Dear friends of our beautiful Mary,

Welcome to autumn–oops, I mean summer! The weather here has been crazy, with hot and humid days and only an occasional break for what we might call cool and crisp autumn weather. Not that it matters much to Mary as she is the ultimate inside-dweller and really does not venture out into the solarium.

Oops! The kitties in Mary’s suite benefited/suffered from human error this month. Some well-meaning soul mistakenly fed the Suite A cats regular treats, and (presumably) another friend accidentally distributed non-prescription food. The cats were delighted…until they experienced the resulting diarrhea. We’ve instructed our volunteers to be more careful about keeping the cats on their proper diets. Otherwise, our playful girl has enjoyed a healthy month.

I mentioned last month that there have been some great adoptions from Mary’s suite lately. But this month there has been one amazing, unbelievable and utterly fabulous adoption: Hank, our behavior bad-boy! Hank had been moved into Mary’s suite because of his strong personality and had been settling in nicely, with no signs of the bad behavior for which his reputation preceded him. Then one day a very special someone appeared who would adopt Hank as an only cat — the best situation for him. The hearts of everyone at Tabby’s Place sang with joy at this wonderful event.

Although a number of her longtime friends have recently been adopted, Mary has been remarkably adaptable, cuddling with anyone and everyone who will accept her love.

A new kitty has joined the crew in Suite A. Cleo, a lovey and sweet tabby, is still adapting to the dynamics but should be right at home very soon with other sweethearts such as Rose and Pepita.

In general news at the sanctuary, some special angels brought a new paraplegic to live at Tabby’s Place. The story of Anka joining us is a magical one! This gentle and adorable green-eyed kitty comes to us from Istanbul, Turkey (where cats are held in high regard) by way of some special Manhattan angels. Wandering the streets of Istanbul you will see many small containers by the sides of buildings, and discreet food rations doled out by its inhabitants. While the cats are not adopted formally, they are taken care of by no one and everyone — a giant community network of cat caring!

Anka had been struck by a car and rescued, but suffered a devastating spinal injury. After world-class care by a Manhattan vet neurologist it was determined he would never walk again. Anka made the final leg of his journey to Tabby’s Place and has stolen the hearts of everyone who has met him. Everything about this brave boy is lavish, from his flowing mane to his gleeful affection to his massive, magnificent body. We are so lucky to have him as part of the Tabby’s Place family.

This month also concluded our annual Linda Fund campaign to raise funds for the medical needs of furry babies such as Mary and Anka. Through the generosity of so many wonderful cat lovers, we raised quiet a nice sum to ensure our resident cats remain healthy. We are humbled by the love you all show for these beautiful creatures.

I was reading a 1992 essay “Dogs, Cats, and Dancers: Thoughts about Beauty” by Ursula Le Guin. I love how she describes a cat’s scope of self-awareness: “Cats know exactly where they begin and end. When they walk slowly out the door that you are holding open for them, and pause, leaving their tail just an inch or two inside the door, they know it. They know you have to keep holding the door open. That is why their tail is there. It is a cat’s way of maintaining a relationship.” We see this every day at Tabby’s Place, especially as specific cats (e.g., Pixie, our caramel colored paraplegic) roam from the lobby into our community room and we lovingly open the door for them and wait for them to pass through. Mary does this when she carefully curls up with one of the new kitties or shy kitties in a cat bed fit for two, ensuring that every part of her, from beginning to end, is situated just so.

Mary continues to be an absolute love. Her fur is incredibly soft and fluffy, her playful energy is amazing, and when she snoozes, she REALLY snoozes—she takes her naps seriously!

Thank you for your continued generosity and for staying connected to Mary and to Tabby’s Place labor of love. Wishing you a wonderful autumn season filled with delight!