Warm October greetings to you (and to all Fenek’s friends!),
It was a typically quiet Sunday afternoon when I reached Ringoes, NJ. Eastbound traffic on the interstate had been heavy, and it hadn’t been much lighter on the state highway heading south, but by the time I got to the county road leading into town, cars were few and far between. Next to the parking lot outside Tabby’s Place, the heavy machinery that on weekdays noisily prepares the ground for Quinn’s Corner was silent.
It was quiet inside the building, too. (For one thing, Li’l Salty Olive wasn’t being expressed.) My squeaky sneakers were the loudest sound as I made my way first to the laundry room to pick out a soft blanket, then back to the office that Fenek calls home.
I found him on the floor, unlike my prior visits when he was up higher on a chair or the desk. But the result was the same. I sat on Karina’s swivel chair and maneuvered it to face the door, then spread the blanket across my thighs. Without meowing or making any other audible expression of pleasure (but without hesitation either), Fenek made for my lap.
After settling in on the blanket, he produced a steady, low-volume purr. In a place where quiet is the norm, Fenek fits in as a strong, silent type.
Well, mostly. Although I have yet to hear him meow, I am told that he complains when it’s time for his insulin shots. My source on the Tabby’s Place staff says, “He’s not difficult, but he always complains as if something very unjust is being done to him even though it is the tiniest of needles, and most cats don’t even flinch.”
Although he only accepts them under protest, those insulin shots, as well as his special diet and basically everything else that helps him live his best life, are thanks to you and your generosity and your decision to help a cat who had been in a hopeless situation. It’s been another good month of health for Fenek, and that isn’t something anyone takes for granted, since diabetes can lead to life-threatening complications if not kept under control.
And this fine fellow has rapidly become one of my favorite cats at Tabby’s Place. He didn’t spend the entire visit on my lap; an hour after climbing up there, he jumped down for a quick snack and some self-care. Experience told me to stay put, and sure enough, within minutes he was back.
After an unsuccessful attempt to get from the floor to my lap, he took a different route, reaching it via the other chair in the room, and I got to pet and brush him some more. When he did decide to go, he stood up without a word (or even a meow) and stretched, then made his way back to that chair.
He turned around once and settled down on a sage-green plush blanket for a peaceful afternoon nap. Let others look for excitement as they choose; for Fenek it suits him fine to take it easy and accept a visitor’s love and affection.
Until next time, I’m wishing you as much peace and quiet as you desire and all good things.
Your correspondent,
John