Dear Team Luna,

As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, let’s take a moment to remember all we have for which to be thankful.  Tabby’s Place, established in 2003, has been in operation for more than 18 years and has served the needs of thousands of cats. All kinds of cats: newborn kittens, Special Needs felines, and even cats from feral colonies have found a safe haven here. And, because Tabby’s Place has earned a stellar reputation worldwide as a “refuge for cats in hopeless situations,” we have become international ambassadors for unfortunate felines in countries as far away as Japan, Turkey, and several other countries in the Middle East.  Cats with diabetes, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), neurological disabilities, feline leukemia (FeLV), cancer, blindness, and paraplegia find sanctuary here, live with dignity, and often are adopted out to forever homes.  Some, whose medical conditions are particularly challenging, will make Tabby’s Place their happy home for all of their lives.

With Luna at the helm in our lab and medical suite, great strides are made for the good health and wellbeing of all of our precious guests.  And as Luna well knows, it is the love and kindness of the entire Tabby’s Place family—staff, donors, and volunteers —that make all the difference for special cats like her.  Your monthly donations on Luna’s behalf, as well as other generous gifts throughout the year, allow us to pay for the very best of care for her and all of her feline friends. Of course, we also have special gratitude as we look towards our future.  Our expansion is moving along well, as we now have a real structure and roof.  The days ahead look very bright as our dreams to help even more Special Needs cats become a reality.

Unfortunately, there are challenges we have to face and we must still try to be grateful for these learning experiences. For the first time in 14 years, Tabby’s Place is having a ringworm outbreak. One of our junior vet techs reports we are not alone—a large number of rescues and shelters in the area are experiencing this as well.  A bit of explanation is required here. After all, any kind of outbreak sounds very alarming, especially now. If you do not know about ringworm, it is not a worm at all, but a fungal infection, and one of the most common skin infections in cats worldwide. It can spread very quickly from cat to cat, but luckily there are effective treatments available.  We currently have residents from four different suites in ringworm quarantine.  A series of special ringworm protocols (to help stop the spread) has been instituted for the entire facility.  As a preventive measure, Luna and other cats that are immune-compromised have been started on antifungal medication.  Luna, ever the seasoned lab professional, seems to be taking all of this in stride and she remains in good health.

The new cabinet door in the medical suite is working wonderfully to keep Luna out of trouble.  She is now able to be out and about with Angelo on a regular basis and, as you can see, the two of them have become “butt buddies.” They are happily enjoying their time together, and Luna loves getting to snuggle with the vet team more often again. Of course, we call these interactions “consults” so that we can keep it all very professional! Frequent napping while curled up on an office chair near a computer, is just one more part of our daily protocol for Luna here at Tabby’s Place.

Your correspondent,
Tina