Dear Mary fans,

Happy Thanksgiving month! “It’s a time for curling up and staying warm,” says Mary, as the temperatures dipped a bit this month, actually being colder than normal in contrast to the extended warmth of October.

Our gentle girl has had a bit of a tough time this month. Mary lost some weight, now weighing in on the scale at under eight pounds, and also had an incident of bloody stool. A physical exam showed nothing abnormal, but we ran a full panel of blood and urine tests just to be sure there wasn’t something serious going on. These tests revealed nothing out of the ordinary, so, for now, we will simply monitor Mary’s weight closely.

You wouldn’t know Mary had any issues when you visit with her, as she is still her loving and playful self, continuing to comfort the newcomers and ensuring she gets her cozy catnaps in for much of the day, as you can tell from the photos.

Mary welcomed some new arrivals this month to Suite A. Cleo is a very petite, friendly, 3-year old Abyssinian tabby. That just means her fur has alternating bands of light and heavy pigmentation, which gives her an exotic, almost frosted appearance. She is quite striking. She is also a master escape artist as she hangs near the suite door and makes a dash for it more often than we’d like. Luckily, she is so friendly and easily handled that we just sweep her into our arms and return her to her suite mates. I told Mary yesterday that she needs to be a model good kitty for Cleo and teach her to be happy hanging inside the suite instead of racing down the hall like a kitten!

Two new black kitties with interesting markings, Jefferson and Patty, are also new to Mary’s suite. They are getting used to being in the suite with the other kitties, so are a bit shy right now. Patty was named for one of our fabulous volunteers who was incredibly devoted to the cats and who recently passed away unexpectedly. I believe her personality — gentle, sweet, and giving — makes her the ideal namesake of the human Patty.

Believe it or not, this month starts the 15th year of Tabby’s Place! It was a sad time in Jonathan and Sharon Rosenberg’s life when their beloved Tabby passed away from cancer. To honor Tabby, Jonathan planned and opened Tabby’s Place to provide a haven for cats in hopeless situations. Over 2400 wonderful cats have come through our doors — cats of all ages and medical conditions and all with a unique story that brought them here. At Tabby’s Place these furry babies find a safe haven filled with love and medical care until they are adopted or promoted to heaven. With a small but incredible staff and hundreds of volunteers in the Tabby’s Place family, our cats have become a joyful part of each of our lives. We are so happy to continue to give Mary and all the other kitties who come through the doors of Tabby’s Place a loving home.

Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season and we are getting a jump on the activities with a first-ever “Thanksgiving with the Cats” event. If you live close by, please come and join us on November 18th for kitty cuddling, tours, and feeding the cats an early Thanksgiving feast.

William Arthur Ward said it best: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Thanksgiving is the perfect time to express a double-dose of gratitude for all you do for Mary and Tabby’s Place. Many thanks from the bottom of our hearts.