tooth extraction. Amigo was sedated so we could check him out, and it appears to be a separate issue, possibly from a previous bite wound. The abscess was treated and cleaned up, and Amigo is recovering nicely.

Meanwhile, Clifford continues to rejoice in a space all his own. He had some clear nasal discharge recently, but that’s not a surprise, as we’ve had an upper respiratory infection going around Tabby’s Place. While the nasal discharge seems to have been short-lived, we’re watching our grumpy boy to see if it reappears.

During our recent large snowstorm, some of our devoted staff actually slept at Tabby’s Place to ensure that our kitties would have appropriate feeding and care; look for the photo of Clifford cuddling with one of them.

Like Hoopla Green, Luke is also not delighted at having to remain indoors, as he seems most comfortable in his suite’s solarium. I wish I could explain to him that the situation isn’t permanent! He had one bout of vomiting this month, but nothing since then. Nothing stops Luke from playing like a madman! See the video at the end of this update.

Trifecta had a lovely time interacting with some visitors when I was there a couple of weeks ago. During their visit, he received all of the petting and admiration any cat could want.

Francois was having some gastrointestinal troubles, so we put him on a prescription wet food specifically designed for cats with sensitive tummies. That meant he had to be crated to eat, but we have a lot of experience in that sort of thing. He’s been responding nicely to the prescription food, and we’ll see if we can very gradually wean him off of that and back onto the diet Luke and Trifecta eat.

I’m waiting to see how Kitty Purry and Leonardo DiCatrio react to Polka‘s adoption and absence. Both cats were undoubtedly somewhat intimidated by Polka, because he was so active and so rowdy.

But despite any intimidation, Leo continues to be more sociable. If I went into his suite and sat down, he’d come over to greet me, even if Polka was galloping around. Regina and Leo are hanging out in the header photo, probably chatting about Polka’s adoption.

Regina must be glad that Polka is gone, as he frequently annoyed her. She was sacked out on a blanket atop a heated pad in her suite the last time I saw her. I suspect that Braveheart will miss his boisterous playmate, but overall, he continues to do well with us.

And new to that suite is KB, a large, young Bengal mix with beautiful markings. The staff describes KB as a big mush and very inquisitive. When I met him, he had just been placed in a cage in his suite (we crate all new cats for a few days, so everybody has a chance to get used to one another). Being suddenly exposed to new felines in a new environment would be enough to throw any feline off-balance, yet I saw Braveheart go right up to KB’s cage to sniff him, and KB didn’t react at all—no hissing, no angry meow. That’s a very good sign indeed.

We are hoping you were able to join our love fest and see your favorite FeLVies at last weekend’s Your Feline Valentine open house. (But if not, know that you are always welcome to visit!)

Regina was a big hit, and so were all the kitties in Suite G.  The visits included great interest and fascination in the new Bengal boy, KB.  Everyone respected Braveheart’s space as he happily slept the day away.

That’s all the news that’s fit to print for now. As always, thank you for your generosity in helping us help our FeLVies.

Your correspondent,
Stephanie

P.S. Two of our FeLVies were featured in recent blogs. If you’d like to read them, click here for the one on Braveheart and here for the one on Francois. Happy reading!